While there isn't a single "MP3 download" academic paper, there are several fascinating analyses and "literary papers" exploring the deeper meanings and viral success of the Ghost track Core Interpretations of "Mary on a Cross"

: Many listeners and reviewers from sites like Interesting Literature suggest the title itself is a pun. When sung, "Mary on a... Mary on a cross" sounds phonetically similar to " marijuana ". This is supported by lyrics referencing "riding high".

: Forge has suggested the "Mary" in the song might actually represent Mary Magdalene , whom he describes as a "miscredited" figure who came off as one thing but had other intentions. Meaning Behind "Mary on a Cross" Lyrics | PDF - Scribd

: Within the band's fictional lore, the song was supposedly written and recorded in the 1960s by a younger "Papa Nihil" for "Sister Imperator".

: The chorus line "you go down just like Holy Mary" is widely analyzed as a sexual metaphor. Some analysts argue it uses religious imagery as a "thinly veiled ode" to intimacy, blending the sacred and the profane in typical Ghost fashion.