Dance Macabre - Intellectual

Following Prequelle’s storyline, this spescific lyric could reference the Black Death, more specifically the rats – the ‘plague spreaders’ – that, according to the clergy, were sent by the Devil to bewitch the unholy ones. To bewitch someone means to cast a spell over them; Ghost might be referring to the idea that God is actually punishing them for their sins with the plague. Tobias Forge said in an interview:

Most people [back in the middle ages] knew very little, so all of it was God or the Devil — and about their faith being questioned: Why are we being stricken down by this great scourge? It must be because of our not fearing God enough and all this superstitious bullshit.
Could also be wordplay with ‘be with’, to capture the dancing sounding of the music. So, the protagonist’s only talking with his loved one; he wants to be with her his last moments alive. As Tobias Forge said:

All the brothels and pubs were thriving because people started partying literally like there was no tomorrow because they were gonna die. They were just going for it.

Often times, when there is a deadline, or an imminent event coming up, the phrase “it will all be over when the clock strikes midnight” is usually used to represent the moment’s arrival.

Here Ghost manifests how everyone will die because of the plague. The chimes – the dead bells – used in Scotland and northern England with deaths and funerals up until the 19^th century represent the end of a person’s life.

The narrator, probably living during the 14^th century, wishes to be able to turn back time to prevent his death. In literature, Death’s Hourglass shows how the lifetime of a character has a physical manifestation, an object from which it’s ticking, flowing or trickling ominously away. This person wishes to manipulate it, and be able to survive the pest.

These bells are named also as Death Knell, that’s the name of another Ghost’s song.

In the Black Death period, anyone could die in a few days – maybe a few hours – as the plague is estimated to have killed 60% of Europe’s total population.

‘The sting in the way you kiss me’ refers to the disease being transferred. People were infected not only by victims, but by carriers as well. This might explain why the protagonist is surprised his life is ending like it did.

The protagonist knows he’ll die in a few hours. This is probably the last time he’ll see his loved one and so he’s enjoying his last moments with her.

Dance macabre could also be interperted to be about the medieval dancing plague of 1518.

There are many theories surrounding this phenomenon but ultimately people died

“to the last bow”
could refer to to when a victim to the dancing plague passed out on the ground, from afar it looks like a bow.

wikipedia link

Engraving by Hendrik Hondius portraying three people affected by the plague. Work based on original drawing by Pieter Brueghel. source: wikipedia link above