This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Alone I traveled through the mountains
Led by a star fading west
When I came upon an ancient ruin of a church
And it was there I stopped to rest
Then the black and gloomy night that chased my footsteps
Crashed down on me like a wave
Whispering through the trees and eerie breeze
Carried a voice beckoning me to be her slave
In a whisper she said
Burn forever
Leave never from my arms
Embrace the night
From the black and twisting shadows rose a woman
Beauty alluring to the eye
Oh her devilish grin, her moonlit skin
And long dark hair flowing down around her thighs
As she approached I felt the evil growing stronger
I waltz with the wicked within
Frozen in my place, she kissed my face
And in a storm of passion bathed me in sin
In the madness, she said,
Burn forever
Leave never from my arms
Embrace the night
Then she weaved a mist, and cast me into the shadows
"Come with me, love eternally, forever mine"
"Set me free, in death we'll dance eternally forever and ever"
As so the light, cast down from the heavens
Washed over me like wave
I awoke, it seems, from some crazy dream
Only to find I was standing at her grave
In my nightmare, she said
Burn forever
Leave never from my arms
Embrace the night
Burn forever
Leave never from my arms
Don't ever leave me, never leave me
Burn forever
Leave never from my arms
Embrace the night
Led by a star fading west
When I came upon an ancient ruin of a church
And it was there I stopped to rest
Then the black and gloomy night that chased my footsteps
Crashed down on me like a wave
Whispering through the trees and eerie breeze
Carried a voice beckoning me to be her slave
In a whisper she said
Burn forever
Leave never from my arms
Embrace the night
From the black and twisting shadows rose a woman
Beauty alluring to the eye
Oh her devilish grin, her moonlit skin
And long dark hair flowing down around her thighs
As she approached I felt the evil growing stronger
I waltz with the wicked within
Frozen in my place, she kissed my face
And in a storm of passion bathed me in sin
In the madness, she said,
Burn forever
Leave never from my arms
Embrace the night
Then she weaved a mist, and cast me into the shadows
"Come with me, love eternally, forever mine"
"Set me free, in death we'll dance eternally forever and ever"
As so the light, cast down from the heavens
Washed over me like wave
I awoke, it seems, from some crazy dream
Only to find I was standing at her grave
In my nightmare, she said
Burn forever
Leave never from my arms
Embrace the night
Burn forever
Leave never from my arms
Don't ever leave me, never leave me
Burn forever
Leave never from my arms
Embrace the night
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
When We Were Young
Blink-182
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Punchline
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran sings about missing his former partner and learning important life lessons in the process on “Punchline.” This track tells a story of battling to get rid of emotions for a former lover, whom he now realized might not have loved him the same way. He’s now caught between accepting that fact and learning life lessons from it and going back to beg her for another chance.
I like Rukkus' interpretation of the song.
This song always reminds me of the game Resident Evil 0. Not quite sure why.