The thin darkness here
Not strong enough to make you appear
I once changed my style
When they said hello I said goodbye
I once played a role
I was out there marketing my soul

The city of glass that I live in
The coldness from my brothers skin

I trusted you you lied
It's all I hear a fucking lie
I don't give a shit it's over now
It's all I know you broke the vow

Truth is I have seen it come
Seen the ghost of the sun
Can't have it undone
In time we all call out for relief
See two lovers meet
Pass you on the street


Lyrics submitted by Disposition_987, edited by Mandragore

Ghost of the Sun Lyrics as written by Jonas Petter Renkse Anders Nystrom

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

Lyrics powered by LyricFind

Ghost Of The Sun song meanings
Add Your Thoughts

8 Comments

sort form View by:
  • +1
    General Comment

    I'm really not quite sure what the WHOLE song is about, but I figure from the choruses a broken relationship is a part of it.

    Interesting note: Jonas Renske mentions "The city of glass that I live in." Perhaps more than a coincidence that the instrumental closing track on the album is called "Inside the City of Glass"?

    theothernesson June 06, 2005   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    hmm a relationship? i thought it was more about brotherhood and betrayal.

    Ruton January 17, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I agree with the brotherhood aspect - it helps tie it in to "My Twin" on Great Cold Emptiness, which shares a number of similar lyrical themes with Viva Emptiness. Also - "city of glass" is a brilliant description of depression. Hats off to Jonas.

    mordred0on June 09, 2006   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    Ghost of the sun literally means the end, so "I've seen the ghost of the sun" means (I saw the end coming). Leaving the rest to you simple friends, because I am a very busy man.

    Mr.BadassHeavyMetalon December 17, 2013   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    I think these are interesting lyrics. I see it as someone who's tried to identify with a group and found nothing of value from this.

    "I once changed my style When they said hello I said goodbye I once played a role I was out there marketing my soul"

    • This sounds like the character's changed themselves to try and belong somewhere, changing their style and marketing themselves to fit in with a group of people, but "when they said hello I said goodbye" is hinting at the trade-off between social acceptance and personal integrity. They - the group - "say hello" while the character "says goodbye" to themselves.

    "The city of glass that I live in The coldness from my brothers skin"

    • The city of glass for me is the character's... character, almost. Like they feel as though selling themselves like this has made them fragile and weakened on the inside. The coldness line is probably about betrayal, not being helped when needed.

    "I trusted you you lied It's all I hear a fucking lie I don't give a shit it's over now It's all I know you broke the vow"

    • The best bit of the song XD for me anyways... it's pretty self-explanatory I think, they feel intensely betrayed by this, and bitter that it hasn't got them anything of value. Because of this experience they don't trust anyone anymore; "it's all I hear, a fucking lie" saying that now all they hear from other people is a lie because they were so deeply impacted by this.

    Awesome song!

    sam1011703on September 07, 2015   Link
  • +1
    Song Meaning

    The sun is an entity that has inherited through sacrifice the responsibility of leading a planet into the next transition phase. There can only be one such entity for a planet. Our courts are a poor Machine replication of this natural law system. Suffice to say there can only be one judge. Jonas has seen prophetic visions/dreams of Jesus. Jesus is the sun/son. He knows in his heart the end is near as he was granted those cosmic downloads. He can't undo the way he perceives reality anymore, as he is in service to others now that he is reborn he no longer seeks social acceptance. He feels that great cold distance between himself and his slave brother. This is what viva emptiness is about. It's about the current incarnation/world state spiritually. Vast majority are living a lie empty and devoid of soul hence the "out there marketing my soul" reference to his old self. Now he sees the lie all around him. He feels let down by his fellow human beings that he once trusted. This song is beautiful because it speaks of how he can't undo the visions he saw that have opened up his heart to god and made him willing to pay the price of loniless to walk the straight and narrow path.

    TheProfitSongon May 26, 2021   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Jonas is one kickass vocalist. I discovered this band not too long ago, though. =/ Anyway, I saw a video of this one live, totally badass. :) I believe this one is about betrayal of two close friends. I think the line stating, "the city of glass.." describes him not being able to see what was really happening..

    Lateralus518on February 22, 2007   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I think it's rather about someone who used to live in a bad environment, surrounded by evil people, maybe by social margin, and one day he breaks out of it since he realises they've been simply deceiving him. "It's all I know, you broke the vow" - maybe it means they promised him he'd become superior to everyone else when he joins them, but he noticed in a time that they only pull him down and make him someone like them - someone who simply debased himself. And he doesn't want to live this way. "I once changed my style / When they said hello I said goodbye" - this means perhaps they're trying to make him return to them, but he finally keeps his eyes open to see what were they doing with him. And "the city of glass that I live in" - maybe it means "I've been living a lie"? Or maybe he wants to say through this that the life he used to live is worthless and fragile, just like something made of glass.

    lindencaton March 31, 2013   Link

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

Album art
Son Şansın - Şarkı Sözleri
Hayalperest
This song seemingly tackles the methods of deception those who manipulate others use to get victims to follow their demands, as well as diverting attention away from important issues. They'll also use it as a means to convince people to hate or kill others by pretending acts of terrorism were committed by the enemy when the acts themselves were done by the masters of control to promote discrimination and hate. It also reinforces the idea that these manipulative forces operate in various locations, infiltrating everyday life without detection, and propagate any and everywhere. In general, it highlights the danger of hidden agendas, manipulation, and distraction, serving as a critique of those who exploit chaos and confusion to control and gain power, depicting a cautionary tale against falling into their traps. It encourages us to question the narratives presented to us and remain vigilant against manipulation in various parts of society.
Album art
I Can't Go To Sleep
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.
Album art
When We Were Young
Blink-182
This is a sequel to 2001's "Reckless Abandon", and features the band looking back on their clumsy youth fondly.
Album art
Head > Heels
Ed Sheeran
“Head > Heels” is a track that aims to capture what it feels like to experience romance that exceeds expectations. Ed Sheeran dedicates his album outro to a lover who has blessed him with a unique experience that he seeks to describe through the song’s nuanced lyrics.
Album art
Page
Ed Sheeran
There aren’t many things that’ll hurt more than giving love a chance against your better judgement only to have your heart crushed yet again. Ed Sheeran tells such a story on “Page.” On this track, he is devastated to have lost his lover and even more saddened by the feeling that he may never move on from this.