I am awaiting the sunrise
Gazing modestly through the coldest morning
Once it came, you lied
Embracing us over autumn's proud treetops

I stand motionless
In a parade of falling rain
Your voice, I cannot hear
As I am falling again

Devotion eludes
And in sadness, I lumber
In my own ashes, I am standing without a soul
She wept and whispered "I know"

We walked into the night
Am I to bid you farewell?

Why can't you see that I try?
When every tear I shed, is for you


Lyrics submitted by Idan, edited by benjiethomas, Bryan357

To Bid You Farewell Lyrics as written by Sven Peter Malcolm Lindgren Mikael Lars Akerfeldt

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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To Bid You Farewell song meanings
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  • +6
    My Interpretation

    "I am awaiting the sunrise..." "Gazing modestly through the coldest morning," The man is in the middle of a hard time, probably the hardest of his life. And he's eager for the beginning of a better, new start.

    "Once it came you lied," The man's companion consoles him, bur even he knows that she is actually lying.

    "Embracing us over Autumn's proud tree tops." Autumn is actually the season of start of decaying. It leaves no leaf on the trees. So, the hard time in the man's life is comparing to the harshest of weathers.

    "I stand motionless..." "In the grey of falling rain." The man is perhaps overwhelmed by the experience. Or maybe, he's too helpless and sad to do anything about his condition. It's like being left alone in the rain, waiting to be called in the shelter of an umbrella.

    "Your voice I cannot hear," "As I am falling again." He can't hear the companion's soothing voice of condolence, as he broods over the sadness inside him. Or maybe, he's learnt to become deaf to lies. Or maybe, the companion has left him for good, as the man fails again. Or perhaps, he's commiting something wrong, again.

    "Devotion eludes." "And in sadness I lumber." The man has commited a crime, going against his own principles, going against his own beliefs and his God. Maybe he's pointing a finger at his estranged companion, telling himself that the devotion that she held for him is no longer there. Naturally, the man is sad and he's started walking ahead, trying to find a way out for himself.

    "In my own ashes," "I am standing without a soul." The man is in ruins. He's technically devastated by the condition that he was in. All the human-ness inside him was sucked away by the experience. It left him numb to the world and the bitterness in it for him.

    "She whispered, "I know."" The companion is now admitting, as though in sorrow and guilt, that she knew all along. She already knew the truth and now that there's no place to hide it or hide from it, she quits hiding away and accepting it.

    "We walked into the night." And then again, comes the dark night, like at the starting of the song, it was ending. It sort of tells you that this heart-break wasn't his first.

    "Am I to bid you farewell?" He, like a child, asks directly whether it's the end of the road for them.

    "Why can't you see, that I try?" The man can't seem to understand why it isn't obvious to her that he's not doing, whatever it is that has happened, on purpose, and that not everything is in his hands to control.

    "When every tear I shed, is for you..." People cry when they're helpless and it seems that the man is trying hard enough to change the conditions, but in vain. It hurts really bad, especially when the things he tries to do are just to make her happy.

    Karahabercion January 29, 2014   Link
  • +4
    General Comment

    "Opeth is not Death Metal. Opeth is Melodic Gothic Metal, anyone wanna argue with me on that?"

    Hahahahahahahahahahaha. Thanks for making my day with your confident (yet absolutely incorrect) statement.

    Gothic metal: stuff like Nightwish or Lacuna Coil. Death metal: stuff like Cryptopsy or Cannibal Corpse. Melodic death metal: stuff like In Flames or Dark Tranquility. Progressive death metal: OPETH.

    6th_sadistic_sniperon May 12, 2004   Link
  • +4
    General Comment

    i don't give a flying fuck,what Opeth is. If thier pop, country, punk, who gives a fuck. the point is that they make good fucking music and thats that. lets drop it.

    Dying_In_Vainon November 04, 2004   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    this song is the last on morningrise aand well the rest of the cd is fully heavy and the ultimate in death metal but then you get to this song and its like WOW god he can sing and it makes you feel weird

    Einherjeron May 17, 2002   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    this is honestly the best song....its even better when im stoned

    GiZon July 02, 2002   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    Haha, this song got me into Opeth...

    I did a search for the word 'beautiful' on Songmeanings.net for people's comments on the song and I saw one Opeth song, and I remember hearing about them from the Metallica forums...I downloaded this very song, and the rest is history...:D

    OPETH RULES!!! \m/

    nemesison July 21, 2002   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    BY far the best opeth song ever recorded I take it as a realtionship ending where the girl just can't love the guy anymore even though the guy does all that he can to make her happy (why can't you see that I try, when everytear I shed is for you?)

    Metallican41on April 07, 2003   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    I always connect this song with me and my girlfriend Johanne's relationship.

    MardyAsson July 07, 2003   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    I'm sorry but you are all wrong. They are musicians. And they create music.

    I created an account just to post this comment. That's kind of sad...

    BrigidDownon March 04, 2010   Link
  • +1
    General Comment

    this song is powerfull one of the best song of opeth its about 11 minutes and really emotional track.

    qfmbmrtjdon April 04, 2002   Link

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