The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Silent dance with death.
Everything is lost.
Torn by the arrival of Autumn.
The blink of an eye, you know it's me.
You keep the dagger close at hand.
And you saw nothing.
False love turned to pure hate.
The wind cried a lamentation,
before merging with the grey.
Demon of the fall.
Gasping for another breath.
She rose, screaming at closed doors.
Seductive faint mist forging
through the cracks in the wall.
I shan't resist.
In tears for all of eternity.
She turned around and faced me for the first time.
Run away, run away.
Just one second, and I was left with nothing.
Her fragrance still pulsating through damp air.
That day came to an end.
And she had lost in me, her credence.
Everything is lost.
Torn by the arrival of Autumn.
The blink of an eye, you know it's me.
You keep the dagger close at hand.
And you saw nothing.
False love turned to pure hate.
The wind cried a lamentation,
before merging with the grey.
Demon of the fall.
Gasping for another breath.
She rose, screaming at closed doors.
Seductive faint mist forging
through the cracks in the wall.
I shan't resist.
In tears for all of eternity.
She turned around and faced me for the first time.
Run away, run away.
Just one second, and I was left with nothing.
Her fragrance still pulsating through damp air.
That day came to an end.
And she had lost in me, her credence.
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Light Up The Sky
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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.
Mountain Song
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Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
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.
Page
Ed Sheeran
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.
Supplanter, I think you're wrong. I've read a few interviews with Mikael Akerfeldt and Martin Lopez, and in them, they said that the general theme of My Arms Your Hearse was that the man dies and comes back immediately after, and that his widow is not with another man, but just doesn't want to be haunted by him or taken to her grave. So his hauntings are fruitless and eventually he returns to the forest, alone, to face eternity in limbo alone.
This song, however, is clear: his hauntings have frustrated him to a point where he wants to make his presence forcibly felt, and thus begins making life hard for her, scaring her terribly, with poltergiest activity and so on. She runs around, scared out of her wits, holding a knife, and when she turns around and finally comes face to face with his ghost clearly for the first time (in April Ethereal and other songs, she saw him, but only briefly) she runs away screaming, and the anger leaves him as he realises that he's not in love with him any more, considering he's scaring the crap out of her.
@6th_sadistic_sniper I really think that the songs and overall story of this album can be somewhat allegorical, in my mind anyway, and can be compared to real life situations. Like something you come to love and build your life around suddenly rips itself away from you (April Ethereal), sometimes relationships just don't work for certain reasons (The Amen Corner) and you've really just got to accept that because trying to force "love" can really be kind of destructive (Demon of the Fall).
The entire album "MAYH" seeminly is a conceptual series telling the story of a man who dies, and comes back to find not only is his love with someone else, but she is happier with the new man. He rises up, and is determined to kill him and take her back to the world of souls with him. The track "Demon Of The Fall" seeminly is the point were he is trying to kill her :) Opeth fuckin rules! Hails. \m/
This is waaaay hardcore.
Can't believe anyone could make sense out of those lyrics. The little acoustic part is cool, but the voice in the beginning is friggin awesome.
I always thought that the girl died and he was morning her death. I guess because I didnt read all the lyrics and didnt really know what half of the songs were saying. Thanks for clearing it up Supplante.
This song is cool... and levyb, if you have nothing worthwhile to say, shut up please. Everyone loves cheese. you are in no way unique or special.
this is my favourite opeth song
lol Emmelstone. I agree life has very sad people in it.
To me this song represents corruption. Someone who first is in love, then realizes that things are not all that good, thus is corrupted by his own anger or hatred.
Now the end of this song... WOW. Fucking AWESOME melody. It's so brutal I cream my pants every time i hear it.
Perhaps it is also referring to the season of Autumn as being somehow evil or terrifying, since during the fall a lot of living things die. So the Fall is basically the season of death, cold, and rot.
Actually, you know what? I think you are more right than I thought, Supplanter. Looking again at The Amen Corner, I see that there IS another man - the line about "taking solace in the words I despise" - but there's no real evidence that she's with this other guy, it just seems the other guy wants to be with her and is consoling her to get close to her.
And, "to reap the harvest that was mine", also from The Amen Corner, does lend credibility to your idea of the ghost wanting to kill her. But otherwise I think I'm right; he haunts her, chases her and scares her, but doesn't kill her. I think he realises at the last moment that forcing her to love him, and hurting her in the process, is wrong, and that it is better to have an eternity alone - thus atoning for his mistreatment of her, and resolving the issues that leave him on earth. Which is much like the movie "Jacob's Ladder", where the main character can't ascend to heaven until accepting the fact that he must leave his living relatives behind.