| Kamelot – The Pendulous Fall Lyrics | 16 years ago |
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The lyrics of this song absolutely amaze me. I made an account on this site just to share my insight on them. It may not be perfect, but this is what I've got. The song is about suicide. "In a garden, in a hand, lies the key to shadowland" is the opening scene in which a person is getting ready to take their own life. "you're far from feeling strong - the worst begins" gives a little bit more insight into the frame of mind of the person. To further solidify the image, Roy says "in the comfort of a knife you hold your breath and pray to god it wont take long (to die)" The next line, "So you wonder where the rainbow ends... in this autumn setting sun" ... I believe this to be a metaphor for finding happiness. The end of the rainbow is historically thought to contain a pot of gold, or other treasure. However, there is no end to a rainbow in actuality... so its an interesting choice of metaphor. I believe the addition "autumn setting sun" not only sets the stage but also refers to where someone is in their life. I feel like the person contemplating suicide has some years behind them, but has never been able to find purpose or joy. (i revisit this notion in the second verse) At the chorus, i agree with another poster that this might be the voice of reason or the words of a friend to the victim. He rationalizes that it is quite unlikely he will ever live again (be reincarnated, or not die in the first place). He further considers that life is hell, unstable and pendulous (downward inclined) but it may be worth the pain to continue... plus, he figures, we will all die soon enough and go where nobody can touch us. This second verse was originally the most challenging for me to interpret, but i think i have an idea of what it means. I believe it refers to a man who's wife is leaving him. The man is "like a mother" in that he gives the wife all "that she claimed" in order to care for their children ... just like a good old friend. Since he is presumably an older man, the idea of losing his partner for life is devestating, and goes into his motivation for wanting to escape to where "nobody can touch us." also given his relative age and experience, it seems like "in the abyss of the mind, you found all there is to find" means that he is smart and educated, and that he understands life, but he cant reconcile his broken heart, despite all that he knows. the broken heart that overwhelms a person is very common in Kamelot / roy khan's music... and perhaps he is saying that there is no defense against a broken heart, despite everything you can find in your head. Once again, he wonders where happiness is found - but adds "where the world must have begun". I feel like this may allude to the garden of eden, or perhaps a more primitive and happy state of existence that either the man or humanity once knew. Lastly the chorus repeats itself. In my opinion, the man actually does go through with committing suicide... and I believe the chorus represents his last thoughts. The emphasis of "where nobody can touch us" and the stacked vocal line "so you wonder where the rainbow ends" at the end of the song allude to his jumbled last thoughts as dies. Also, something about the way the song fades out has a distinct "fade to black-esque" ending, at least in my opinion. In any case, this song and several others have simply brilliant lyrics, proving that the lyrical quality of ghost opera was on par with Kamelot's earlier work, despite the usual naysayers. I enjoy the hell out of it. |
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