| Opeth – Reverie/Harlequin Forest Lyrics | 2 years ago |
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PART 4 HARLEQUIN FOREST The last few lyrics of the song show that with every passing moment, our antihero is losing the battle in his head. It's really no contest. He never stood a chance. "Stark determination\Poisoning the soul\Unfettered beast inside\Chiming sovereign control". The daemons have taken over again. And now they're pissed off, too. Whether or not he really burns the forest down, I'm not sure (see the lyrics – another literal interpretation could that he returns to burn the village he escaped down). Either way, he has no use for the forest anymore. And it has no use for him. And then we get to the last riff. What. The. Hell. Incoherent. Uncomfortable. Marching forward, but never getting anywhere, going in circles, seeing the same trees and clearings over and over again. Our guy's mind is now completely gone as he's going through the motions (I imagine with a maniacal grin on his face). As a listener\fan, as much as I love the riff and the style with the absolutely insane fidgety syncopation (see the epic ending to the song "Deliverance" from the album with the same title), it's an objectively uncomfortable listen. It goes on and on and on - for an almost awkward amount of time. As listeners (especially on first or second listen), our brains are completely confused. We've just gone through this incredible, emotional journey, and now, we're lost. We have no idea what's going on or when it's going to end. When we think it's going to end, it doesn't. It just keeps going. In every single new reaction video I see to this song, the listeners almost ALWAYS have the same reaction: They recognize the filthiness of the riff 1-2 seconds in, and love it, but by the time it comes around the 3rd time, they're just kind of staring off-screen with a half-smile, half-frown. By the end of it, the smile is gone (unless they're still laughing at the ridiculousness/cheekiness of the riff itself). And when it finally ends, that riff has exhausted our listening powers. We're ready for another Reverie - I know I am! (Quick side note nobody asked for: Unfortunately, in this day an age of 7-second attention spans, narcissism, and erosion of critical thinking and creativity, folks today seem to have a very hard time taking the time to differentiate popular/mass produced music and true art. This is clearly in the latter category. Meaningful things, and definitely meaningful art, takes time. It's usually an investment, but the result is ALWAYS worth it. I hope humanity will come back to appreciating and taking the time to absorb real art one day. Or at least be able to recognize the difference.) *Disclaimer: Any "facts" stated above come from memory and interpretation, and are therefore subject to being wrong or off-base. Sorry in advance to any fellow diehards I've offended. |
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| Opeth – Reverie/Harlequin Forest Lyrics | 2 years ago |
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PART 3 REVERIE We've entered the "Reverie" part of the song (aka. the acoustic section..."They are the trees", and the guitar harmony part - truly one of the most beautiful, haunting, perfect pieces of music I have ever heard). Though his life is still in danger, it's a brief reprieve for our troubled fellow, as he's entered a dream state. Suddenly, he can feel the forest's soul, and how the trees are quite literally alive – in a very conscious way. It suddenly all makes sense. They are revealing themselves. But, as we now know, this is not a normal forest (again, this is not a "normal" man at this point – so take everything he says/feels with a grain of salt, if realism is your thing). The longer he stays in this forest, the more the "rotten" trees will suck his soul ("thieving from my source"). Their subsistence is our man's sanity. As he wakes up and snaps out of his dream, he knows he's still in big trouble. From the hounds/villagers behind him, but now, also the daemons in his head. His thoughts of suicide are put on hold, and survival instincts kick back in. He has to get out of this forest. This Harlequin Forest ("Harlequin," of course, is a word derived from the traditional Italian commedia dell'arte character of the same name, known for playing tricks and pranks – but instead of innocent fun, this trickster forest's "harlequin" nature is unmistakably dark and sinister). We're not sure if the hounds are still chasing and baying, at this point. It sounds like he may have eluded them momentarily. Either way, his main enemy isn't them anymore. It's Him vs. The Forest, now. |
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| Opeth – Reverie/Harlequin Forest Lyrics | 2 years ago |
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PART 2 THE CHASE And "Reverie/Harlequin Forest" leaps into action immediately (ironically, with the lyrics about hearing "the baying of the hounds, in the distance"), with the feel of someone running, being chased into a forest at night (chased by the authorities or townspeople? By demons? By all of the above?). I imagine this person is someone who has momentarily snapped out of whatever rage/possession caused him to murder his mother, and has come to the realization of what exactly he's done. Not only that, his crime has become known by others too, and the alarm has been sounded. He's on the run. But we very quickly get the feeling that this isn't a normal forest. And this man is not well. He's exhausted, cold, terrified, panicking. He can literally hear the dogs barking in the distance, in his mind, tracking him down through his reeking guilt ("a trail of sickness leading to me"). And the voices in his head are starting to creep back in too. It has started to rain ("vapour hands"? and also, the whole general vibe). Our guy is running on adrenaline, and he's fighting just to maintain any last semblance of sanity he has. Taking his own life is something he's considering. But as his mind wanders and he's losing it, reality begins to blur – both literally and figuratively. He's stumbling around. The forest is spinning, shifting between slow motion and hyper-speed, as flashes of visions of daemons and murder and trees with faces (insert your own horrifying imagery here!) mingle together. He's entered a trance-like state as the adrenaline floods his brain (along with other hormones that make you feel things? I'm not a biochemist, lay off me man). And finally, he collapses. |
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| Opeth – Reverie/Harlequin Forest Lyrics | 2 years ago |
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PART 1 What is this song? It's a story, a journey. That's what this track (and most of Opeth's work, which is a very high form of art, in my opinion – more than just music) is all about. Very basically, this is how I see/hear/feel the journey that this song takes you on (and, like a good movie, it's not always a comfortable one – but it's totally worth it when you come out of it at the end). THE NON-CONCEPT CONCEPT* First off, from what we know, Ghost Reveries is an incomplete "concept" album, but the concept was largely abandoned – although most of the parts do seem to be there (the album, according to the band, who can be very cheeky and often have to be taken with a grain of salt – they are Swedish, after all ;) – is not necessarily in any storytelling order, and even has at least one song completely unrelated to any loose concept). I believe the story is loosely about a person who, under the influence of possession and daemonic voices (and perhaps what many might assume is mental illness), has murdered his mother. "Ghost of Perdition," "Beneath the Mire" and "The Baying of the Hounds" are other names of tunes on the album, and it's not difficult to hear certain linkages and themes between them and "Reverie/Harlequin Forest". |
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| Opeth – Reverie/Harlequin Forest Lyrics | 2 years ago |
| @[apolyonn:46488] Interesting take, and sounds like at the very least a definite source of inspiration. Thanks for sharing that! | |
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