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Beneath The Howling Stars Lyrics

Midwinter wrongs the rites of Spring
Her spinal chill rakes the earth
Whilst pensive souls at zero sing
Woebetidings of rebirth
Under cold stares of Mars maligned
Near-suicides cross their hearts
And unborns writhe in tepid brine
For something wicked this way starts

Beneath the howling stars

Elizabeth, paragon of vice
Watches the sun set pyres alight
As Bane and Tyranny, Her Dobermans sleep
Like spellbound paramours at Her feet

A chatter of bells without
Raise hellhounds, teeth on edge
From sleighs hastened through snow lit red
Guests espied from the garret ledge

Great gloomy mirror tell Her face
She will outblind them all
That heavenly bodies would fall from grace
To possess such a lustrous pall

For beauty is always Cruel....

(Let destiny in chains commence....
Damnation under Gods seeking recompense
Enslaving to the whims of this mistress)

As the dance ensued
Elizabeth's mood
Tempered by the craft of a vitreous moon
In slick black iciness it grew
To consume
The wench Her tower tombed
Tending to Her costume
Bore the brunt of the storm
When the needle askewed
She has Her dogs maul the bitch's wrists through
Restored to jaded bliss
This evisceratrix
Descended to the ball
With painted blood upon Her lips
Passing like a comet so white
As to eclipse
The waltz wound down, transfixed

Devoid of all breath in the air
Even Death paled to compare
To the taint of Her splendour
So rare and engendered
'Pon the awed throng gathered
There...

Beneath the howling stars

She danced so macabre
Men entranced divined from Her gait
That this angel stepped from a pedestal
Had won remission from fate
By alighting to darker spheres
Delighting in held sway
For She was not unlike the Goddess
To whom the wolves bayed

"Whilst envy glanced daggers
From court maidens, arboured
Who whispered in sects
Of suspicions abroad
That Elizabeth bewitched
See how even now the whore casts
Her spells upon the Black Count
Whom Her reddened lips hold fast"

Tongue unto tongue
Swept on tides without care
For the harpies who rallied
Their maledict glares
A halo of ravens tousled Her hair
Chandeliers a tiara
For passions ensnared
Phantasies sexed
When their eyes, moonstruck met
Their friction wore a way
Through the sea of foreplay
Lovers at first bite
She an Eve tempted to lay
Gasping at rafters
Flesh pressed in ballet
But caprice, honours leashed
She absconded the feast
To prowl wonderland
Beasts in hand from the Keep
Of Feudal dilemma
Well mantled in furs
Through cullis to watch
Dogstars howl at the earth

On this violent night
Unholy night
Winds lashed their limbs together
As the ether vent its wintry spite

She wished His kiss on Her frozen landscapes
To excite the bleak advance
From castle bowers
Wherein small hours
The Devil never came by chance
A lone charm tied to Her inner thigh
Sent lusts nova as hooves trod
Cobbled streets where lowlives fleet
Were flung to a wayward god

Midwinter wrongs the rites of Spring
Her spinal chill rakes the earth
Whilst pensive souls at zero sing
Woebetidings of rebirth
Under cold stares of Mars maligned
Near-suicides cross their hearts
And unborns writhe in tepid brine
For something wicked this way starts

Beneath the howling stars

Pounding upon the pauper ridge
Earshot of a hunched beldame
Elizabeth teased, would He dare to please
Such elderly loins enflamed?
To this He feigned a grim disdain
Playing to Her slayful eye
But the hag replied....
"This girl that chides
Will soon be as plagued with age as I"
Her consort laughed a plume of icy breath
For Elizabeth's grace could raise
A flag of truce in burning heaven
Or the dead from early graves
Yet still She seethed
This proud Snow Queen
Embittered with the cursed retort
And because He sought Her loves onslaught
He gutted the crone for sport

Soon in full moon fever they were wed
Lycanthropic in the conjugal bed
Littered with aphrodisiacs
To tease dynastic union
And beget them further maniacs

Elizabeth
Free reigned, now a Countess
Outwielded and outwore
Her title like a favoured dress
Whilst Her errant Lord
Whose seasons savoured war
Stormed black to fell the infidel
Her embers, tempered, roared.
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Cover art for Beneath The Howling Stars lyrics by Cradle of Filth

Now that Elizabeth is at the peak of her power, she throws a ball. The beginning of this song merely describes the general feeling of despair that is in the air, and contrasts that by showing Elizabeth resting content with her Dobermans. As the night grows darker, her mood becomes violent, and she kills a servant for the slightest infraction. All of the language thus far seems to be indicating some kind of ominous occurence in the near future. She descends to the ball room, and everyone stops to stare. She is exceedingly beautiful, and the Black Count (apparently just some powerful, wealthy figure) is enraptured by her. They leave the dance after practically fucking on the dance floor and go for a carriage ride, in order to have a more private sexual encounter. She convinces him to kill a hag that insults her age, and he does so with pleasure. This shows us that they are kindred. Eventually, to punish her or incense her to war, the God she abandoned in 13 Autumns and a Widow kills the Black Count. She is furious.

Some of the best lines come from this song. My favorite: "And because He sought Her loves onslaught, He gutted the crone for sport." Awesome.

Cover art for Beneath The Howling Stars lyrics by Cradle of Filth

Since this album was about the serial killer Elizabeth Bathory, who used to torture, rape, and kill virgin servant girls... I would have to guess this is about one of her murders. This is my favorite CoF song. The guitar riff is cool, and when he stops and screams "Beneath the Howling Stars" at the breakdown, it sounds so fucking cool.

Cover art for Beneath The Howling Stars lyrics by Cradle of Filth

I believe that fadeofflashes is right. Of course this song is about Elizabeth Bathory.

Cover art for Beneath The Howling Stars lyrics by Cradle of Filth

could anyone tell me the name of a book about elizabeth bathory and the author?

Cover art for Beneath The Howling Stars lyrics by Cradle of Filth

fadetoflashes's interpretation is spot on. This song is awesome; I love the part in the song describing them having sex ("Tongue unto tongue ...").

"The wench Her tower tombed Tending to Her costume Bore the brunt of the storm When the needle askewed She has Her dogs maul the bitch's wrists through"

  • As one of Elizabeth's slaves tended to her clothes, she accidentally pierced her; of course this enraged Elizabeth and she murdered the poor woman.

"Pounding upon the pauper ridge Earshot of a hunched beldame .. ... .. And because He sought Her loves onslaught He gutted the crone for sport"

  • Elizabeth toyed with the Count, saying something like "Would you conjugate with this old lady rather than myself?", while referring to a random old beggar. The Count played along with it. The old woman retaliated, basically saying "This bitch here [Elizabeth] will soon get as wasted with age as I am." The Count laughed; Elizabeth was so dazzlingly beautiful that he doubted age would matter to her. Proud, narcissistic Elizabeth, on the other hand, was still heavily insulted by what the hag had said to her, and the Black Count, who promised he would do anything for Elizabeth, destroyed the old woman.
Cover art for Beneath The Howling Stars lyrics by Cradle of Filth

Yeah, that sounds pretty close to me. By the way, I'm new to this site, can anyone tell me how to add bands to the "favorite artists" thing? I wanna add CoF :D, among other bands of course.

Cover art for Beneath The Howling Stars lyrics by Cradle of Filth

Ok close but this song details the events surrounding the meeting and marriage of Elisabeth to her husband

Soon in full moon fever they were wed Lycanthropic in the conjugal bed

Who in the last lines goes of to war to fight off the Turkish incursions into Western Europe

Whilst Her errant Lord Whose seasons savoured war Stormed black to fell the infidel

This basically leaves Elisabeth alone to rule and carry out her murders...

I'ld also like to pnt out that

On this violent night Unholy night

is a paody of the Christmas Carol "Silent Night"

As Bane and Tyranny, Her Dobermans sleep Like spellbound paramours at Her feet

and that these are my fav lines, her dogs are called Tyranny and Bane how cool is that?

Cover art for Beneath The Howling Stars lyrics by Cradle of Filth

The ultimate love song. There is nothing more beautiful and romantic then to kill for the one you love.

"For passions ensnared Phantasies sexed When their eyes, moonstruck met Their friction wore a way Through the sea of foreplay Lovers at first bite She an Eve tempted to lay Gasping at rafters Flesh pressed in ballet"

"Pounding upon the pauper ridge Earshot of a hunched beldame Elizabeth teased, would He dare to please Such elderly loins enflamed? To this He feigned a grim disdain Playing to Her slayful eye But the hag replied.... "This girl that chides Will soon be as plagued with age as I" Her consort laughed a plume of icy breath For Elizabeth's grace could raise A flag of truce in burning heaven Or the dead from early graves Yet still She seethed This proud Snow Queen Embittered with the cursed retort And because He sought Her loves onslaught He gutted the crone for sport"

Dani has quite a way with words, hes so intelligently descriptive.

Cover art for Beneath The Howling Stars lyrics by Cradle of Filth

"Pounding upon the pauper ridge Earshot of a hunched beldame Elizabeth teased, would He dare to please Such elderly loins enflamed? To this He feigned a grim disdain Playing to Her slayful eye But the hag replied.... "This girl that chides Will soon be as plagued with age as I" Her consort laughed a plume of icy breath For Elizabeth's grace could raise A flag of truce in burning heaven Or the dead from early graves Yet still She seethed This proud Snow Queen Embittered with the cursed retort And because He sought Her loves onslaught He gutted the crone for sport"

Anyone like to comment on this part?

Cover art for Beneath The Howling Stars lyrics by Cradle of Filth

I basically agree with fadetoflashes, although the "Dead Count" is NOT dying in this song, but merely going to some sort of religious war ("to fell the infidel"), most probably the war against of the hungary against the ottomen. God is not mentioned in this particular stanza.