Lost and Damned

Holy shit. I cannot believe that no one has commented on this. Wow. This song is amazing. I love it to death.

Anyways, I suck at deciphering the meaning of songs but I think this means that the guy is leaving the girl because he's not good for her and wants to save her from all the evil stuff, e.g. him. He's trying to explain to her that this is how things are supposed to be and telling her to not be sad or not to cry.

I donno. I think I'm wrong.

The interpretation is largely correct, but there's the omnious passage "Love means nothign to me if there is a higher place". Luckily or not some bands tend to take the guesswork out of it by offering their own meanings to the songs in the liner notes. The full liner notes are now released on Kamelot's website, and abridged version for this song reads "Ariel is convinced that the deal he has with Mephisto will cause her too much pain and suffering. He is anyway seeking a higher goal than love. At least that is what he believes at this point in the story." The lyrical content of the song concentrates on his convincing Ariel she is saving her, but I think there is a very strong undertone of Ariel actually seeking to save himself by his actions.

There are several meanings that can be attached to each song, one arises from what the writer intended, one from the sources they drew from and one from how the listener relates it to their experience. Since Epica and Black Halo are a retelling of the classic tale of Faust, the significance of the background story can't be ignored. The most important point for this song is that in all of the versions of Faust, Helena is granted to him as part of his deal with the Devil (ie. her will is altered). When he sings "Although you hold me close, I feel retention arise..." he may be referring to this rather than the more straight interpretation that Helena just senses something wrong in him. It is possible even Ariel doesn't know which is the case for sure. In any case this is where the seeds to seek redemption are planted as he reflects himself through the "angelic" Helena, a theme that is further emphasized in "Ways to Epica".

This song is the inspiration for my username because I adore it so violently. I agree with all 3 comments above,and the real meaning could be a mixture of all 3.

Probably the most tragic turn of the story. Simply amazing song.

I definitely think it's about Faust, the epicly amazing story. This is the part where Ariel must leave Helena and continue his search for the true meaning of life. Sad event occurs after though. :(