Alchemy sounded good at the time

This song is based on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. After Eurydice dies by falling into a pit of vipers while trying to escape from Sator, a half-man half-goat demon, Orpheus will not accept it, so he ventures to the underworld to retrieve his love. He tricks the ferryman into letting him across, and uses his amazing musical talent to make it past Cerberus, the three-headed dog monster guardian of the underworld. Hades is so impressed, he allows Orpheus to have Eurydice back,as long as during the entire journey back, until they reached the surface, he could not look back to verify that she was behind him. Eventually he couldn't bear it, and looked back, causing Eurydice to be sucked back down to Hades.

ok well yes it's Greek mythology...

I believe it's the story of Heracles... right? Hera forces him to kill his family then he has to trick the ferryman and retrieve her soul from Styx... that's my interp.

Alesana is my favorite

The quote from the start of the song, "It is the oldest story in the book, he desires the one thing he cannot have. " is in the movie "underworld"

with the same voice and stuff, i'm not sure if that means anything or not, like if the song is about the movie, or the movie took that line from something else.. just a thought.

This is one of my favourites off the album, so here’s my crack at describing what I think it means!

It sounds to me as if he (the person who these guys are singing on behalf of) has lost someone who was dear to him (at the start, there is a voiceover kind of voice that says: " 'tis the oldest story in the book: he desires the one thing he cannot have", which would make sense if his desire had transcended the barrier of life), and he has slain himself to be with her. Like, the "price too high" would be his life, and how he's "found the way to trick the ferrymen" and "deceived the ancient Gods" shows that his death was an unnatural occurrence that wasn't part of the greater plan. The words "ferrymen" and "Gods" just remind me of Greek mythology wherein the deceased people's souls (in the realm of Hades, god of the dead) are ferried across the river Styx to reach the gates of the Underworld. If they didn't meet the standards to board the boat (such as if they weren't supposed to be dead), they were doomed to wander on the bank of the river for a hundred years, but since this fellow has managed to get past the ferrymen and the will of the Gods, he is now on the journey to reach his dead love, and every day he's getting closer. In the bit after the first chorus thing, he has reached the land of the dead and goes to "reclaim his stolen bride" (he believes that the Gods had robbed him of his lover when they decided that she should die). Both his "crimes of passion" and "tragic victory" are his suicide, and the "palace of decay" is Hades' castle, so of course "death cannot win" because everyone there is already dead. "My pale queen finally stands to taste silent lips now cursed with her love" – he finally kisses her!

That’s a nice story; I like this song more now. :)

This song is about an Alchemist who goes back in time to the 1400's to save his wife/or girlfriend from a disease that doesnt have a cure in this time. So then he goes back to try to find one. I used to play drums in this band and Dennis, the guy who wrote this told me. Yes, Alesana bases alot of their songs on Greek mythology.

Correct lyrics in a much better format:

It is the oldest story in the book, he desires the one thing he cannot have.

My darling queen, I lay myself at your feet and I shall stay the hands of fate

Wind cries out Heavens boil above voicing discontent to my sins I have found the way to trick the ferrymen I have deceived the ancient Gods

Cold flesh lends to me its secrets Each day brings me closer to you For a price too high My tragic victory I shudder at what I have done

Darling queen I lay at your feet... Chills take me as she wakes Throat gasps tainted breath I've reclaimed you my stolen bride Can your soul forgive my crimes of passion? I would not close the casket; I'm so consumed by your pain Faint screams echo through the night...

Cold flesh lends to me its secrets Each day brings me closer to you For a price too high My tragic victory I shudder at what I have done

The pains of death can no longer haunt you (Forsaken thought) As the dawning sky brings forth one (Forsaken thought) Death can not win for I now dwell in the palace of decay (I shall stay) The hands of fate

Night descends Sinews twitch My pale queen finally stands To taste silent lips Now cursed with her love

Cold flesh lends to me its secrets Each day brings me closer to you For a price too high My tragic victory

Cold flesh lends to me its secrets Each day brings me closer to you For a price too high My tragic victory I shudder at what I have done

theres backwards stuff in this song i played it and at the end a female voice is saying "pickup the godamn phone" :D

This is just awesome. Other favourite.

Decayofnero, you are most likely right in saying that it's based off a greek myth; however, you seem to have confused your myths

Heracles (more commonly known in the west as Hercules) was driven into a blind rage by Hera which resulted in him killing his wife and children--but he did not go to the underworld to retrieve her soul.

The myth that first came to my mind was that of Orpheus and Eurydice, which is the myth I think you had in mind.

"My pale queen finally stands To taste silent lips Now cursed with her love

Cold flesh lends to me its secrets Each day brings me closer to you For a price too high My tragic victory"

these lines particularly remind me of the climax of the myth.

Since in the myth Orpheus is allowed to return with the soul of Eurydice on the condition that he not turn around to look at her until after they've left the underworld; which really plays into "each day brings me closer to you"

There are several variations as to what may have happened, but the two that I've heard the most are that 1) Orpheus could wait no longer and turned around to face her

2) He being ahead of her leading the way stepped out of the underworld before her, turning around when she was just a few steps away from the exit.

either one would explain "my tragic victory," even though it wasn't much of a victory.

But even with this myth some aspects of the lyrics don't tie in.

"Darling queen," of course can be seen as a term of endearment.

Also he didn't necessarily, "trick the ferrymen" since he pretty much sang him into submission.

It's actually spelled, Frankenstein

I can see how you made the connection between the novel and this song, but there I certain discrepancies that I don't see fitting into the lyrics.

In Frankenstein there is only one God, where this song mentions a plural "gods"

Although I admit it has been a while since I read Frankenstein I am almost certain that I didn't see and allusions to Charon (the ferryman).

other than the aforementioned I can see where you got the rest from.