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The Cold Song Lyrics
What power art thou
Who from below
Hast made me rise
Unwillingly and slow
From beds of everlasting snow
See'st thou not how stiff
And wondrous old
Far unfit to bear the bitter cold
I can scarcely move
Or draw my breath
I can scarcely move
Or draw my breath
Let me, let me,
Let me freeze again
Let me, let me
Freeze again to death
Let me, let me, let me
Freeze again to death...
Who from below
Hast made me rise
Unwillingly and slow
From beds of everlasting snow
And wondrous old
Far unfit to bear the bitter cold
Or draw my breath
I can scarcely move
Or draw my breath
Let me freeze again
Let me, let me
Freeze again to death
Let me, let me, let me
Freeze again to death...
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Yeah, it's true, Klaus really wanted to be an Opera singer (and he was, one of the best actually!) but he wanted to sing rock also, those were his influences, so he merged the two in some of the most unique versions ever done. Yet, this particular song is one of the most sublime performances in any genre across the board.. he brought opera to the rock, new wave and even punk worlds.. that's why his influence was so vast.. if you haven't seen it, you need to watch his performance of this song on youtube.. out of this world...!
This song is simply amazing. His voice is so ethereal. it is dumbfounding. And the lyrics...so tragic and beautiful. i never new i could like this kind of music. i'm usually more into metal and industrial.
This song is heartbreaking. It is an acute depiction of what was happening in his last year of life. Klaus' live performance was amazing, especially knowing that he sang this when he was dying from AIDS. Although his sunken eyes and frail figure were a sign that he was deeply suffering, he was capable of singing this so beautifully.
What I'm surprised nobody has mentioned so far is that this is actually an aria from the Purcell opera King Arthur. From what I read, after a harsh winter where a character was thought frozen to death, he wakens to find his world has shattered. He looks around and wishes he was dead. Klaus may have been feeling this late in his life, having both AIDS and Kaposi's Sarcoma.
@quamp This is indeed not a song of Klaus Nomi but a piece by Purcell, libretto John Dryden. Whether Purcell or John Dryden wrote the text of this aria, no idea. Changed attribution accordingly.
@quamp This is indeed not a song of Klaus Nomi but a piece by Purcell, libretto John Dryden. Whether Purcell or John Dryden wrote the text of this aria, no idea. Changed attribution accordingly.
The original aria is a fascinating piece of art on itself. Poetry of which there can't be a meaning given, it is about what it says (and it's chillingly beautiful and scary as hell at the same time IMO). The aria gets a new dimension by how Klaus Nomi sang it. He was an incredibly great countertenor and how he presented himself and this aria, will stay...
The original aria is a fascinating piece of art on itself. Poetry of which there can't be a meaning given, it is about what it says (and it's chillingly beautiful and scary as hell at the same time IMO). The aria gets a new dimension by how Klaus Nomi sang it. He was an incredibly great countertenor and how he presented himself and this aria, will stay in our collective awareness forever. Klaus Nomi made history.
He was a beautiful man. His music is unique. What more can someone say; amazing.