The Carpenter

The song is narrated by and represents the thoughts of Tuomas, the composer. The bulk of the song focuses on his contempt for Christianity, and culminates in Tuomas finding solace in nature, which he may view as an alternative deity. The opening lines: 'Who are you? Man condemned to shine a salvation Throughout the centuries' consist of Tuomas addressing a hypothetical Christian. The role of every Christian is to 'shine a salvation', that being to spread the gospel and convert non Christians. In the bible Christians are often compared to light, i.e. Matthew 5.14 'Ye are the light of the world.' Clearly Tuomas views this Christian mission negatively, hence the word 'condemned' and the phrase 'throughout the centuries' indicating an arduous task. His description of Christian mission is not unlike that of a curse. In the next lines Tuomas asks why Christians put themselves through such pain: ‘Why? Was the wine of the grail Too sour for man to drink’. The grail refers to the cup of suffering that Christ drank during the last supper before his death. According to myth drinking from the grail will grant immortality and eternal happiness. Tuomas asks why Christians don’t appear to have this or possess any material benefit from their religion, rather they spend their lives as slaves trying to convert others to their faith. The most obvious anti-Christian imagery in the song can be seen in the lines: ‘The one they lick The same old sick Dream of their precious saviour’ The saviour (Jesus) is referred to derogatively as a ‘dream’ and ‘sick’. Tuomas cannot understand Christianity and views the basis of the faith as a joke. The first two lines here most probably refer to a dog, which is an animal known to eat its own sick. Therefore Christians are dehumanised, and because of their faith are compared to mindless animals eating vomit. The next three lines are addressed directly at God: ‘Kiss them deep And make them weep Over promises of eternal peace’ ‘Kiss them deep’ comments on God hypnotising Christians and taking away their self control. Then Tuomas tells us that Christians ‘weep’ because of the hardships they endure over God’s false ‘promises of eternal peace.’ The last section of the song refers to Tuomas finding solace in nature, ‘the purity I could never doubt.’ It is implied that Tuomas views nature as his own god: ‘And observe my saviour The one crucified to the chirping of birds’ Given the context, Tuomas is observing his ‘saviour’ in nature. This could refer to a ‘sun god’ given the fact that he is lying in the grass and looking up at the skies. In old paganism the sun was revered as the most important one of a whole pantheon of spirits, which included the rivers and trees. The phrase ‘crucified to the chirping of birds’ indicates that his alternative god is closely affiliated with nature. I have read that Tuomas is an atheist, so I’d say the last bit about early paganism being his ‘saviour’ is possibly pushing it a bit far. However, there is little doubt that the song is anti-Christian and he is expressing confusion and frustration at people wasting their lives on the ‘old sick dream’ that is Christianity. As a Christian, that was my first impression on reading the lyrics. However, no offence meant, that’s just my opinion. Nightwish have awesome songs, and generally aren’t considered a satanic or even anti-Christian band. However, based on this I’d advise Christians to analyse the words of their music very carefully. Another thought to throw into the mix is the fact that their guitarist Marco Hietala is also a member of a band called tarot… I haven’t investigated them but membership of a band whose name refers to a satanic practice can’t be good…