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The Funeral Portrait Lyrics

You wait by the window
Morning's breath on the sill
Idle hands given another try
So you wait and you savour the moment
Outside the canvas turned white
Ruby eyes in the fog
Rain washing clean all the sins
A liquid gown that covers all
Your loathe turns endless
Opened mirage soothes your sense
Locked on the pinnacle
The best secret within
Like a derelict child
Heart burning for a stranger
Ascending to the meek
Flock round the liars in awe
Caked in the soil beneath
Fear me when we meet
Turn away in admiration
My firm grip round the nucleus of joy
Enough of this
You will leave me now
You will see it now
Perish at my hands
Close to you
Tangled up in hair
Fresh stigma look
Shall I take you with me
And it is cold
Ruby eyes in the fog
It is me
And you are just like them all
Stained by the names of fathers
I'm greeting my downward fall
Leaving the throes to others
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Cover art for The Funeral Portrait lyrics by Opeth

this song is simply about portraits painted on funeral scene and whenever he is talkin to some one in the song like - "you wait by the window" is about the potrait model whom he is going to kill and then make his or her portrait....mikael is a psychic ho kills people and paints them....rainwashing sins and liquid gown is actually using paint thats what the meaning of idle hands given another try...."your loathe" refers to his own loathe of killing....from the part "like derelict child" onwrds till the song ends its a bout a person he is going to kill but thinks a lot before doing that maybe he has fallen in love with her and lets her go but still tells her to fear him when they meet still holding her arm(grip around nucleaus of joy).....but then he realises that she is also like all others.

Cover art for The Funeral Portrait lyrics by Opeth

Very sick song.. I dont find the lyrics that hard, you just have to create a mental image of it, seeing as most of the songs on Blakcwater Park are actually very literal and physical, NOT METAPHORICAL.

I see it as being about a serial killer/rapist. He stalks and lures his victims into the wilderness, in this case into the morning fog, and abusing them before killing them.

Blackwater Park might not be a concept album, but several of the songs might be seen as being about the same guy (The Leper Affinity, Bleak, Funeral Portrait) who rapes, dominates and finally kills (and contines doing this even after his victims are dead).

Cover art for The Funeral Portrait lyrics by Opeth

This song it's great, I have a lot of interpretations from it but recently I have been thinking of this songs it's a "scene" of Still Life album, a lot of references and lines that SL comes to mind, something like between Godheads Lament and Benighted songs. "You wait by the window" it's like Melinda waiting for the Outcast return. "Red eyes probe the scene" - "Ruby eyes in the fog" "If you bear with me you fear on me" - " Caked in the soil beneath (when he it's mistreated by the people) Fear me when we meet" "Shall I take you with me" it's on Benighted song when he wants to runaway with her. "And you're just like them all stained by the name of fathers" it's kinda of outcast is the only "ungodly freak" on the place so she it's like them all.

Perhaps I'm overreacting but that's my point of view, or it just what everyone here is saying, it's a guy who kill a lot of people and shit

Cover art for The Funeral Portrait lyrics by Opeth

Sniper's and Ddadutta's meanings both seem very logical. I can't really decide on whose theory I agree on more. But one thing's for sure, the killer/rapist idea is definitely prominent. At the moment this is probably my favourite Opeth song.

Cover art for The Funeral Portrait lyrics by Opeth

This is a tough one, but I believe it might be about a man who travels from town to town, infecting the townspeople with a disease. He knows he is going to die soon, but he decides that he won't die alone: "Shall I take you with me?"

The first half of the song seems to be the man describing a typical victim of his - a bored person in a small town, wishing a stranger would come to bring some excitement. I believe most of his victims are women; perhaps the disease is sexually transmitted: "Opened mirage soothes your sense. Locked on the pinnacle, the best secret within. Like a derelict child, heart burning for a stranger. Ascending to the meek, flock round the liars in awe, caked in the soil beneath."

And so he travels to these towns, projecting an image of charm and charisma, making the people (particularly young girls) flock to him, and he knows that when he leaves the town, they will eventually get sick and die ("You will leave me now, you will see it now. Perish at my hands."). He leaves them with a "fresh stigma look"; marks indicating disease - but using the dual meaning of the word stigma, it is also a sign indicating disgrace.

He speaks to his future victims: "And you are just like them all, stained by the names of fathers. I'm greeting my downward fall, leaving the throes to others." In other words, all those he infects will suffer the painful throes of death while he happily meets death head on.

this song is simply about portraits painted on funeral scene and whenever he is talkin to some one in the song like - "you wait by the window" is about the potrait model whom he is going to kill and then make his or her portrait....mikael is a psychic ho kills people and paints them....rainwashing sins and liquid gown is actually using paint thats what the meaning of idle hands given another try...."your loathe" refers to his own loathe of killing....from the part "like derelict child" onwrds till the song ends its a bout a person he is going to...

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Cover art for The Funeral Portrait lyrics by Opeth

Bravo ^^^ "6th sadistic sniper" i think u're right about your view on the song... it makes sense. I wish i could come up with that....it takes me forever to understand sogns lol

This song kicks ass btw

Cover art for The Funeral Portrait lyrics by Opeth

wow, congrats 6th sadistic sniper, you're good at this!

Cover art for The Funeral Portrait lyrics by Opeth

I agree with sadisric sniper on this one awesome song

Cover art for The Funeral Portrait lyrics by Opeth

sadistic sniper sounds right. i never could figure out much of the story behind blackwater park so i didnt really think there was one. not my favorite album by opeth anyways, although it has its gems.

the riff that plays while he's screaming "rain washing clean all the sins" is heavy as hell and makes me want to go kick some ass.

Cover art for The Funeral Portrait lyrics by Opeth

I reckon ddadutta and sniper have the right idea for this one, thats definitely the sort of images it conjures up. I reckon the last bit, the clean sung one, may be from another person's point of view, like someone who has to deal with the people after he's finished with them.