The song lyrics were written by the band Van Halen, as they were asked to write a song for the 1979 movie "Over the Edge" starring Matt Dillon. The movie (and the lyrics, although more obliquely) are about bored, rebellious youth with nothing better to do than get into trouble. If you see the movie, these lyrics will make more sense. It's a great movie if you grew up in the 70s/80s you'll definitely remember some of these characters from your own life. Fun fact, after writing the song, Van Halen decided not to let the movie use it.
Confessor
Of the tragedies in man
Lurking in the core of us all
The last dying call for the everlost
Brief encounters, bleeding pain
Lepers coiled ‘neath the trees
Dying men in bewildered soliloquys
Perversions bloom round the bend
Seekers, lost in their quest
Ghost of friends frolic under the waning moon
It is the year of death
Wielding his instruments
Stealth sovereign reaper
Touching us with ease
Infecting the roots in an instant
Burning crop of disease
I am just a spectator
An advocate documenting the loss
Fluttering with conceit
This doesn't concern me yet
Still far from the knell
Taunting their bereavement
Mob round the dead
Point fingers at the details
Probing vomits for more
Caught in unbridled suspense
We have all lost it now
Catching the flakes of dismay
Born the travesty of man
Regular pulse midst pandemonium
You're plucked to the mass
Parched with thirst for the wicked
Sick liaisons raised this monumental mark
The sun sets forever over Blackwater park
Of the tragedies in man
Lurking in the core of us all
The last dying call for the everlost
Brief encounters, bleeding pain
Lepers coiled ‘neath the trees
Dying men in bewildered soliloquys
Perversions bloom round the bend
Seekers, lost in their quest
Ghost of friends frolic under the waning moon
It is the year of death
Wielding his instruments
Stealth sovereign reaper
Touching us with ease
Infecting the roots in an instant
Burning crop of disease
I am just a spectator
An advocate documenting the loss
Fluttering with conceit
This doesn't concern me yet
Still far from the knell
Taunting their bereavement
Mob round the dead
Point fingers at the details
Probing vomits for more
Caught in unbridled suspense
We have all lost it now
Catching the flakes of dismay
Born the travesty of man
Regular pulse midst pandemonium
You're plucked to the mass
Parched with thirst for the wicked
Sick liaisons raised this monumental mark
The sun sets forever over Blackwater park
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Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
The Night We Met
Lord Huron
Lord Huron
This is a hauntingly beautiful song about introspection, specifically about looking back at a relationship that started bad and ended so poorly, that the narrator wants to go back to the very beginning and tell himself to not even travel down that road. I believe that the relationship started poorly because of the lines:
"Take me back to the night we met:When the night was full of terrors: And your eyes were filled with tears: When you had not touched me yet"
So, the first night was not a great start, but the narrator pursued the relationship and eventually both overcame the rough start to fall in love with each other:
"I had all and then most of you"
Like many relationships that turn sour, it was not a quick decline, but a gradual one where the narrator and their partner fall out of love and gradually grow apart
"Some and now none of you"
Losing someone who was once everything in your world, who you could confide in, tell your secrets to, share all the most intimate parts of your life, to being strangers with that person is probably one of the most painful experiences a person can go through. So Painful, the narrator wants to go back in time and tell himself to not even pursue the relationship.
This was the perfect song for "13 Reasons Why"
Holiday
Bee Gees
Bee Gees
@[Diderik:33655] "Your a holiday!" Was a popular term used in the 50s/60s to compliment someone on their all around. For example, not only are they beautiful, but they are fun and kind too ... just an all around "holiday".
I think your first comment is closer to being accurate. The singer/song writers state "Millions of eyes can see, yet why am i so blind!? When the someone else is me, its unkind its unkind". I believe hes referring to the girl toying with him and using him. He wants something deeper with her, thats why he allows himself to be as a puppet (even though for her fun and games) as long as it makes her happy. But he knows deep down that she doesnt really want to be serious with him and thats what makes him.
Gentle Hour
Yo La Tengo
Yo La Tengo
This song was originally written by a guy called Peter Gutteridge. He was one of the founders of the "Dunedin Sound" a musical scene in the south of New Zealand in the early 80s. From there it was covered by "The Clean" one of the early bands of that scene (he had originally been a member of in it's early days, writing a couple of their best early songs). The Dunedin sound, and the Clean became popular on american college radio in the mid to late 80s. I guess Yo La Tengo heard that version.
Great version of a great song,
Blue
Ed Sheeran
Ed Sheeran
“Blue” is a song about a love that is persisting in the discomfort of the person experiencing the emotion. Ed Sheeran reflects on love lost, and although he wishes his former partner find happiness, he cannot but admit his feelings are still very much there. He expresses the realization that he might never find another on this stringed instrumental by Aaron Dessner.
Ok, I did some thinking, and this is what I've come up with.
This is the magnum opus of the album; while musically some of the other songs are better (The Funeral Portrait, Dirge For November, Bleak) thematically, Blackwater Park outshines the rest. It is an analogy - on the surface, it talks of a village (Blackwater Park) where sin and disease have taken hold, and where people are dying off, until at last the narrator too is infected and dies. However, the song is an analogy for the evils in the world - Mikael is watching corruption and violence destroy the world slowly because of all the wrongs we've commited. The intro sums that up: "Confessor of the tragedies in man, lurking in the core of us all. The last dying call for the everlost; brief encounters, bleeding pain."
The narrator recalls visions of horror... "Lepers coiled neath the trees; dying men in bewildered soliloquys. Perversions bloom round the bend; seekers, lost in their quest. Ghosts of friends frolic under the waning moon ." The whole town around the man is dying out. People wander aimlessly through the world, unsure of their purposes in life.
In terms of the story, the narrator is an uninfected person, "an advocate documenting the loss". He sees the sickness but is not a part of it yet: "It is the year of death, wielding his instruments. Stealth sovereign reaper, touching us with ease. Infecting the roots in an instant, burning crop of disease." In a literal sense, he is avoiding the immoral acts of the modern world and trying to live a good life. "Fluttering with conceit; this doesn't concern me yet. Still far from the knell, taunting their bereavement " So far, he is proud of the fact that he has avoided the "disease" of such failings, and he can laugh at those who have given up, but he knows that one day he will end up like all the others.
Mikael points out mankind's morbid fascination with violence and terror ("Point fingers at the details, probe vomits for more. Caught in unbridled suspense."), and how we as a society have "lost it now", at every moment "catching the flakes of dismay" - taking in every gory detail of life via the media. He points out the sick attitudes of today's youth in his metaphor about plague survivors who more and more often want to investigate the "disease" rather than exterminate it: "Born the travesty of man, regular pulse midst pandemonium. You're plucked to the mass, parched with thirst for the wicked."
Finally, Mikael remarks "Sick liaisons raised this monumental mark; the sun sets forever over Blackwater Park." As the sickening morbidity of the survivors takes over the town, ruining it forever and confirming its eventual destruction, the metaphor is for the doomed nature of our society. If we keep finding entertainment and interest in the dark side of humanity, the sun will set on us all, too.
"If we keep finding entertainment and interest in the dark side of humanity, the sun will set on us all, too."<br /> <br /> I think it's hilariously ironic (to some, perhaps) how a "death metal" band can speak out against human interests in "the dark side of humanity" while at the same time - through the eyes of many - they themselves are undoubtedly categorized as being a part of "the dark side of humanity."
While Tool may be my favorite band, this song is definately my favorite song ever. Its a 12 minute masterpiece. After the nice tense acoustic section, the song just goes into a prog-metal frenzy and just keeps on going and going and going. It just doesn't let up! It's so good it leaves me drained. Music doesn't get any better then this. Thank you, Opeth.
tool was one of my first favorite bands ever. then i listen to OPETH. now 10 years later im rocking an OPETH tat :)
@Disposition_987 I was thinking, really, if you take that riff that the first stanza of lyrics are being played over and make it less heavy, it would almost sound like something from a classic prog rock band would play, like Led-Zeppelin or maybe an older Rush song. Idk I just thought that when I first started listening to the song.<br /> <br /> My favorite part, I think, of this whole song is at the end, when you hear the last death metal vocals (The sun sets forever over Blackwater Park!!!) and then the guitar and bass play that ending-thing for several bars before it goes acoustic. It's not even that complicated of a part but in my mind it's still some awesome ass prog rock. Although the acoustic guitar at the end definitely finishes the idea of the song well and creates a very cool effect, I can kind of imagine the song just ending when the electric guitar part ends, with a slight fall or something and then the guy smashing his guitar and everything just going up in flames.......
Like it or not, Opeth is Progressive Death Metal.
The song is from the more from the perspective of the 'poet', establishing the assumption that the poet is describing his reason for creating the songs in Blackwater Park. Again, assuming this album deals with a psychosexual indevelopment, this song is like the writer of each of these songs saying that he never took part in these events from tracks 1-7, but he witnessed them or at least heard about them at some point, which inspired the creation of the album:
"sick liasions raised this monumental mark. the sun sets forever over blackwater park."
*tribute to Daniel lol
I heard that the name Blackwater Park was taken from an obscure underground 70's prog. rock band... I think bands like Opeth are big fans of proggressive music.
who cares what they are they kick ass
I think 6th_sadistic_sniper could be right about the meaning. It makes perfect sense. The whole village/epidemy stuff could very well be a metaphore on society's plague. It is an awesome song, the ending is monumental.
...And Opeth is death metal... definetely. The growling, the guitar and drum technics... this is death metal. Death metal doesn't necessarily means «random heaviness at 290 bpm with omnipresent growling all the time». There are various brand of death metal one of which is called progressive death metal and that's exactly what Opeth do. And they're far from being the only band doing that kind of music and really far from being the most original or «the best» (if there is any), they are a very overrated band. That being said, it's a fantastic band that has a sound of their own and I can't help but love their music.
the best opeth song i have ever heard if you haven't heard it then go hear it
They did take it from the band Blackwater Park. Opeth is actually considered Progressive Death Metal as odd as it sounds.
They're songs ARE very progressive.