Phantasma De Luxe

I absolutely love this song, both musically and lyrically. The music is simple, but very beautiful and emotional. The guitar solo is definitely very David Gilmour-y but fits this very well and is a great nod to Pink Floyd which has one of Edlund's biggest musical influences.

I love how the lyrics mix in the archaic and old english words both to flavor and obscure some of the meaning. It indeed makes it seem very poetic. Since they are so ridiculous I will try to go more or less line by line to show you my thoughts on what it all might mean.

"This dole crowner gallows me"
It is our fate (dole) to one day die. The author is afraid (to gallow is to be afraid). Crowner can either refer to a coroner/undertaker or perhaps the act of dying/being subject to the fate of death. I'm not sure.

"As this mere welkin hallowed be"
Referring to the purity (mere) and holiness (hallowed) of heaven (welkin: vault in the sky) perhaps as somewhere he'd like to reach.

"Whereupon I trick and train and tire" I think this is just referring to the toils of life, maybe struggling to reach heaven or just to live day to day.

"To limn my umbered love in fire" Illuminate my shadowed love. Showing your love (perhaps to someone in particular.. lover is mentioned later) or being a better person? It might be urging people to not hide their feelings for others prior to death.

"Before this noble mare bewrays As I clearly see it all decays" One of my favorite lines. I believe he is symbolizing his body as the mare (horse). That is, it is a vessel for his soul/life. Before his noble body betrays or fails him (bewray), i.e. physical death. He knows his body will fail eventually as death is unavoidable. This might refer back to the previous line of showing your love before you die.

"In debile coil of smoke suspires" Referring to life going out like a puff of smoke or a weakly exhaled breath.

"May our last orison quickens as we are drumbling near this poise of free" Drumbling is the act of doing something in a fashion or manner that makes it obvious the person does not know what he or she is doing. The poise of free I think is referring to freedom in death. Free of the weight/burdens of life. As we approach death, may we say a prayer (orison).

"Quell me maculate slowly dyer" Maculate has to do with staining or can also refer to impurities. Perhaps sin, maybe blood. I don't know. Dyer also has to do with coloring something. Quelling this may have something to do with washing away his impurities, forgiveness, etc.

"Case my remains with sharpened brier" Placed in a casket with thorns or plants growing around it? Burial?

"Atone me to my throes curtail" Death throes meaning the agony of death or dying. He knows it is inevitable, but please make it quick (curtail) and painless.

"To dim and dire fields I vail" Vail has to do with submitting (to death), also sinking (put into the ground), and also giving a hat's off to something (acceptance and respect for death and the dead). Interestingly all three of these definitions work. He is submitting to death and his fate underground.

"And my eale's but a slumbering lier." Eale is ale. I guess this could have to do with how people drink to get over sad events, or to forget about the woes of life completely. It puts your mind to sleep.

"Then so lingered here but none To buckle back what had begun" It supposes that death is not the end.

"In molten aeons caged desire Dared Phantasma, us much higher." Molten can mean molten or it could also mean overcome with sadness. Aeons could mean ages or it could refer to Angels or spirits of God (this definition is particular to the Gnostic religion). Perhaps the spirits overcome with sorrow lift the dead into heaven?

"Ceased to milch the clover flower" The clover sometimes refers to the holy trinity. Not sure what other significance it might have here.

"Neither raindrops nor my lover Shall restore what has been done When we're all keeled in freezing sun" No matter what happens after death, there is no coming back from it. You can cry for your lost love, but it won't save them, and won't save you. Keeled in freezing sun makes me think of having the life sucked out of you, or being lifeless in a coffin or something.

Somebody, TRY TO UNDERSTAND this lyric :))))))))))

somebody try to understand the ALBUM.!!!

the lyrics and music of this most beautiful song are extremely dream like and vauge, which most of this album is. im not even sure most of these words are english or any other languarge for that matter. however, it seems to make perfect sense, just like a dream... either pertaining to drugs (somewhat likely), or sleeping and dreams (more likely), or a combination of the two, this album is simply amazing and while it is somber, its not too dark. tiamats more recent works are far more dark than this. this album (and song in particualar) has a lot of the pink floyd influence that started in wildhoney. it really peaks here and makes for an amazing album, highly recomended.

The title of the song says much about it...i agree with 'MGold51" the pink floyd influence peaks here..Phantasma De Luxe is my favorite song of all time...it took me 3 months to figure out what this song is about...and trust me its worth findning out..one wonders why cant Johan just say it as it is and is too roundabout perhaps...thats what makes the song enchanting...its also wonderfull and the song goes on building peaks...wonderfull work...

"case my remains with sharpened brier"

I always thought he said "case my remains which are deprived." Could be wrong though.

Well yes all the words are in English. A lot of words are archaic. I though you might digg this. I wrote a version of the song with more common, simpler words.

This fate coroner frightens me As this pure heaven is sacred Whereupon I trick and train and tire To illuminate my shadowed love in fire Before this noble mare(female horse or nightmare?) betrays As I clearly see it all decays A feeble commotion of smoke breathes

May our last prayer quickens as we Are drumbling near this balance state of free Vanquish me impure slowly death Case my remains with thorny brier(a plant) Bring me into unity me with my diminished spasms To and dire fields I doff(take off one's hat) And my ale but sleeping lier(drunk?)

Then so lingered here but none To surrender to what has begun In molten ages caged desire Dared phantasma (take?) us much higher Cease to milk the clover flower Neither raindrops not my lover Shall restore what has been done When we're all capsized by freezing sun

In my opinion this song is song is about death and contemplation. Its very poetic and I suspect it was written as a poem Johan. The first verse talks about the authors view towards death and how he is frightened. Its starts of saying "This fate coroner frightens me" probably refers to death personified as the "fate coroner". In the second verse reveals the authors hopes and expectations towards his final moments. He hopes for a calm death. This is shows from words like "slumbering lier", "poize of free" and "curtail" In the final verse we are presented with the author's ascendance to heaven. This is shown by the line "Dared Phantasma us much higher". I though the last line was wrong and should have said "killed by freezing sun" however "keeled" cam also refer to a boat capsizing so... not much more to say about that...

Thanks a lot for explanation! For a russian fan of Tiamat, it's extremly hard to understand what's going on in this Phantasma even with help of Lingvo 12.0 :( I tried, I failed. I've seen 2 different lyrics versions in the net - one was quite illisible :) Johan came recently in our city, but was no chance to speak with him. The existance of 2 texts complexicate the situation, as I'm not really sure what to translate. In all cases, such song is a chalenge for the understanding! Thanks again.

Hello everyone! It's been great reading your oppinions about this fantastic song. Definitely one of my all-time favorites.

I'd like to suggest a couple of corrections, since I have the original CD and the lyrics are in the CD's booklet:

6th line: "as I clearly see it all decays" (the word "all" is missing) 8th line: "Ay our last orison quickens as wr" (the correct word is "ay" instead of "may")

Regarding 8th line, I don't know if this fits for English or Old English maybe, but in Spanish (my native language) "Ay" it's an exclamation which, in this context, could be expressing sorrow or pain.

I hope my comment is useful. Farewell!

The most played song in my life.