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.
He is an empty shell
Shell-shocked Luciferian soul
He is an empty shell
Drained and sealed
He is an empty shell
Penetrating cold
He is an empty shell
Empty Luciferian soul
How furiously and bombastic
He proclaimed his destruction of a mortal coil
In the end it seemed
This was his only possession
Long past were his glorious days
Of filth and lies
And he has reached out to stop time
At its end
He is an empty shell
Shell-shocked Luciferian heart
He is an empty shell
Drained and sealed
He is an empty shell
Penetrating cold
He is an empty shell
Empty Luciferian soul
Empty Luciferian soul
The constant struggle for a moment of quiet indulgence
Eventually stirred and quaked the earth so hard
It swallowed him in a dark and heavy cloud
Slowly and gently starving him into insanity
An inferno of ice
With an ever burning
Bleeding
Heart
Shell-shocked Luciferian soul
He is an empty shell
Drained and sealed
He is an empty shell
Penetrating cold
He is an empty shell
Empty Luciferian soul
How furiously and bombastic
He proclaimed his destruction of a mortal coil
In the end it seemed
This was his only possession
Long past were his glorious days
Of filth and lies
And he has reached out to stop time
At its end
He is an empty shell
Shell-shocked Luciferian heart
He is an empty shell
Drained and sealed
He is an empty shell
Penetrating cold
He is an empty shell
Empty Luciferian soul
Empty Luciferian soul
The constant struggle for a moment of quiet indulgence
Eventually stirred and quaked the earth so hard
It swallowed him in a dark and heavy cloud
Slowly and gently starving him into insanity
An inferno of ice
With an ever burning
Bleeding
Heart
Lyrics submitted by Psychedeliasmith
Empty Lyrics as written by Rebecca Barnard
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
Add your thoughts
Log in now to tell us what you think this song means.
Don’t have an account? Create an account with SongMeanings to post comments, submit lyrics, and more. It’s super easy, we promise!
More Featured Meanings
Light Up The Sky
Van Halen
Van Halen
Fast Car
Tracy Chapman
Tracy Chapman
"Fast car" is kind of a continuation of Bruce Springsteen's "Born to Run." It has all the clawing your way to a better life, but in this case the protagonist never makes it with her love; in fact she is dragged back down by him.
There is still an amazing amount of hope and will in the lyrics; and the lyrics themselve rank and easy five. If only music was stronger it would be one of those great radio songs that you hear once a week 20 years after it was released. The imagery is almost tear-jerking ("City lights lay out before us", "Speeds so fast felt like I was drunk"), and the idea of starting from nothing and just driving and working and denigrating yourself for a chance at being just above poverty, then losing in the end is just painful and inspiring at the same time.
Bron-Y-Aur Stomp
Led Zeppelin
Led Zeppelin
This is about bronies. They communicate by stomping.
Mountain Song
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction
Jane's Addiction vocalist Perry Farrell gives Adam Reader some heartfelt insight into Jane’s Addiction's hard rock manifesto "Mountain Song", which was the second single from their revolutionary album Nothing's Shocking. Mountain song was first recorded in 1986 and appeared on the soundtrack to the film Dudes starring Jon Cryer. The version on Nothing's Shocking was re-recorded in 1988.
"'Mountain Song' was actually about... I hate to say it but... drugs. Climbing this mountain and getting as high as you can, and then coming down that mountain," reveals Farrell. "What it feels to descend from the mountain top... not easy at all. The ascension is tough but exhilarating. Getting down is... it's a real bummer. Drugs is not for everybody obviously. For me, I wanted to experience the heights, and the lows come along with it."
"There's a part - 'Cash in now honey, cash in Miss Smith.' Miss Smith is my Mother; our last name was Smith. Cashing in when she cashed in her life. So... she decided that, to her... at that time, she was desperate. Life wasn't worth it for her, that was her opinion. Some people think, never take your life, and some people find that their life isn't worth living. She was in love with my Dad, and my Dad was not faithful to her, and it broke her heart. She was very desperate and she did something that I know she regrets."
I Can't Go To Sleep
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan
This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
this song is cool
It's about a guy who dies and goes to Hell because of the bad things he did in his life.
yeah youre both right, but thats not all, its also about how, before he goes to hell, he struggles with his life and everyone hates him and realizes he was living his life all wrong
A song about someone who dies and goes to hell, and realises everything he'd done in his life was futile.
Goddamn, what a straight-forward beginning. I just adore this song. one of my black metal favourites.
I have debated this because just the lyrics like long past were his "glorious" days of filth and lies and he has reached out to stop time at its end It makes me think of like he's talking about the devil or something. Though everything else kind of points to him going to hell. I think it's about how he has died, and it's about his journey to hell and his realization of it. Like in the music video when they drop him out of the hearse and he goes down the hill in that forest. That also makes me think he's in hell, like the music video started out as him dead and he's at the coroners or whatever that it. Then he rushes through hell, strapped and hopeless. Then he is thrown into a hearse and dropped, and he keeps going, forever.
Attention: The last three Emperor albums (Anthems to the Welkin at Dusk, IX Equilibrium, and Prometheus: The Discipline of Fire and Demise) all center around the Emperor character, who is a Satanist (this is never stated, it just simply has to be true because Ihsahn was a Satanist at the time and he wrote the lyrics ;) ).
Ihsahn himself stopped being a Satanist in real life, and I believe that his whole process of awakening to this realization is shown on this entire album. The opening line on the first track "The Eruption" is:
And after years in dark tunnels, he came to silence; there was nothing.
That is to say, this person has spent a lot of time in "dark tunnels," a reference (in my opinion) to the Satanic lifestyle, but after a while he realizes it isn't doing anything for him.
I don't think the song is about anyone going to hell. When it says the earth swallowed him I think that is just a metaphor for him losing his mind because he can't get what he wants ("a moment of quiet indulgence').
This song is definitely about Ihsahn's ceasing of Satanism. This song is through his own eyes and as to how much pain he caused people for his own gain.