I have been listening to power metal and the like for several years now, this is one of the most lyrically interesting songs by this band. I'll try and explain it the way I see it without being too wordy.
Lyrics
(So many years ago, many more than I'd
Even care to bear in my mind)
This is the man telling the story to the listener, I see it as a sort of Jekyll and Hyde type story. There's the man...and there's his greed.
(From the darkest of all places I found you)
Here's where the greed first enters the story.
(All the limbs in their right places
And a heart made of real gold)
The man recounting how perfect this puppet was in his eyes.
(Sell me your little doll, oh sir, I ask you kind)
His first request to buy the doll from the puppet master.
(Every night I returned to watch them
The master and the puppet in the show)
Pretty self evident, but this obviously shows this mans greedy...obsession...with this puppet.
(He said: "Oh, no, I cannot sell him...
Priceless he is, masterpiece of mine")
Here is where is gets interesting, this is the puppet master not giving in to greed, be it his own or the mans.
(Please, sell me your puppet, sir
Name your price, oh please,
Whatever you may ask,
Tenfold the price I pay)
His second plea this time trying his hardest to appeal to the puppet masters greed.
("Did I not make it clear?
This debate is over
I will never part from this puppet, my son...")
Again the puppet master shows his honor and his true love and will to perform in the show, even though he was just offered a lot of money to sell the puppet.
(With hungry eyes I followed them all night)
This is where the mans greed gets the best of him.
(The blind master and the puppet he had made)
This is the man expressing somewhat of a person hatred for the puppet master, calling him blind and stupid to have turned down his offer.
("No, sir, to sell is not my will!")
This is the mans greed, he telling the listener that he didn't just want this perfect doll so as to resell it and make a profit, but again, he truly was greedily obsessed with this doll.
(The doll is mine, even if I have to kill...)
(So it shall be... if this is what it takes)
He kills the puppet master.
("Greed is truly blinder than me...")
This is him being remorseful now in his later years and remembering how blind he thought the puppet master was, but now realizing that he himself and his greed were far blinder.
("Heart of gold is what you wish for?"
"So, this little boy... wants to be... a puppet, for real...")
The puppet masters last words as some have said. Greed is the puppet master now, pulling the mans strings, making him act exactly as it wishes.
(So I have the golden heart
Now only needing the voice of the master)
The man realizing that just having the "perfect puppet" isn't enough to be a skilled puppet master.
(Never feel hunger, never grow older
My dream was to be a star in a real puppet show)
But his greed will never die, and thus he is bound by its will, to perform even though he may not be as good as the master he killed, he's done it now and is stuck with this life he chose for himself.
[SOLO]
Cool Solo.
(It's so hard to remember my life
The times before the show)
Years down the road now and he's again reminiscing his choices and how he's stuck to the life he chose, he may be making good money doing what he's doing this many years down the road, but he still despises his choices, as do we all down the road.
(Can I ever cut off the strings?
"Take a bow, now dance and sing...") (Sing!)
Him wondering about how he might be able to redeem himself if ever...but instantly his greed reaffirming that he's stuck to this life.
(Would you turn to a child again?
"No, never, I am your Guide")
The "child" is representative of his innocence and the times before his greed ruled his life, but he is where he is because of his choices and apparently half of him likes it, the greedy half, and the other half hates it.
(You can see a small grin on the face
Of the master, when the puppet's in his place)
The grin is representative of how greedily happy he is while doing the show, he has fulfilled his life dreams but at great cost to his personal innocence.
(Be careful what you wish for
Wishes might come alive)
This is a great epilogue, back to real time now, and this is the man cautioning the listener using his own tale as an example.
(The twines are pulling me every day and night...)
Even this late in his life, he can't give it up, his greed is still his master.
(The show, the glitter and all the fame
I'd give away for a life)
This is the man saying that if he could ever get free from his greed he would give it all away to get his normal life back.
(Some things can end with a word, they say
This only ends with a sharp knife) (Knife!)
This is really the only set of lines that I can't really see much of a hidden lyrical meaning to. simply said perhaps the man kills himself out of sheer depression and self hate, but I dislike taking such great songs like this at face value, so I will refrain from trying to dig for a deeper meaning for this set of lyrics.
Overall, this story can be summed up in a very simple few words, and it's not a new story or one that's never been told before.
Be careful what you wish for and put your time into searching for, you just might get your wish and years later find that it was all a worthless victory, because it has only gained you sorrow and loneliness. Be it through greed or just simple self drive, we as humans rarely are impressed with the choices we have made in our lives, and when it is our turn to tell stories to others, this is the last kind of story that we really want to tell to others.
I have been listening to power metal and the like for several years now, this is one of the most lyrically interesting songs by this band. I'll try and explain it the way I see it without being too wordy.
Lyrics
(So many years ago, many more than I'd Even care to bear in my mind)
This is the man telling the story to the listener, I see it as a sort of Jekyll and Hyde type story. There's the man...and there's his greed.
(From the darkest of all places I found you)
Here's where the greed first enters the story.
(All the limbs in their right places And a heart made of real gold)
The man recounting how perfect this puppet was in his eyes.
(Sell me your little doll, oh sir, I ask you kind)
His first request to buy the doll from the puppet master.
(Every night I returned to watch them The master and the puppet in the show)
Pretty self evident, but this obviously shows this mans greedy...obsession...with this puppet.
(He said: "Oh, no, I cannot sell him... Priceless he is, masterpiece of mine")
Here is where is gets interesting, this is the puppet master not giving in to greed, be it his own or the mans.
(Please, sell me your puppet, sir Name your price, oh please, Whatever you may ask, Tenfold the price I pay)
His second plea this time trying his hardest to appeal to the puppet masters greed.
("Did I not make it clear? This debate is over I will never part from this puppet, my son...")
Again the puppet master shows his honor and his true love and will to perform in the show, even though he was just offered a lot of money to sell the puppet.
(With hungry eyes I followed them all night)
This is where the mans greed gets the best of him.
(The blind master and the puppet he had made)
This is the man expressing somewhat of a person hatred for the puppet master, calling him blind and stupid to have turned down his offer.
("No, sir, to sell is not my will!")
This is the mans greed, he telling the listener that he didn't just want this perfect doll so as to resell it and make a profit, but again, he truly was greedily obsessed with this doll.
(The doll is mine, even if I have to kill...)
(So it shall be... if this is what it takes)
He kills the puppet master.
("Greed is truly blinder than me...")
This is him being remorseful now in his later years and remembering how blind he thought the puppet master was, but now realizing that he himself and his greed were far blinder.
("Heart of gold is what you wish for?" "So, this little boy... wants to be... a puppet, for real...")
The puppet masters last words as some have said. Greed is the puppet master now, pulling the mans strings, making him act exactly as it wishes.
(So I have the golden heart Now only needing the voice of the master)
The man realizing that just having the "perfect puppet" isn't enough to be a skilled puppet master.
(Never feel hunger, never grow older My dream was to be a star in a real puppet show)
But his greed will never die, and thus he is bound by its will, to perform even though he may not be as good as the master he killed, he's done it now and is stuck with this life he chose for himself.
[SOLO]
Cool Solo.
(It's so hard to remember my life The times before the show)
Years down the road now and he's again reminiscing his choices and how he's stuck to the life he chose, he may be making good money doing what he's doing this many years down the road, but he still despises his choices, as do we all down the road.
(Can I ever cut off the strings? "Take a bow, now dance and sing...") (Sing!)
Him wondering about how he might be able to redeem himself if ever...but instantly his greed reaffirming that he's stuck to this life.
(Would you turn to a child again? "No, never, I am your Guide")
The "child" is representative of his innocence and the times before his greed ruled his life, but he is where he is because of his choices and apparently half of him likes it, the greedy half, and the other half hates it.
(You can see a small grin on the face Of the master, when the puppet's in his place)
The grin is representative of how greedily happy he is while doing the show, he has fulfilled his life dreams but at great cost to his personal innocence.
(Be careful what you wish for Wishes might come alive)
This is a great epilogue, back to real time now, and this is the man cautioning the listener using his own tale as an example.
(The twines are pulling me every day and night...)
Even this late in his life, he can't give it up, his greed is still his master.
(The show, the glitter and all the fame I'd give away for a life)
This is the man saying that if he could ever get free from his greed he would give it all away to get his normal life back.
(Some things can end with a word, they say This only ends with a sharp knife) (Knife!)
This is really the only set of lines that I can't really see much of a hidden lyrical meaning to. simply said perhaps the man kills himself out of sheer depression and self hate, but I dislike taking such great songs like this at face value, so I will refrain from trying to dig for a deeper meaning for this set of lyrics.
Overall, this story can be summed up in a very simple few words, and it's not a new story or one that's never been told before.
Be careful what you wish for and put your time into searching for, you just might get your wish and years later find that it was all a worthless victory, because it has only gained you sorrow and loneliness. Be it through greed or just simple self drive, we as humans rarely are impressed with the choices we have made in our lives, and when it is our turn to tell stories to others, this is the last kind of story that we really want to tell to others.
Just my thoughts, tell me what you think.