Here it is... my HUGE MAYH Interpretation!!

Towelie

A God in my own mind
Nov 15, 2001
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Prologue
A morning in magenta, the petals fed from the dew. She held her breath for a moment, to pause off the stream. Still clinging to vast, old memories. And I would marvel at her beauty, playing through the rain. The coffin is beautifully engraved. Stained by soil, symbols of death. All of which are stared upon, with porcelain eyes it seems. Some spoke, and it was my turn to go. In death entwined, I could not believe. But it hangs around my neck. A soft breeze passed me by, somewhat warmer for a second. I knew it was the coming of spring, thus our April Etheral.

-It's the start of Spring and our main character has died. He's observing his own funeral, watching his lover as she mourns. He remembers all the great parts of their life... but he is a ghost and no one can see him. He's observing everyone looking at his coffin... because of this he feels like everyone has there eyes on him for some reason. At first he seems to be happy to be able to see his loved ones still.



April Etheral
It was me, peering through the looking-glass. Beyond the embrace of Christ. Like the secret face within the tapestry. Like a bird of prey over the crest. And she was swathed in sorrow, as if born within its mask. Her candlelight snuffed, the icon smiled. Emptiness followed by her wake. I could clasp her in undying love. Within ghostlike rapture the final word was mine. She faced me in awe. ´twas a token of ebony colour. Embodied in faint vapour. Wandering through April´s fire. Compelled to grasp and to hold the one that was you. I will endure, hide away. I would outrun the scythe, glaring with failure. It is a mere destiny I thought, a threshold I had crossed before. The rain was waving goodbye, and when the night came the forest folded its branches around me. Something passed by, and I went into a dream. She laughing and weeping at once: "take me away". I don't know how or why, I´ll never know When.

-Our guy (lets call him Jim) realizes he is a ghost and that no one can see him... he's the hidden watcher of the lives of those closest to him. His loved one is just torn apart by his death and he just wants to hold her and to love her... he hates seeing her so depressed... but it feeds his ego in a way... so he begins to get addicted to the mourning. She faces him briefly and he can't catch his breath she's so beautiful, but it's obvious that she doesn't sense his presence at all. As he wanders through her life he wants to be able to hold her more and more. He decides to try to endure the pain and get away... away from his life. He then has a "dream" or a vision of her crying to him to "take her away" into his world where they can be together, but he doesn't know how or when to do it. Until he had this vision, he was getting used to hiding away in the comfort of darkness.



When
Red sun rising somewhere through the dense fog. The portrait of the jaded dawn who had seen it all before. This day wept on my shoulders. Still the same as yesterday. This path seems endless, body is numb. The soul has lost its flame. Walking in familiar traces to find my way back home. So there I was. Within the sobriety of the immortals. A semblance of supernatural winds passing through, The garden sighs, flowers die. The gate was closed that day, but I was bound to carry on. She could not see me through the windows. In dismay, strangest twist upon her lips. Graven face, she said my name. Once inside I heard whispers in the parlour. The gilded faces grin, aware of my final demise. And I cried, I knew she had lied. Her obsession had died, it had died. When can I take you from this place? When is the word but a sigh? When is death our lone beholder? When do we walk the final steps? When can we scream instead of whisper? When is the new beginning, the end of this sad Madrigal.

-Jim embarks on the journey to find out how he can possibly bring his lover into his ghostly world so they can be together again. He starts having concerns that she may not want to join him. He also questions why he's a ghost. He starts suspecting for the first time that his lover might have been hiding something. He leaves the darkness to go find her again at their old home. He realizes that he's immortal, but that doesn't make him happy. He can't be really happy without her. He comes to the gate of the home to realize it's closed, but he gets through easily as he is just mist. He sees her through the window staring blankly ahead and she says his name... still in possible disbelief that he's gone. He hears other voices in the house... pleased voices that seem to be happy of his death. He then assumes that she had been unfaithful to him, but he still loves her so much and wants to still bring her into his world. He asks to himself when he can have this... when is the new beginning of them? I think that she really was having an affair and she says his name gravely because she can't believe he's dead without knowing what a horrible lover she had been. She feels horrible about it, but she tries to forget it.


Madrigal
Our abode ´mongst the stars is waiting, long enough for our last breath of life. You stare at nothing, right through me, at times resembling the Devil's concubine. And me, I am the idol that would long to caress our eyes until they would open no more. I would comfort you if I only could, but as we all know by now...I am just thin air. Unaware as you are of my presence, you are losing yourself. Hiding within The Amen Corner.

-He tries communitcating with her... but she just looks through him of course. He thinks she's turning into a different person in her "Amen Corner" of darkness.


The Amen Corner
White summer. So far I have gone to see you again. Hiding your face in the palm of your hands. Finding solace in the words I do despise. You snatch at every sound. And even though you believe that I am shackled within death, memories are tainted with paleness. Crestfallen still. Those eyes...empty like a barren well. It was the only task I would undertake. To reap the harvest that was mine. The seed that had sprung into a florid meadow, and left me helpless in your embrace. The bond we never spoke of, once stark and enticing, now slowly smoldering to dust. The celestial touch, from grey to black. A fathomless void enclosing. Unwritten secrets beneath the cobwebs. I can not endure. And so I rose from my sleep. The moon turned away its face. Overture of the long, black night begins...something you said: "Eerie circles upon the waters". Until now we have shared the same aura. My ashes within your hands. My breath in the sepulchral mound. You know that your night is my day. The final spark that blew life into me, the Demon Of The Fall.

-He keeps going to observe her only to realize that she's moving on with her life. He's angry that she does not mourn for him anymre. The middle of the song is a little hairy and harder to understand than the rest, but I think a lot is just for imagery. He can't endure living like this without her even noticing anymore. He becomes more suspicious than ever... he's sure there are secrets he does not know about... I think he's right though. He makes his presence known to her on the water by making ripples. She gets scared and for the first time he realizes that she's scared of something he did (whether or not she realized that it WAS him). He sees this as when their bond completely breaks and he's really upset and angry... it gives him a spark, but an angry spark where he turns almost demonic because he's so upset.


Demon Of The Fall
Silent dance with death. Everything is lost. Torn by the arrival of Autumn. The blink of an eye, you know it's me. You keep the dagger close at hand. And you saw nothing. False love turned to pure hate. The wind cried a lamentation before merging with the grey. Demon of the fall. Gasping for another breath. She rose, screaming at closed doors. Seductive faint mist forging through the cracks in the wall. I shant resist. In tears for all of eternity. She turned around and faced me for the first time. Run away, run away. Just one second, and I was left with nothing. Her fragrance still pulsating through damp air. That day came to an end. And she had lost in me, her Credence.

-Jim thinks that everything is lost. Autumn killed all hope he had. Weird things have been happening and she's sure that he's haunting her even though she still hasn't seen him. At this point, he's positive she wasn't faithful to him, even when he was alive. She feels his presence in the house now as the wind makes creaking noises in the house. She runs for the doors screaming because she knows he's there, and she knows she's been unfaithful... so she's scared of what he could do as a ghost. She sees the mist that is him... and completely faces him and "sees" him for the first time. She then runs away in complete horror. In one brief second they saw each other again... and then she was gone forever... the only thing left... her fragrance. All hope is now gone.


Credence
Deserted again. You speak to me through the shadows. Walking in closed rooms, using cold words. Captured by the night. The yearning escapes from my embrace. Strange silhouettes whisper your thoughts, scream your sadness. And they all turned away, unable to face more of this death. Credence in my word. Written in dust, tainted by memories. I confess my hope, recognize my loneliness. Your laughter weeps the truth. Push me into corners. Confirming the epitaph of my soul and displaying the once unknown Karma.

-He's alone once more... he still observes her, but from afar. She talks of him as if he's evil. He finally admits to himself that he's really lonely and he's always hoped that somehow they could be together again. I dont' really understand the rest of this song... it gets hard and so does Karma.


Karma
And as they say, grief is only able to possess. The rotting body clad in ancient clothes is left behind with a wave of the hand. I have gone away. The bed is cold and empty. Trees bend their boughs toward the earth. And nighttime birds float as black faces. It was the hand reaching out through the mirror. Unknown and scarred by life...the luring eyes, you had never seen. You have nothing more to find. You have nothing more to loose. The cold season drifts over the land. They huddle in the brown corners. Some would settle for less. The castles were all empty, asleep. Long awaiting their king. Beckoning round the bend. Amidst the forest one would hear that I had been there. Draped within a fate I could not change, and always welcoming Winter´s Epilouge.

-Jim realizes that he can not have what he wants. He realizes he is but an entity and that he can never have his body again. He leaves everything completely behind to go be alone for all eternity. He travels through forests... he wanders and wanders, for it is his sad fate.


Epilouge
There it was. The final destiny. A sunrise that never came, still the night lamp that never faded away. Farewell was the word, and the afterglow was the brave morning. Rising and telling everyone about the beauty of its Prologue.

-Spring begins again, but Jim stays in darkness... the world is dead to him, but the wonders and beauty of a new year begin for everyone else.


There it is... the ending is harder to understand for me... but please tell me what you think and please add anything else or correct anything else you think that could go some other way!


Zack
 
yah... i just can't figure out if she really was being unfaithful... or he just got really paranoid... but I can see why she'd be more scared if she really did cheat... plus it adds more anger to the already intense Demon of the Fall...
 
Zack,

Akerfeldt has explained the concept of MAYH here.

Some excerpts...

My Arms, Your Hearse... Why are there some songs with lyrics but no vocals?

I wanted it to be a flowing concept, with lyrics to every minute of music basically. The instrumental tracks are enhancing the mood of the lyrics unsung. It’s like a mute narration, really!

I'm wondering if you've seen the movie Ghost, with Patrick Swayze and Demi Moore? This work seems to be a bastardization of it. The man dies, comes back, but instead of this emotional climax, in this album, the love was a lie all along and this man who by force of love for this woman was able to manifest as a ghost, now has to exist in this state knowing she'd lied and betrayed him. How close am I to the story?

You’re basically telling it! It’s a ghost story, but with no connection to the movie. In fact, it dawned upon me now, that the movie is based on a similar story. The character dies, becoming a ghost upon earth. His funeral being described in the prologue. He comes to spiritual life in Apri” and the rest of the album covers the struggle for recognition of his foggy state. He gets to see the days of the ones left behind. He tries to affect people in any way possible. The woman is not necessarily betraying him physically, but her grief is not enough for his ego. He expected her to suffer his demise for ages. When this is not the case, frustration creeps in making him an invisible stalker, and eventually a spiritual mare thrown unto the faces of the ones left on earth.

The way everything goes in a circle, it reminds me of this one ghost story I once read, I forget the title and the author, but it begins "So this is death." Its about a man who hangs himself, but his awareness never leaves the room. He can see himself hanging there, he sees his wife and her lover walk in on the body, he can see when the police inspectors come, and he's horrified by all of it, because he decides he doesn't want her to see him dead after all, but its too late. But every sunrise, history repeats. He can see himself come into the room, prepare the noose, and he wants to stop himself, but he can't. He relives his death and the aftermath over and over every day. The last words of the story are "So this is death..."

His ability to observe is the same, but as far as the ”circle” goes, I more or less gave a hint to put the album back on. My character doesn’t relive his death; in fact, it’s never told exactly how he died. However, he lives on in mind, his soul lives on, and he experiences the days in a similar way to the living. Although being a ghost has its advantages, being able to appear in several shapes and so on.

As the titles form a continuing circle, might the spirit in question also be doomed to repeat the cycle forever? But losing memory of the year each time, so the betrayal is fresh each time out?

The story itself isn’t repeated, but the fate of the character might happen to others. I wasn’t so interesting in having a good reason for the circle-connection. I made the concept click, and it looked cool in the booklet. That’s it!

How would a spirit break this cycle?

The only way to break such a circle is to be given the opportunity to walk into the afterglow. Ghosts are basically restless spirits, but eventually this rest might set in, and access to the other side may be granted.

What killed the principle in the story to begin with? Just something that happened, or was it the result of something the woman did?

It’s not important, so I didn’t bother to tell. I don’t know really, but his death has to be anything else but natural. I wanted the character to be suspicious and restless, so that’s why he’s sneaking up on his beloved ones.

I can't figure out whether the first recognized meeting of the ghost and his former lover were in April Ethereal or Demon of the Fall. Demon of the Fall clearly states "She turned around and faced me for the first time", yet in April Ethereal, "Within ghostlike rapture... she faced me in awe." Was it that the ghost had seen her for the first time in April Ethereal, but she didn't yet see him back? Clear this one up for me...

April is his reincarnation so to speak. She faces him, but looks right through him, unaware of his presence, yet she feels great sadness, as his death came to soon, unwilling to accept his death. The line ”ghostlike rapture” is his own feeling, seeing his bride. In Demon there is a first meeting. She’s being confronted with his spirit, by this time being in rage due to frustration.

Wait a second. If the woman did not love the ghost, why is she in mourning in April Ethereal?

She did indeed love him. Anything saying she didn’t comes from the thoughts of the main character, as he’s being so lost into negative feelings about most things.

And then in When, "The gilded faces grin...", presumably we're to assume that she and someone else (a secret lover on the side?) are happy about the death. How can both the grieving and the joy be correct?

It’s not totally right. He never has any proof of her being an infidel, he only suspects her to be. The gilded faces are a description of statues coming alive in the mansion in which he used to live. Her grieving is complete, but not to his satisfaction. He hears voices from somebody else than her. Unable to figure out if it’s imagination or not, he expects the worst, and the story unfolds.

Perhaps the entire epic is a misunderstanding on the ghost's part? All of his post-death grief and anguish are for nothing because he misinterpreted a situation. She DID love him after all? It is a brief encounter in When that sets the stage for all of the shit going down. Did the ghost get it wrong?

Exactly, he only suspects her to be doing all these things. Actually the whole story only deals with his own understandings and misunderstandings. She doesn’t really take part in any important events concerning his state of mind. He is restless in the very sense of the word, and he feels that every one is against him. But there’s really nothing for the living to be against; he’s not there anymore in body. The problem is, as he’s a ghost trapped on earth, he does take part in all the events happening, but the remaining people doesn’t take part in him in any way. Apart from his woman, they don’t even know he’s there.

Can this entire thing not also be a real life analogy? Experience a life changing situation, wanting to share it with your loved one, and having them reject your change. Could that not also be the story? How "open" was this in your mind when you wrote it?

I am still alive, and I’ve most certainly had my share of shit from people already. But for the album I wanted to be able to write a made-up story as well. I can personally only relate to being alive. What happens when you die is not within your grasp to experience. Hence, I can write whatever I want concerning death and what happens when you’re gone.


Maybe those pieces would help a little.
 
Thank LOTFP. He's the one who interviewed Mikael. Smart questions, I must admit.
 
Did you notice the theme of "corners" in MAYH?

It's mentioned enough times to be a thematic element. It seems pretty clear to me though. The corner is a place of isolation, almost a safehaven. Somewhere you go when you don't want to face the rest of the world, or somewhere into which you can be forced away from others.


It's early and I haven't had my morning caffeine fix, so I could be way off.. any thoughts?

:loco:
 
I have to post to tell you towelie that that was a good interpitation of mayh and I had alway felt that the story was something like that but I hadn't talkin the time to really examine the story line in it. Thanks for saving me the time :D