In Flames Lyrics...

[RETIREDTrapped]

What does everyone think? Are they exceptionally thoughful... Or are they just a few big-words strung together by some dude who can't speak english-properly??

I'm learning to appreciate their lyrics alot more, lately, it seems like there is some really good material hidden amoungst the philosophy mumbo-jumbo...

WHORACLE is one of the tightest and well written albums ever. But personally, i can't stand COLONY or CLAYMAN. Just personal preference i guess, but neither of the new ones have anything at-all special about them...! (square nothing has an awesome intro, but it goes TERRIBLY down-hill from then)

...Has anyone actually sat down and thought about In Flames' Lyrics or done an analysis, i'd be heaps interested to hear.......!?

 

[Demonspell]

I think their lyrics got worse after Whoracle and Niklas Sundin cesed to be involved...the ones on that album are quite thought provoking, and perplexing and full of odd metaphors (what's a squirrel wheel?)

 

[Ecstatic Youth]

Has any one else seen the possiblilty of Whoracle being a concept album, or am I (my brother actually discovered this possibility, and it fits and I believe so) the only one? If you need explanation, simply ask.

 

[spawn]

It doesnt really matter seeing as you cant understand a fucking word the guy says

But to answer the question, it seems like the lyrics are written to "fit" into the song like an extra instrument, not to actually mean anything, read the lyric sheet without listening to the music and a lot of it doesnt make much sense, but sounds good with the music played along side it, if you see what I mean?

 

[RETIREDTrapped]

That's what i used to think, spawn.

...But instead of reading the lyrics as 'a song', read it as individual lines, or paragraphs...

It's like a collection of thoughts..

 

[Neverlady]

Originally posted by spawn
....read the lyric sheet without listening to the music and a lot of it doesnt make much sense, but sounds good with the music played along side it....

Well, I am with Trapped on this one. I guess Anders wouldn't be happy to see what you think about his lyrics.... Anyways I guess he is trying to express his feelings just like most of the people in the music business that write lyrics. For instance go and see the song Clayman! It must have been written when he was down and was having a bad period in his life....

All what I wrote does NOT mean though that I understand the stories....

 

[RETIREDTrapped]

Shame marries the guilt
introduces itself to the
concept of total loneliness
Sensations repressed
make friends with
Suicidia, and
and here the leeches begin to
suck away the lust for life

Shame and Guilt create loneliness...

'Sensations repressed' refers to a loss of feeling and sense, while leads to suicidia (being suicidal...)

'And here the leeches begin to suck away the lust for life'... is self explanatory 'When you are at your lowest, your negative thoughts proceed to take you further down... taking away your lust for life'

Escape takes the lead, into a world unknown, uncontrolled by all, where borders are erased and potential infinite

Reworded: Escape into an unknown, uncontrolled world, where there is no borders, and there is infinite potential...

Basically, the song is telling you to escape from depression, 'to a world unknown'.

The beauty of his lyrics, and in partiular this song, is that they teach you to 'escape' without telling you HOW to escape.

Unlike certain bands that encourage LSD use as a way to escape, In Flames has left this open for interperetation...






'We´ve only seen the outlines of the beginning'

 

[RETIREDTrapped]

'JOTUN'

..Is kindof like a metaphor

(just for referrance): 'JOTUN' means 'GIANT'.

'Jotun' is not -just- referring to HIS dreams becoming a reality.

There is a HUUUUUGE reference in the song to deconstruction...



...i won't spell this one out for you. Let's see if the creative mind can shine through...

 

[RETIREDTrapped]

Worlds within the margin is awesome too:

Witnesses inhale the seed, and spit out a million branches

What happens to one person, effects all people; For the people that are directly effected will then respond with an effect on those around them, and so on... Partially like the chaos theory, where one minute mistake may cause another mistake, which causes a bigger mistake and so on...

In the kinetic energy of a moving fist
lies a birth-machine for a paralell universe

...What if something was done differently? Would the world be \different? Is that different world being lived in a parralell universe??

 

[RETIREDTrapped]

I have a question...

'He cried for night / but night could not come
so, swept in the shroud of Misanthropia he went away
and fed the empty galleries
with the artifacts of the black rain
sunken into the shadows with a dry, sardonic smile '

ARTIFACTS OF THE BLACK RAIN.

I understand what the lines mean, but i am unfamiliar with what the 'Artifacts of the black rain' is refering to, what is the metaphor of?

 

[RETIREDTrapped]

father you
are the
dead god
in me

'Nuff said?

 

[Neverlady]

Originally posted by Trapped




'Nuff said?

Specially with this one!!

 

[Shpongled]

Originally posted by Demonspell
(what's a squirrel wheel?)

I assume he's reffering to the toy wheels you can put in a hamster or gerbil cage in which the animal can crawl into and run endlessly, without going anywhere.

Maybe, to Anders, it's a metaphor for making an effort towards something but getting nowhere with it. Like running in a circle.

I don't know why he chose the word 'squirrel' when i don't recall ever knowning that squirrels used those things haha

I could be wrong though

Kev

 

[RETIREDTrapped]

it's a metaphor for making an effort towards something but getting nowhere with it. Like running in a circle.

Very good. You're on the ball tonight...

 

[White Rabbit]

Trapped - Actually, that song 'Food for the Gods' is based on the Terance McKenna book which is... no, not about LSD, but.... MUSHROOMS!

astral feet running up through dimensions covered with gold...

 

[RETIREDTrapped]

Same thing.

 

[doommaker]

Whoracle is an awsome album, i was listening to it today, its great, the songwriting is superb and the guitar work is flawless. Colony and Clayman are much weaker in my opinion, their just not as interesting, Colony seems like it never took much time to write, and Clayman is just too far from what i originally liked In Flames for.

 

[RETIREDTrapped]

I fully agree. Colony sounds very 'last minute'.

Clayman is nothing compared to whoracle.

 

[Neverlady]

Guys, if we are talking about In Flames, let me just ask you another question that doesn't go out for the lyrics but something else about the Flamers.... How did you like The Tokyo Showdown album?

 

[RETIREDTrapped]

I haven't heard it.

In Flames lost me when they release Colony.


What's it like?