Lyrical interpretations & *friendly* debate!

[C.]

So I was talking online with a fellow OSAer and we got to discussing lyrical interpretations of Nightwish songs. I asked them their opinion on the song "Cadence of Her Last Breath", the lyrics of which never have seemed to be discussed here or on any other Nightwish board that I've gone to.

Why that song, you ask? Well, has anyone else ever given any thought to the idea that the lyrics are about Anette (or the "new singer" in general)? There is a song about Tarja and Marcelo each on the song, why not one about the final piece in the new era Nightwish jigsaw puzzle?

You don't see what I mean? Let's break it down...

Running for her life

Perhaps how Anette might have felt upon the initial reaction of the rabid Nightwish fans when some of them first heard her voice and heard she was not the almighty Tarja?

The dark rain from her eyes still falls
Breathtaking butterfly
Chose a dark day to live

As our fellow OSAer pointed out, and I agree with them on this, "chose a dark day to live", meaning that it takes a lot of courage to come out of the maelstrom of the Nightwish/Tarja controversy and stand on your own as something else.

Why do I miss someone I never met?
With bated breath I lay

Perhaps Tuomas' longing for the new singer, hearing in his mind what he wanted her to sound like and feeling like he would never find her?

Seawinds brought her to me

Well, what separates Sweden and Finland but the majestic ocean?

A butterfly, mere one-day miracle of life
And all the poetry in the world finally makes sense to me

This could go two ways: either Tuomas finally feels like he has someone who understands his poetry, or that he has a muse worthy of the poetry he is writing, and therefore feeling better about the things that he writes.

Save one death for me

Perhaps the way Tuomas felt when the time came to introduce Anette to the public, and knowing how some of the rabid fans would react to it?

Put to rest all that's not life

Tuomas' way of telling those people to get over it, the Tarja era is over and what's done is done?

Drink to beauty and fill my blank page

His joy at finally finding a singer that will fit his musical vision for the "new era" of Nightwish?

Sometimes a dream turns into a dream

More of the same idea; that what started out as one thing has turned into another, but it will still work out OK.

So obviously I did not work out what "a loner longing for the cadence of her last breath" means exactly, but I am thinking that it is the longing for something new, "her last breath" maybe meaning Tuomas' longing to start fresh and break free of the idea that Tarja's voice was all there was to Nightwish. This is just a theory. Feel free to share yours on this if you have them.

And feel free to interpret any other lyrics, this is a silly topic, not a topic for argument or trying to assume what's in Tuomas' mind. So have fun!

 

[Melusina]

So obviously I did not work out what "a loner longing for the cadence of her last breath" means exactly, but I am thinking that it is the longing for something new, "her last breath" maybe meaning Tuomas' longing to start fresh and break free of the idea that Tarja's voice was all there was to Nightwish. This is just a theory. Feel free to share yours on this if you have them.

I have always found it interesting that he used the word cadence since it is most often used in music to a progression of chords moving to a harmonic close which creates a sense of rest or resolution. If I were to play around with your interpretation it could be a longing for a resolution in his music brought about by Tarja's leaving and bringing in Annette.

 

[C.]

I have always found it interesting that he used the word cadence since it is most often used in music to a progression of chords moving to a harmonic close which creates a sense of rest or resolution. If I were to play around with your interpretation it could be a longing for a resolution in his music brought about by Tarja's leaving and bringing in Annette.

I think we've found the missing link to this mystery!

 

[FleshAndBloodTheocracy]

This is the song that has been called Tuomas's autobiography, so to speak....but what if it's more the story (on an emotional level) of himself and Tarja

No good theory is formulated without evidence, so I present to you -

In the demo, the words are "for 11 years I've been strapped to this altar" instead of "for years I've been strapped to this altar"....2007 - 11 = 1996, the year Nightwish's debut launched. Also, the demo said "today, in the year of our lord 2007" but, for some reason, was changed to 2005, the year Tarja departed from Nightwish.

Now taking this to mean that while he originally, perhaps, had feelings for Tarja, in the end he came to realize he felt trapped by her, and even came to resent her.

NW has progressed lyrically and musically, and much of the later themes of NW revolve around the loss of innocence. Now, after The Songwriter dies in the song, he is taken to the White Lands of Empathica and Innocence. If, indeed, his death is symbolic for firing Tarja, the this could reference the fact that getting rid of something that he came to view as a bad influence helped him begin to regain his innocence.

Tuomas also refers to this song as "the song that saved [his] life"....perhaps expressing how he came to fire Tarja, and the emotional journey since, let him deal with whatever guilt came from firing his once close friend.

Listen to the song again, with this metaphor in mind, and let me know what you think.

 

[C.]

There is a topic here where we discuss lyrical content and our own personal interpretations of songs. So I will merge this topic there, as it is more fitting of that thread.

I had a friend who actually asked Tuomas why the years were changed from the demo and studio version, and I think the only answer he got was, "no one has ever asked me that before!"

 

[FleshAndBloodTheocracy]

Ah, sorry about that. Didn't look back too far for a fitting topic.

Haha....also, unrelated, but the spoken part in the bridge of the demo is quite possibly the most emo thing I've ever heard. Haha

"Would you like to raid my rotting carcass
Disect my heart, and desecrate my wrists?
It would make you ***, wouldn't it?
You live long enought to *blah blah blah*
To give me the death I always longed for"


So, obviously my interpretation for Poet/Pendulum is above - here's the rest:

Bye Bye Beautiful - obviously meant for Tarja. Some neat imagery, such as "noose around a choking heart" and "it's not the tree (band) that forsakes the flower (tarja), but the flower that forsakes the tree"

Amaranth - I think this is Tuomas's way of expressing the things hidden in our hearts, the innocence and humility brushed away by our harsh society, and he's calling us to nurture those virtues.

Cadence - I gotta agree with C. on this one

MPG - about Marcello. Need I say more?

Eva - expresses feelings of loneliness, but that it's worth it to be yourself, and individual.

Sahara - fantasy-inspired, just like the good-ol' days. Haha.

Whoever Brings the Night - again, fantasy inspired

For the Heart I Once Had - don't listen to it enough to give an interpretation....I couldn't even say I know all the words to the song

The Islander - seems to be based loosely on The Rime of the Ancient Mariner. Could also be a tribute to anyone that makes some sort of personal sacrifice to make the world better.

Escapist - Seems obvious. Feelings of being trapped inside reality by pressures outside of your control, and wanting to escape it all

7 Days to the Wolves - Seems to be fantasy inspired, but there's a personal element I just can't put my finger on....

Meadows of Heaven - describing the innocence children have, and the sad fact that, once lost, it can never be regained, until we do die and (hopefully) go to Heaven.

Once (songs that aren't about fantasy only) -

Wish I Had an Angel - Tuomas called it a precursor to BBB....could mean that he wishes Tarja was the same person he started the band with.

Nemo - feeling alone, but also worthless. Nemo means No One, as I'm sure most of you know.

Planet Hell - TONS of fantasy/mythology/religious references here, and it's all about how we've destroyed our own planet. Go, humans! haha. Not only enviromentally though, but also as a society.

Creek Mary's Blood - Trail of Tears

Romanticide - Slaying the Dreamer Part II

Ghost Love Score - Tuomas realizes he has to fire Tarja, and she was "The one to cut him" by becoming such a diva.

....others to come when I have time to edit further

 

[C.]

^I just got finished reading the book Creek Mary's Blood, actually, and while yes, the Trail of Tears is mentioned, it's really a small part of the book. And I do remember reading that the song is based on the book. Very good book, btw.

 

[Annelin Maailma]

Hej friends!

My new blog www.annelin-maailma.blogspot.com is online since two weeks and I have already posted two themes there where you can discuss/comment. It´s about Tarja´s new album "WLB" and the other one is about all Nightwish albums they have made so far and I would like to know what you think about Tarja´s new album and/or which is for you the best Nightwish album and your favourite songs.

I´d be glad if you like my blog and you maybe follow me on blogspot/twitter/facebook/youtube.

Terveisiä from eastern Finland!

 

[C.]

We've seen your two other posts, no need to spam. You are welcome to open a topic about Tarja's new album in Other Music.

 

[nodoubtaholic]

I was wondering if anyone caught the musical metaphor in the last line of Song of Myself?

"And there forever remains that change from G to Em"

I don't know if there are any music theory people around here but there's actually a hidden meaning in this. I endearingly call it a "music theory metaphor". I'm not sure if I'm right or not, but going with the rest of the theme of the album, it makes sense. If he is referring to G and Em and scales, and not just notes or even chords, then this applies. I'm copying the rest from a fan on Tumblr who really worded this well for people who don't know much about this stuff:

"And what the hell is a scale?

I know that Wikipedia is not totally reliable, but this part is correct:

“In music, a scale is a sequence of musical notes in ascending and descending order. Most commonly, especially in the context of the common practice period, the notes of a scale will belong to a single key, thus providing material for or being used to conveniently represent part or all of a musical work including melody and/or harmony.”

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_scale

Obs: I’m going to talk only about natural scales. There are other kinds of scales.

In a grotesque abstract: 8 notes. The first one will appear in the end.
Everybody knows the C major scale: C-D-E-F-G-A-B-C (or the medieval version of Guido d’Arezzo, that it’s more familiar for me, Dó-Ré-Mi-Fá-Sol-Lá-Si-Dó).

But there are a lot of other scales. The C major scale is the only one that there are not accidentals (sharp - ♯ / flat - ♭ / natural - &#9838. I’m not going to explain how the accidentals are applied. It’s a very evil knowledge. xP

Example of another scale:
D Major Scale: D, E, F♯, G, A, B, C♯

And the minor scales? What the fuck are they?

In another grotesque abstract, minor scales are scales with another name, but with the same accidentals of its major relative.
How do we know that a major scale is relative to a minor scale?
Another evil knowledge. I’m trying to simplify this, so it’s out!

Example of relative scales:
D Major: D-E-F#-G-A-B-C#-D

B Minor: B-C#-D-E-F#-G-A-B

Look. Same accidentals.

And FINALLY, Tuomas’ scales:
G Major: G-A-B-C-D-E-F#-G

E Minor: E-F#-G-A-B-C-D-E

The same accidental."

He's saying he's changed, but he's still the same. He's saying he's 'grown up'. So many places you can go with that. But it's a clever little gem, I think.

Quote from http://thehidingamaranth.tumblr.com/post/13534661802

 

[C.]

Wow! That is an interesting analogy, indeed! I wondered what that line meant and knew it was likely a musical reference, but I have no knowledge whatsoever about scales or reading music, so I didn't know what it could mean. Thanks!

 

[Tramz]

I caught it as well. I assumed it meant he has changed in particular ways relative to the scales, but as yet i hadn't bothered to give it detailed thought beyond just that simple notion.

 

[Taimi]

I don't really see that he's changed when it comes to the lyrics. I don't like the dark turn, and the recycling of the Dead Boy theme.

 

[C.]

Well, he did warn us beforehand (a long time ago, I think even in the Summer Camp diaries) that "old characters from past albums" would make a return!

 

[Taimi]

I understand that it's a character he's created, but it's getting past the point of furthering the idea or concept, it's getting downright redundant.

 

[C.]

I can understand that; kinda like how towards the end of Timo Tolkki's stint with Stratovarius, the lyrics about "guns/message of peace" were boring me to tears.

He was still an awesome songwriter, though.

 

[nodoubtaholic]

I don't really see that he's changed when it comes to the lyrics. I don't like the dark turn, and the recycling of the Dead Boy theme.

I took it to mean something more along the lines of "I've lost my innocence, but I still am the same (or strive to be)." At least that's one of MANY things you could take from it. I can imagine the "dead boy" thing being redundant to some.. This album does seem to expound on it for me a little more and paint an even clearer picture. This whole album has a pretty solid theme and I love the loss of innocence theme that has always been there.

 

[C.]

Right, and also the lyric about being nothing more than "smoke and mirrors"; I really loved that lyric, because no doubt people have built Tuomas up to be higher or greater than what he is (or what he thinks he is); how some people are always calling him a "great poet" or "Maestro", etc. He must long to be treated like "regular folks" sometimes!

 

[Taimi]

This is the right thread for the question.

What the heck did he mean with the 'Mindless ghouls with lots of limbs to lose?'

I seem to remember Escapist having: Mindless ghouls, misbehave MORE as a quote from IRC on her TH.com siggy.

Have we morphed from Ocean Souls to mindless ghouls?

 

[C.]

Maybe they have, but not around here!

We are still proud to consider ourselves Oceansouls!