Opeth song meanings, stories and themes

[grey knight]

I'm not sure if there's a topic for this, propably there is even more than some, but I was too lazy to try my luck on search...

So anyway, I'd like people to discuss the (read the title) of Opeth's songs, leaving off Mayh, SL and GR ofcourse, because their concepts are quite clear and all songs are parts of them (except Isolation years).

So well I got the idea from this song In Mist She Was Standing.
I first thought it was "basic" Opeth song with somekind of basic love story.

But then I realized, that maybe it's about pirates? I got this crazy idea off the intro, it's really much like somekind of "we're happily sailing the seas" stuff, and I noticed that atleast most of the lyrics fit the theme of sailing and navigating. Also it can be noticed that the music gives the feeling that it's first calm and nice but then it turns misty and propably stormy.

Sorry my Ignorance if there already is a solid explanation for this or any song, and if there's thousands of topics like this already.
And I have yet to re-check the lyrics.

Edit:
Fuck, epic fail;
"Contorted trees are spreading forth"
"Passing the lake I know so well"

Now I'm embrassed.

 

[Dammnare]

The first lyrics of Heir Apparent was about tits as Mike said.He said " I wrote some lyrics that was about tits.But it's not about tits anymore.Anyway I think it is a good song."

EDIT : What Mike really said in concert :

Just before playing Heir Apparent :

"This song... i wrote a lyric, for this song... it was about... tits! It's not about tits anymore. but, i think of them all the time."

 

[grey knight]

The first lyrics of Heir Apparent was about tits as Mike said.He said " I wrote some lyrics that was about tits.But it's not about tits anymore.Anyway I think it is a good song."

(though my failure was much worse...)

 

[HemeHaci]

To me Deliverance sounded like episodes/phases of a Love story. Anyone agreeing with me? If yes I would go into an in-depth analysis.

 

[grey knight]

To me Deliverance sounded like episodes/phases of a Love story. Anyone agreeing with me? If yes I would go into an in-depth analysis.

Maybe, go on, you can't go more wrong than me.

 

[HemeHaci]

Maybe, go on, you can't go more wrong than me.

We'll see You can never be sure

 

[DarkGift]

To me Deliverance sounded like episodes/phases of a Love story. Anyone agreeing with me? If yes I would go into an in-depth analysis.

Not really a love story perhaps... but someone murdering his beloved or something like that

"walk with me, you'll never leave
wait to see your spirit free
tell me how your heart's in need
as i drown you in the sea "

"the piercing sounds you make
soaring higher, higher now
and once left in my wake
your memory is nothing but the scars on me "

etc.

 

[Hedon-]

from love to death in a time span of seconds

 

[Frosties]

How can someone be to lazy to search? I mean, it's fucking typing and clicking....

 

[Nasty-Fire]

OPETH - WATERSHED

If you pay attention, most of the song have an easy-to-understand story (if there's actually a story...). I would like everyone, while we're on it, to pay attention to Watershed. Mikael said many times that Watershed was NOT a concept album and had no fixed story in it. But I seriously believe that it is a lie. I know that guy loves to make things mysterious. Anyway, knowing all the lyrics from that album by heart, I bet I could find the storyline.

Basing on Porcelain Heart's videoclip, the characters are a Woman, a Husband, and his brother, and probably two or more children. In the clip, the Woman gets into alcool and things like that, and his Husband kills her at the end. Overally, that clip is about a man (that we see at the end, leaving the house) that comes back to that house where there has been death, murder. That man is the narrator, and he is the Husband's brother OR one of the children many years later.

Now let's get into the songs themselves.
Coil : There's nothing really clear in this song. The Woman lied about her situation (sorrow) to someone, probally the narrator.
Heir Apparent : This song could be about the Husband who is a choleric person, which explains the murder.
The Lotus Eater : The Lotus Eater is the Woman, who is "drowning" herself into voluptuousness. Alcool or wormwood(?) could be the substance that Lotus means. We could refer it to The Odysseys' Lotus Eaters. The woman "fell in love with death", the "crops were sown to die", "health runs from her lips". The "liar" could be the Husband, but I don't know why. She's actually falling into a breakdown(?). "O brother, you're a killer" could be the Brother's words. And now the most important part :

"And the pride of a mother brought flaws in a mother's son
And the love from a father was used by a father's son"

...which brought to me some confusion. There actually is a son. Her mother, because of her illness, brought flaws into him. And the son did something to his father. I just don't get it... .

Burden : I'm pretty sure this song is about the Husband, a while after the story. I think he was put in jail or something like that. He realises his mistakes. "They said I no longer knew the way", "Given up the ghost"... and "And the wait for REDEMPTION at hand"... finally "if death should take me now, count my mistakes and let me through."

Porcelain Heart : After the murder, the narrator (the brother) "Lost all he had that April day", his brother (if the husband is his brother) and the Woman, with which I guess he had some relations (friends...).
Hessiance Peel : This is a mystery to me... maybe this is were the children comes into the story, but I don't know
Hex Omega : So few lyrics, looks like an summary end for the album.
Derelict Herds : Seems to be someone talking about the Watershed story long after it happened.

But really, I bet there is a storyline. The main problem is to identify all the characters, and there must be more than three.

So if anyone has something to had about it, go ahead, that's what this topic is for, no?

 

[CorpseDeception]

The Woman had an Affair with another Woman.

 

[BlackLodge]

^ Probably was that bitch Melinda again.

 

[grey knight]

I don't think there were more than one guy in that video, he just came back to the murder scene after many many years.

 

[Nasty-Fire]

I don't think there were more than one guy in that video, he just came back to the murder scene after many many years.

It is not the same man. But maybe I'm just blind and he's actually the same guy. Actually, it could be the same one, it would make sense.

 

[Yaow!]

^ Probably was that bitch Melinda again.

LOLLLZZZ

 

[Toni S.]

 

[Xarthaz]

songmeanings.net

 

[Nasty-Fire]

Very interesting website. Lots of perceptions.

Correct me if I am wrong, but Ghost Reveries IS a concept album, except for one song that doesn't fit in. Because someone on that website said it wasn't. I'm seeing lots of opinion about it, I'll make my own with that. Nevermind.

 

[DarkGift]

^well, there is a concept but the songs aren't in the correct order conceptwise since the whole idea was scrapped in favour of Isolation Years, which isn't part of the concept at all.

 

[Yaow!]

^Spot on