The Apostle In Triumph - Meaning of the Song

[Pavelent]

Hey soundave, you're an English teacher right?

A lot of Opeth songs are hard to interpret.

 

[soundave]

In my other life, before being a stay at home dad, yeah, I was an English teacher.

 

[Pavelent]

In my other life, before being a stay at home dad, yeah, I was an English teacher.

I'm just an ordinary AP student. Did you teach High School English?

I just realized, I find the songs off Orchid and Morningrise harder to interpret.

 

[soundave]

I'm just an ordinary AP student. Did you teach High School English?

I just realized, I find the songs off Orchid and Morningrise harder to interpret.

Yeah. At a small private HS. English among a lot of other things.

 

[soundave]

Just had a couple of thoughts:

1.) Lyrics should never be analyzed divorced of the music. As I listen to the song itself, I'm beginning to go in another direction, given the way the music works.

2.) Anytime a new person is introduced, it is worthy of note. Who is the "you" in this? Or, if the narrator has shifted, who is the "I"?

Open your soul
Redeem, I am immortal

After re-listening, I'm not sure this is an epitaph.... and the vocals are pretty sinister... I'm gonna have to think about this more.

 

[Lothlorien]

nice posts soundave and pavelent. this thread is reminding of what this forum use to be.

 

[soundave]

nice posts soundave and pavelent. this thread is reminding of what this forum use to be.

Thanks, Lothlorien!

So, more thoughts on TAIT....

Red leaves are blown by the wind

1. It's fall. That's the only time oak leaves are red. Aside from being my favorite time of year, fall brings to mind a number of different things, but chiefly, death. But, I've always thought it's more like beauty in death. Anyone who lives in a part of the world where the leaves turn, you can attest to how death never looked so damn good. And when you start equating the seasons with life, and knowing that there's always going to be Spring...you're on your way to immortality. And in the end, isn't that what the protagonist of this song gets?

2. Red is a loaded color. Again, it's culture specific. But no one can ignore the fact that blood is red. So there's perhaps a hint of violence in here. Blood on the leaves? Doubtful...

The only way to follow

I'm re-evaluating what I wrote about this. This is not about following a loved one into the afterlife/great beyond/etc. I think, given the whole "wisdom carved on a black stone" bit and the "redeem I am immortal" part, we ARE talking about religion. "The only way to follow" is akin to saying, "The only belief to follow". This struck me as being eerily smilar to this:

"I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6).

Maybe it shouldn't be surprising that this is a bit of a religiously themed song when it has the title it does. What is surprising to me is that it doesn't seem to mock religion. In many ways, it's surprisingly mature for a metal band's first album. Going Satanic would have been the expected way, but I truly don't see that here, unless I'm really missing something.

 

[Pavelent]

Immortality may also relate to a spirit in heaven. Since the body isn't immortal, the spirit is. It relates to the religious theme. Unless I am going to far depth.

 

[TheWorstCase]

Thanks for those posts...
The whole song is hard to understand and interprete but my biggest problems lay in:

"...carved on a black stone"

I think it links to something else which is maybe based on a religious theme too but I can't remember if and when I heard this before..

"Open your soul
Redeem, I am immortal"

In my opinion he talks to somebody here because I can't imagine why he should say "open your soul" himself, and maybe this is also a part of a dialogue. For example:

God/Satan: Open your soul
Narrator: Redeem, I am immortal

Should this really be one, it makes me wonder whether this is about god or satan because Satan is in fact the one who promises his disciples immortality and not God. It's just and idea, even if I think I'm wrong again..

About the line "The only way to follow".. In my opinion it sounds like it is linked with "Open your soul etc etc.." though in the lyrics it says that it belongs to the part before it.

 

[HoursOfDebt]

its about gorge w bush and his persecution by the liberal media!

 

[DestinationChaos]

i once read in an interview with mike that the lyrics he writes are more like sort of made up metaphores and shit. so the only one who knows the meaning of the songs is him i guess..

 

[soundave]

i once read in an interview with mike that the lyrics he writes are more like sort of made up metaphores and shit. so the only one who knows the meaning of the songs is him i guess..

Do you remember where you saw that? I also recall him saying that he was trying to sound deep without really knowing what he was doing...

I still think you can dig at the meaning, and I still think it's worth doing.

Hidden in wisdom
Carved on a black stone

Starting to think this might have to do with alchemy...

 

[DestinationChaos]

No sorry, can't remember where i read it.

 

[Blind Guardian]

wow,i´ve always thought he was whispering something in swedish,maybe sounds stupid because im swedish myself

 

[Pavelent]

I recently read..

"The song is about Satan once being the apostle of god but after being banished to hell being the true triumphant and the most powerfull spirit (and not God).
He is the one that inspired the ten commandments (wisdom carved on a black stone) and encourages humans to open their soul and be saved for he is immortal."

It makes sense.

 

[Mikael Åkerfeldt]

Gee, did I say that?
I can't remember what it's about...

To be honest, most songs on the first record are just unfocused poetry that I found cool at the time. Can't say there's a specific storyline to any of those songs. I just wanted it to be fucking dark, is all.

Cheers
Mike

 

[Korlich]

^ i dont think he means you said it prolly just an interpretation he saw somewhere.-

 

[soundave]

Gee, did I say that?
I can't remember what it's about...

To be honest, most songs on the first record are just unfocused poetry that I found cool at the time. Can't say there's a specific storyline to any of those songs. I just wanted it to be fucking dark, is all.

Cheers
Mike

So, what's it like to have people interpret the hell out of your words? It must be kind of weird...

Maybe our interpretation helps us understand your frame of mind at the time? Do you think there's any point to us interpreting the lyrics from Orchid at all?

Which song highlights your best lyric writing, Mike?

 

[FUBAR]

Gee, did I say that?
I can't remember what it's about...

To be honest, most songs on the first record are just unfocused poetry that I found cool at the time. Can't say there's a specific storyline to any of those songs. I just wanted it to be fucking dark, is all.

Cheers
Mike

You know I had a feeling they were...I remember sitting listening to the album tryin to figure out all the meanings and metaphors ...still quality lyrics.

 

[the opeth affinity]

So, what's it like to have people interpret the hell out of your words? It must be kind of weird...

Maybe our interpretation helps us understand your frame of mind at the time? Do you think there's any point to us interpreting the lyrics from Orchid at all?

Which song highlights your best lyric writing, Mike?

Excellent question