I was really board and had nothing else to do so I did something I hadn't done in a while, broke down a song part for part and interpratted it (well actually someone challenged me to but whatever...). Heres my interpertation of the song and its meaning, I'd be interested to see what others think...
The Night and the Silent Water. The song is about Mikael going into the wilderness look back on his death, funeral and the feelings he has about the entire event.
The song opens with a rather angry riff with a touch of sadness, although the anger is the dominant emotion. This is his initial reaction to his grandfathers death (perhaps not his overall initial reaction, but his initial reaction as far as the beginning of this story if you want to call it that). At about the forty second mark acoustic guitars come in, representing the overriding feeling of sorrow. Next a scream comes in which is filled with agony. The next riff is very sorrowful and melodic and fits very well with the lyrics, which lament his grandfather perfectly.
And so you left us
Jaded and gaunt, some September
Mikaels grandfather died of some disease that slowly thinned him out until his death
Wilted with the seasons
As the seasons passed, and the tree wilted so did his grandfather as he lost more and more weight and got closer and closer to his death
But hidden inside the delusion
I saw your eyes, somewhere
Whatever killed him caused him to lose his mind before he died. Nevertheless Mikael could still see the man he loved somewhere deep inside.
Devoid of death
The aura poises amidst (the storm)
In solid tears I linger
A parlour glade, moonlit sorrow
This is the hardest part of the song to interpret. A parlor is a place where one traditionally entertains guests. Its seems as if he went into the forest to mourn the death and it felt as if the moon was mourning with him. Perhaps he felt as if he could mourn unto or with the moon.
Lonely resting pools
Relics of the moon dogged lake
Whisper: "All your words are misgiven"
He feels as if the water pools are speaking to him- saying that they question what he feels about his grandfather. This idea is continued in the next segment. Appropriately the riff dies off and feeds into an acoustic segment. The acoustic progression sounds very reflective, as are the lyrics.
Am I like them? Those who mourn and turn away
Those who would give anything
To see you again
If only for another second
This is rather clear-cut. Hes wondering if hes going feel the same way as everyone else and wish to see him one more time. It seems as if Mikael doesnt consider death to be the worst thing.
Your face was, like the photograph
Painted white
We did not speak very often about it
Peoples faces are always painted up with a lot of makeup at funerals, which makes them not look like themselves. It seems his family didnt want to speak about what had happened, but rather suppressed their feelings. This is the cause of the anger and sadness in the riff.
What does it matter now?
He doesnt see why this bothers him so much
Cloak of autumn shroud
I gaze, dim ricochet of stars
I reckon it is time for me to leave
He feels as if its time for him to leave the woods. The riff changes to a slightly more glorious segment for this part, however it is quickly pulled down into the next acoustic segment as Mikaels sorrow takes him over once again. The riff is soft, gentile, fragile and weak- feelings he must have been feeling at this point. The next acoustic segment kicks in with a very tragic progression, which is eventually washed out by dark electric guitars, which give the same feeling. An overpowering feeling of weakness and loss is taking over and everything begins to look far too bleak.
You sleep in the light
Yet the night and the silent water
Still so dark...
His grandfather is dead and at peace (perhaps in a afterlife he seems to believe in). Mikael is still on earth where everything is so dark. In a literal sense he is still sitting by the puddles in the woods, late at night- very much a reflection of how he feels alone, bleak and sorrowful. The final acoustic progression is full of despair. The soft plucking represents his tears.
The Night and the Silent Water. The song is about Mikael going into the wilderness look back on his death, funeral and the feelings he has about the entire event.
The song opens with a rather angry riff with a touch of sadness, although the anger is the dominant emotion. This is his initial reaction to his grandfathers death (perhaps not his overall initial reaction, but his initial reaction as far as the beginning of this story if you want to call it that). At about the forty second mark acoustic guitars come in, representing the overriding feeling of sorrow. Next a scream comes in which is filled with agony. The next riff is very sorrowful and melodic and fits very well with the lyrics, which lament his grandfather perfectly.
And so you left us
Jaded and gaunt, some September
Mikaels grandfather died of some disease that slowly thinned him out until his death
Wilted with the seasons
As the seasons passed, and the tree wilted so did his grandfather as he lost more and more weight and got closer and closer to his death
But hidden inside the delusion
I saw your eyes, somewhere
Whatever killed him caused him to lose his mind before he died. Nevertheless Mikael could still see the man he loved somewhere deep inside.
Devoid of death
The aura poises amidst (the storm)
In solid tears I linger
A parlour glade, moonlit sorrow
This is the hardest part of the song to interpret. A parlor is a place where one traditionally entertains guests. Its seems as if he went into the forest to mourn the death and it felt as if the moon was mourning with him. Perhaps he felt as if he could mourn unto or with the moon.
Lonely resting pools
Relics of the moon dogged lake
Whisper: "All your words are misgiven"
He feels as if the water pools are speaking to him- saying that they question what he feels about his grandfather. This idea is continued in the next segment. Appropriately the riff dies off and feeds into an acoustic segment. The acoustic progression sounds very reflective, as are the lyrics.
Am I like them? Those who mourn and turn away
Those who would give anything
To see you again
If only for another second
This is rather clear-cut. Hes wondering if hes going feel the same way as everyone else and wish to see him one more time. It seems as if Mikael doesnt consider death to be the worst thing.
Your face was, like the photograph
Painted white
We did not speak very often about it
Peoples faces are always painted up with a lot of makeup at funerals, which makes them not look like themselves. It seems his family didnt want to speak about what had happened, but rather suppressed their feelings. This is the cause of the anger and sadness in the riff.
What does it matter now?
He doesnt see why this bothers him so much
Cloak of autumn shroud
I gaze, dim ricochet of stars
I reckon it is time for me to leave
He feels as if its time for him to leave the woods. The riff changes to a slightly more glorious segment for this part, however it is quickly pulled down into the next acoustic segment as Mikaels sorrow takes him over once again. The riff is soft, gentile, fragile and weak- feelings he must have been feeling at this point. The next acoustic segment kicks in with a very tragic progression, which is eventually washed out by dark electric guitars, which give the same feeling. An overpowering feeling of weakness and loss is taking over and everything begins to look far too bleak.
You sleep in the light
Yet the night and the silent water
Still so dark...
His grandfather is dead and at peace (perhaps in a afterlife he seems to believe in). Mikael is still on earth where everything is so dark. In a literal sense he is still sitting by the puddles in the woods, late at night- very much a reflection of how he feels alone, bleak and sorrowful. The final acoustic progression is full of despair. The soft plucking represents his tears.
