While Your Lips Are Still Red

Today we're going to have a little more Nightwish. "While Your Lips Are Still Red" is a bit of a change around from the shrieking that Marco usually comes up with (who can forget his maniacal Phantom?).

This is a rather gentle track and seems to have been based on a painting of an injured angel. Injured or fallen? Or simply love that's been broken?

While the music and singing are all fantastic, the lyrics throw a few fantastic images. I'm really stuck by the lines, "Dark hair for catching the wind
/ Not to veil the sight of a cold world". Really rather than hind behind something we should be wanting to feel the wind in our hair.

The "kiss while your lips are still red" may take on two different meanings, one while still very much full of life, the second as the injured lies dying. Either way I suppose it's all about taking love and life while it's still there and not waiting until it's far too late.

Sweet little words made for silence
Not talk
Young heart for love
Not heartache
Dark hair for catching the wind
Not to veil the sight of a cold world

Kiss while your lips are still red
While he`s still silent rest
While bosom is still untouched
Unveiled on another hair
While the hand`s still without a tool
Drown into eyes while they`re still blind
Love while the night still hides the withering dawn

First day of love never comes back
A passionate hour`s never a wasted one
The violin, the poet`s hand,
Every thawing heart plays your theme with care

Kiss while your lips are still red
While he`s still silent
Rest while bosom is still untouched, unveiled
Hold another hand while the hand`s still without a tool
Drown into eyes while they`re still blind
Love while the night still hides the withering dawn
Love while the night still hides the withering dawn

Love while the night still hides the withering dawn... because while we don't know what tomorrow brings, there is always the now.

High Hopes

I've posted this one before, but no harm in adding it again.

"High Hopes" is a Pink Floyd track but I prefer the louder, almost angrier and far more dramatic cover done by Nightwish.

There's something just so special about this particular song and I'm not quite sure what it is. While being rather dark and sombre I just love the lines: "There's a hunger still unsatisfied / Our weary eyes still stray to the horizon". There's something to be said about remaining hungry for something while keeping your head up no matter how worn down we may become.

For the most part I think the song covers how we slowly change as we get older. How we start with such high hopes and slowly they decay or are abandoned. Forever moving forward with no way of going back.

Beyond the horizon of the place we lived when we were young
In a world of magnets and miracles
Our thoughts strayed constantly and without boundary
The ringing of the division bell had begun

Along the long road and on down to the causeway
Do they still MEET there by the cut

There was a ragged band that followed in our footsteps
Running before time took our dreams away
Leaving the myriad small creatures trying to tie us to the ground
To a life consumed by slow decay

The grass was greener
The light was brighter
With friends surrounded
The nights of wonder

Looking beyond the embers of bridges glowing behind us
To a glimpse of how green it was on the other side
Steps taken forwards but sleepwalking back again
Dragged by the force of some inner tide

At a higher altitude with flag unfurled
We reached the dizzy heights OF that dreamed of world

Encumbered forever by desire and ambition
There's a hunger still unsatisfied
Our weary eyes still stray to the horizon
Though down this road we've been so many times

The grass was greener
The light was brighter
The taste was sweeter
The nights of wonder
With friends surrounded
The dawn mist glowing
The water flowing
The endless river

Forever and ever

I guess that's why little people are awesome, if you get the chance get them to describe just how green the grass really is. When you see the wonder, you'll get it.

Bye Bye Beautiful

Well, not quite sure why this is my song for today. Perhaps I've just got the music video on my mind? Google it if you need to know why.

That said, "Bye Bye Beautiful" by Nightwish is a hard hitting track that tells a tale of massive loss. Off the bat it's assumed that it's someone telling a tale of the loss of a lover, but I'm thinking that this is as much the loss of a friend if anything. Perhaps just the tale of those that have grown too far apart due to outside influence?

I'm not sure I really get this one which could quite easily be why it plays on my mind that much.

Finally the hills are without eyes
They are tired of painting a dead man's face red
With their own blood

They used to love having so much to lose
Blink your eyes just once and see everything in ruins

Did you ever hear what I told you?
Did you ever read what I wrote you?
Did you ever listen to what we played?
Did you ever let in what the world said?
Did we get this far just to feel your hate?
Did we play to become only pawns in the game?
How blind can you be, don't you see?
You chose the long road, but we'll be waiting

Bye, bye, beautiful!
Bye, bye, beautiful!

Jacob's ghost for the girl in white
Blindfold for the blind
Dead Siblings walking the dying earth

Noose around a choking heart
Eternity torn apart
So toll now the funeral bells

"I need to die to feel alive"

Did you ever hear what I told you?
Did you ever read what I wrote you?
Did you ever listen to what we played?
Did you ever let in what the world said?
Did we get this far just to feel your hate?
Did we play to become only pawns in the game?
How blind can you be, don't you see?
You chose the long road, but we'll be waiting

Bye, bye, beautiful!
Bye, bye, beautiful!
Bye, bye, beautiful!
Bye, bye, beautiful!

It’s not the tree that forsakes the flower
But the flower that forsakes the tree
Someday I’ll learn to love these scars
Still fresh from the red-hot blade of your words

...How blind can you be, don’t you see...(x3)
...that the gambler lost all he does not have...

Did you ever hear what I told you?
Did you ever read what I wrote you?
Did you ever listen to what we played?
Did you ever let in what the words said?
Did we get this far just to feel your hate?
Did we play to become only pawns in the game?
How blind can you be, don’t you see?
You chose the long road but we’ll be waiting

Bye bye, beautiful
Bye bye, beautiful
Bye bye, beautiful
bye bye bye bye

We often label something as beautiful only to see that fade into something that we no longer care for.

Bye Bye Beautiful

Another one of those Facebook strikes today. I was YouTube'ing my way along when I arrived at this beauty.

"Bye Bye Beautiful" by Nightwish seems to put pure poetry in motion set against some rather angry chords. I guess that's the whole point behind this one. I get more a feeling of frustration behind this song. I think at times we're putting on a blindfold trying to hide something from view when the truth is we're not really seeing what is really there to begin with.

Finally the hills are without eyes
They are tired of painting a dead man's face red
With their own blood

They used to love having so much to lose
Blink your eyes just once and see everything in ruins

Did you ever hear what I told you?
Did you ever read what I wrote you?
Did you ever listen to what we played?
Did you ever let in what the world said?
Did we get this far just to feel your hate?
Did we play to become only pawns in the game?
How blind can you be, don't you see?
You chose the long road, but we'll be waiting

Bye, bye, beautiful!
Bye, bye, beautiful!

Jacob's ghost for the girl in white
Blindfold for the blind
Dead Siblings walking the dying earth

Noose around a choking heart
Eternity torn apart
So toll now the funeral bells

"No need to die to prove a lie"

Did you ever hear what I told you?
Did you ever read what I wrote you?
Did you ever listen to what we played?
Did you ever let in what the world said?
Did we get this far just to feel your hate?
Did we play to become only pawns in the game?
How blind can you be, don't you see?
You chose the long road, but we'll be waiting

Bye, bye, beautiful!
Bye, bye, beautiful!
Bye, bye, beautiful!
Bye, bye, beautiful!

It’s not the tree that forsakes the flower
But the flower that forsakes the tree
Someday I’ll learn to love these scars
Still fresh from the red-hot blade of your words

...How blind can you be, don’t you see...(x3)
...that the gambler lost all he does not have...

Did you ever hear what I told you?
Did you ever read what I wrote you?
Did you ever listen to what we played?
Did you ever let in what the words said?
Did we get this far just to feel your hate?
Did we play to become only pawns in the game?
How blind can you be, don’t you see?
You chose the long road but we’ll be waiting

Bye bye, beautiful
Bye bye, beautiful
Bye bye, beautiful
bye bye bye bye

You really do have to stop to hear, read, listen and feel... Most things carry a beauty about them but if you're not going to see it for what it is, simply say bye before you even got the chance.

Over the Hills and Far Away

Today's tune is originally a Gary Moore song which I don't think I've actually heard. I am rather fond of the Nightwish cover of it though.

In "Over the Hills and Far Away" the character is caught out and locked up. He's caught out but not in the way that he would have imagined. I guess karma played it's part? Where would you be on your last night of freedom (if you had the choice)?

Think I've been over the hills and far away for long enough. Time to free myself? Time to head literally over the hills? Is today the day?

They came for him one winter's night.
Arrested, he was bound.
They said there'd been a robbery,
his pistol had been found.

They marched him to the station house,
he waited for the dawn.
And as they led him to the dock,
he knew that he'd been wronged.
"You stand accused of robbery,"
he heard the bailiff say.
He knew without an alibi,
tomorrow's light would mourn his freedom.

Over the hills and far away,
for ten long years he'll count the days.
Over the mountains, cross the seas,
a prisoner's life for him there'll be.

He knew that it would cost him dear,
but yet he dare not say.
Where he had been that fateful night,
a secret it must stay.
He had to fight back tears of rage.
His heart beat like a drum.
For with the wife of his best friend,
he spent his final night of freedom.

Over the hills and far away,
he swears he will return one day.
Far from the mountains and the seas,
back in her arms he swear he'll be.
Over the hills and far away.

Over the hills and, over the hills and,
over the hills and far away.

Each night within his prison cell,
he looks out through the bars.
He reads the letters that she wrote.
One day he'll know the taste of freedom.

Over the hills and far away,
she prays he will return one day.
As sure as the rivers reach the seas,
back in his arms he swears she'll be.

Over the hills and far away,
he swears he will return one day.
far from the mountains and the seas,
back in her arms is where he'll be.

Over the hills and far away,
she prays he will return one day.
As sure as the rivers reach the seas,
back in his arms is where she'll be.

Over the hills,
over the hills and far away.

Over the hills,
over the hills and far away.

As sure as the rivers reach the seas... Over the hills and far away.

Phantom of the Opera

Well, it'll mostly surprise folk that I do rather enjoy opera when I get the chance. Okay, so we know that all Opera's are either written in Italian or German, but hey, a story told in music (in many parts) qualifies in my books. Although these are generally referred to as concept albums in the English speaking world.

The Phantom of the Opera might just have been the first ever rock opera. But while we'll argue how you qualify one point or the next this has to be one of my favourites. Sarah Brightman is possibly the most famous of those to have taken on the role of Christiane, however this version by Nightwish really does leave me with goosebumps every time I hear it. The combination of Tarja and Marco is simply, Perfect!

[CHRISTINE:]In sleep he sang to me, In dreams he came
That voice which calls to me, And speaks my name
And do I dream again, For now I find
The Phantom of the opera is here, Inside my mind

[PHANTOM:]Sing once again with me
Our strange duet
My power over you, Grows stronger yet
And though you turn from me, To glance behind
The Phantom of the opera is there, Inside your mind

[CHRISTINE:]Those who have seen your face Draw back in fear, I am the mask you wear

[PHANTOM:]It's me they hear

[TOGETHER:] Your spirit and my voice
In one combined
The phantom of the opera is there

[PHANTOM:]Inside your mind

[CHRISTINE:] Inside my mind
Opera, Beware, Phantom of the opera

[PHANTOM:]In all your fantasies
You always knew - That man and mystery

[CHRISTINE:] Were both in you

[TOGETHER:]
And in this labyrinth, Where night is blind
The phantom of the opera is there...

[PHANTOM:] Inside your mind

[CHRISTINE:] Inside my mind

[PHANTOM:] Sing my angel of music

Lost love the lines, "And in this labyrinth, Where night is blind. The phantom of the opera is there..." And people wonder where it is exactly that I hide.

The One Without a Name

Hmmm... ever have a bit of an identity crisis. No, I don't mean not knowing your name, or remembering where you were after a serious night out. But those days when you sit back and think, "Who am I really, where am I going?"

This song from Nightwish, "Nemo", sums up much of that. While there are many sub-plots to this one. I'm going on the lack of direction with the "without an honest heart as compass" and "Nemo sailing home".

As said this simply has so many sub-plots that no doubt this one will come back at some time.

Nemo

This is me for forever
One of the lost ones
The one without a name
Without an honest heart as compass

This is me for forever
One without a name
These lines the last endeavour
To find the missing lifeline

Oh how I wish
For soothing rain
All I wish is to dream again
My loving heart
Lost in the dark
For hope I'd give my everything

My flower
Withered between
The pages two and three
The once and forever bloom gone with my sins

Walk the dark path
Sleep with angels
Call the past for help
Touch me with your love
And reveal to me my true name

Oh how I wish
For soothing rain
All I wish is to dream again
My loving heart
Lost in the dark
For hope I'd give my everything

Oh how I wish
For soothing rain
Oh how I wish to dream again
Once and for all
And all for once
Nemo my name forever more

Nemo sailing home
Nemo letting go

Oh how I wish
For soothing rain
All I wish is to dream again
My loving heart
Lost in the dark
For hope I'd give my everything

Oh how I wish
For soothing rain
Oh how I wish to dream again
Once and for all
And all for once
Nemo my name forever more

Nemo my name forever more

I'm looking for direction. I'm looking for many things... most importantly, I'm looking for me.