I'm a priest for the poorest sacrifice
I'm but a raft in a sea of sorrow and greed
You bathed in my wine
Drank from my cup, mocked my rhyme
Your slit tongues licked my aching wounds

Put a stake through my heart!
And drag me into sunlight
So awake for your greed
As you're slaying the dreamer

Swansong for the Wish of Night
God it hurts, give a name to the pain
Our primrose path to hell is growing weed

Blame me, it's me
Coward, a good for nothing scapegoat
Dumb kid, living a dream
Romantic only on paper

Tell me why you took all that was mine!
Stay as you lay don't lead me astray!

Wake up, mow the weed
You'd be nothing without me
Take my life if you have the heart to die

You bastards tainted my tool
Raped my words, played me a fool
Gather your precious glitter and leave me be
The Great Ones are all dead
And I'm tired, too

I truly hate you all!


Lyrics submitted by Equilan

Slaying the Dreamer Lyrics as written by J. Nevalainen E. Vuorinen

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

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Slaying The Dreamer song meanings
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24 Comments

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  • +2
    General Comment

    Maybe he just modified his profanities to give them a more poetic value...

    dubonbaconon July 04, 2003   Link
  • +2
    General Comment

    He edited the profanity for good reason. Profanity would greatly weaken the song, and he knew this. I don't think its so much to be poetic, but to be sophisticated. Talented music doesn't need profanity to express emotion, and this song is a perfect example of such a point. All the rage is there in its purity, but is even more meaningful without the uncivilized profanities to taint its dark beauty. I don't feel like typing the word 'profanity' again, so I'll end there with that half-baked rant.

    BlackTippedWingson November 11, 2004   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation

    "You'd be nothing without me"

    Could it be something that Tarja said back then?

    I know Tuomas said that in a fit of rage she allegedly threatened to leave the band and that without her the band was nothing. I don't know when that was said but I remember an interview where Tarja said that after Wishmaster things weren't going well between the band members and there were all very exhausted. So maybe that's when Tarja said that Nightwish was nothing without her and Tuomas never forgot. He probably bore a grudge against her and waited for his revenge.

    "You bathed in my wine Drank from my cup, mocked my rhyme" She got to sing his songs and feel them and since she doesn't seem to appreciate her involvement in the band (according to him) it's like she was mocking him as a poet.

    "Swansong for the Wish of Night God it hurts, give a name to the pain Our primrose path to hell is growing weed" He thought there was something special between them but with she's showing her true colors and he blames himself for having feelings for her and let her sing his songs that come from the heart. Their relation is getting tainted and going to an end.

    "Blame me, it's me Coward, a good for nothing scapegoat Dumb kid, living a dream Romantic only on paper" He feels like a coward for not having told her before that he had stronger feelings for her and could only express his love through his texts.

    "Put a stake through my heart! And drag me into sunlight So awake for your greed As you're slaying the dreamer" She broke his heart by rejecting him and letting him know she can leave the band anytime.

    He could be mad at the whole band too. After all, as I said before, there were tensions in the band after Wishmaster so maybe one evening they had an argument all of them and he got to write these lyrics.

    This is my interpretation, I have no idea if this is the actual meaning of the song but I still find it funny haha

    HecatesNighton April 20, 2021   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Great song. Tuomas, Nightwish's songwriter, wrote this one night in a fit of rage, and had to edit it later on to get rid of all the profanity. It's an angry song directed toward the greed of mankind, and their stupidity.

    Kworbon July 09, 2002   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Why get rid of the profanity? Nightwish is a bad-ass metal band not some family friendly pop group.

    Armon June 18, 2003   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    Yeah thats goth musicians for ya. Always trying to be poets.

    Armon April 19, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    And it works very well in the songs I think you'll find Arm. Nightwish are one of my favourite bands. Tarja's voice works the lyrics very well and I think it gives the band a very original sound

    Nightwishon July 04, 2004   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    makes sense to me....

    KirstenDanielleon January 02, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    I WANNA MARRY TARJA!!!

    a_fake_plastic_treeon January 09, 2005   Link
  • 0
    General Comment

    i agree totally with blakctippedwings...and arm i think you should let artists be artists..being able to express yourself through poetry is a gift nightwish isn't just trying to be like every other "goth musician" try to look past steroetypes.

    anyway... one of my points of this song is how humanity shuts out things they don't understand..it makes us feel vuneranle.. some people even try to control people for believing in something strong and new that is true fact proven by everyday living.

    that's my opinion anyway

    lovemetalon April 07, 2005   Link

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