Evening minuetto in a castle by the sea
A jewel more radiant than the moon
Lowered Her mask to me
The sublimest creature the Gods, full of fire
Would marvel at making their Queen
Infusing the air with Her fragrant desire
And my heart reeled with grave poetry

From grace I fell in love with Her
Scent and feline lure
And jade woodland eyes that ushered in the impurest
"Erotic, laden fantasies amid this warm Autumn night
She lulled me away from the rich masquerade
And together we clung in the bloodletting moonlight"
Pearled luna, what spell didst thou cast on me?
Her icy kiss fervoured my neck
Like whispering waves 'pon Acheron's beach
In a whirl of sweet voices and statues
That phantomed the dying trees
This debauched seductress in black, took me

In a pale azured dawn like Ligeia reborn
I tore free of my sleep - sepulchre
On the sea misted lawn where stone figures, forlorn
Lamented the spectre of Her
Bewildered and weak, yet with passion replete
I hungered for past overtures
The curse of unrest and her ardent caress
Came much more than my soul could endure

I, at once endeavoured to see Her again
Stirring from midnight's inertia
Knowing not even her name
On a thin precipice over carnal abyss
I danced like a blind acolyte
Drunk on red wine, her dead lips on mine
Suffused with the perfume of night

For hours I scoured the surrounding grounds
In vain that we might meet
When storm clouds broke, ashened, fatigued
I sought refuge in a cemeterty

Sleep, usher dreams
Taint to nightmares from a sunless nether

Mistress of the dark
I now know what thou art

Screams haunt my sleep
Dragged from nightmares thou hast wed together

Lamia and Lemures
Spawned thee leche
To snare my flesh

Portrait of the Dead Countess

Deep stained pain that I had dreamt
Flaunted demise, life's punishment
Leaving little strength to seal this wretched tomb

But poised nectar within my stirs
Up feverous desire and morbid purpose to search
Through cobwebbed drapery to where she swoons
Goddess of the graveyard, of the tempest and moon
In flawless fatal beauty her very visage compels
Glimpses of a heaven where ghost companies fell
To mourning the loss of god in blackest velvet
Enrobed in their downfall like a swift silhouette

"Fleeting, enshadowed
Thou art privy to my sin
Secrets dead, wouldst thou inflict
The cruel daylights upon my skin?
Dost thou not want to worship me
With crimson sacrifice
So my cunt may twitch against thy kiss
And weep with new-found life?"

Red roses for the Devil's whore

Dark angels taste my tears
And whisper haunting requiems
Softly to mine ear
Need-fires have lured abominations here

Nocturnal pulse
My veins spill forth their waters
Rent by lips I cherish most

Awash on her perfidious shores
Where drowning umbra o'er the stars
Ebon's graves where lovers whore
Like seraphim and Nahemah

"Nahemah"

Pluck out mine eyes, hasten, attest
Blind reason against thee, Enchantress
For I must know, art thou not death?
My heart echoes bloodless and incensed

Doth temptation prowl night in vulvic revelry
Did not the Queen of Heaven come as Devil to me?
On that fatal Hallow's Eve when we fled company
As the music swept around us in the crisp, fated leaves
UNder horned Diana where her bloodline was sewn
In a graveyard of Angels rent in cool marbled stone
I am grieving the loss of life in sombre velvet
Enrobed in Death's shadow like a swifter
Silhouette



Lyrics submitted by sean

Track duration: 08:35

"A Gothic Romance (Red Roses For the Devil's Whore)" as written by Nicholas Andrew Barker, Robin Mark Eaglestone, Gregory Moffit, Stuart Anstis, Dani Davey

Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group

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A Gothic Romance song meanings
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51 Comments

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  • 0
    General Comment:I think this song is loosely based on some Edgar Allen Poe pieces, the most noticeable being Annabel Lee and The Masque of the Red Death. Dani does talk about a sort of masquerade party, and the part about the sepulchre relates to Annabel Lee, when Poe admits that he goes into his love's crypt every night and lays by her side all night long. Of course, Dani would like to make his song an even darker, more twisted, and more gothic version of the original poem, so he would of course have to throw in vampires and necrophilia.
    Flag ImAViking97on November 12, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:what ze fuck does this song mean?
    Flag nYmphetamine001on March 30, 2010   Link
  • +1
    My Interpretation:this is a wonderful song.....the best song for CoF........but i want to ask something...whose is the girl in the song??.........i guess she's elizebth......and what is the meaning of the word 'Nahemah'.....can anyone tell me what is the full meaning of this song.....anyway i love it very much T_____T
    Flag ahmed1995on July 30, 2009   Link
  • 0
    My Opinion:this is a wonderful song.....the best song for CoF........but i want to ask something...whose is the girl in the song.........i guess she's elizebth......and what is the meaning of the word 'Nahemah'.....can anyone tell me what is the full meaning of this song.....anyway i love it very much T_____T
    Flag ahmed1995on July 30, 2009   Link
  • 0
    My Opinion:this is a wonderful song.....the best song for CoF........but i want to ask something...whose is the girl in the song.........i guess she's elizebth......and what is the meaning of the word 'Nahemah'.....can anyone tell me what is the full meaning of this song.....anyway i love it very much T_____T
    Flag ahmed1995on July 30, 2009   Link
  • 0
    My Opinion:this is a wonderful song.....the best song for CoF........but i want to ask something...whose is the girl in the song.........i guess she's elizebth......and what is the meaning of the word 'Nahemah'.....can anyone tell me what is the full meaning of this song.....anyway i love it very much T_____T
    Flag ahmed1995on July 30, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:i think he was rely drunk on some absinthe and was like....gabbing his chin and gazing into the light dn the ceiling and said...you know what would probably sound good. and BAM cheesit.....naw but for real his lyrics i think have changed recently they are less "dark" in the sense of vampires, blood and beauty, but they still kick ass, sad to see martin and adreian go tho :( still one of the best metal bands of all time
    Flag Opioon May 24, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:haah, epic...i wish i could write a song like this... wish i could have such kind of musicality... i.. i.. i am a big fan of COF. . .! their s0ngs chill me. specially, this s0ng and nymphetamine, they chill me s0 much that i could n0t even sleep at nyt wid0ut listening t0 it... hak, wat am i saying? deep admirati0n eh...
    Flag crUcifiEdcrOwon March 18, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Hey guys, just wanted to say what a shame it is that cradle of filth ended up being marketed to the mall-rocker/Family Values crowd like directly after this record was released.

    Due to that, and the resulting decrease in the quality of their output (although I still think Midian and Damnation were ok, but they're obviously garbage compared to this one), I'd probably say this is one of the most overlooked records of all time.

    Dani's lyrics are absolutely brilliant (even though the subject matter's a bit trite, but its metal so whatever), and once you get past the very abrasive nature of his vocals, i think you find there's quite a bit of emotion and pathos in his voice. In fact, I'd be hard pressed to name another band or artist whose quality of lyrics match up with this, other than like Tom Waits or Leonard Cohen...
    Flag ImpeachGodon January 05, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:No! D00d, this song is not about Elizabeth Bathory, this song seems to be dedicated to Mina Harker, Harper,... I don't fucking know, but y'all know who I'm talking about.
    That BITCH from Bram Stoker's Dracula.
    Flag PerroLokoon August 14, 2008   Link

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