We used to swim the same moonlight waters
Oceans away from the wakeful day

My fall will be for you
My fall will be for you
My love will be in you
If you be the one to cut me
I'll bleed forever

Scent of the sea before waking afterwards
Brings me to thee
Into the blue memory

My fall will be for you

Into the blue memory

A siren from the deep came to me
Sang my name my longing
Still I write my songs about that dream of mine
Worth everything I may ever be

The Child will be born again
That siren carried him to me
First of them true lovers
Singing on the shoulders of an angel
Without care for love n' loss

Bring me home or leave me be
My love in the dark heart of the night
I have lost the path before me
the one behind will lead me

Take me
Cure me
Kill me
Bring me home
Every way
Every day
Just another loop in the hangman's noose

Take me, cure me, kill me, bring me home
Every way, every day
I keep on watching us sleep

Relive the old sin of
Adam and Eve
Of you and me
Forgive the adoring beast

Redeem me into childhood
Show me myself without the shell
Like the advent of May
I'll be there when you say
Time to never hold our love

My fall will be for you



Lyrics submitted by Equilan, edited by LumosX

Track duration: 10:02

"Ghost Love Score" as written by Tuomas Lauri Johannes Holopainen

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Ghost Love Score song meanings
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  • 0
    My Interpretation:Okay. I know I might not be contributing much here, but when Tarja sorta drags out the word Love in 'Time could never hold our love' she stops rather abruptly. If you turn up your headphones, you can hear what sounds like a 9mm pistol shot just as she stops. At first I thought it was a drum, and it probably is. But there's no other drum sound like that in the entire song, and it would seem out of place if it were.

    My idea is that it's a song about a widow falling deeper and deeper into depression and insanity because she misses the love of her life. The different parts of the song (I don't know what the professional term for it is, but y'know GLS is a song with several different-sounding verses to it) go from peaceful to more and more desperate as it progresses. I think the idea of her killing herself fits perfectly with the lyrics, tone, and title. "Time could never hold our love" she says, as she shoots herself so she can be with her dead lover in heaven and eternity. And then 'you were the one to cut me, now I will bleed forever.' It all fits in, in my opinion.

    Of course, if that is just one single drum beat and not a pistol, this idea loses a hell of a lot of credibility. Plus either way there's undoubtedly some other meaning to it, and it's all a metaphor. That's Tuomas for you.
    Flag grantrick1on May 04, 2013   Link
  • +2
    My Interpretation:Somehow when I analyse this, it makes me think of Tarja, a lot of songs on Once actually do.
    I started to think so because some of the lines in the chorus of Bye Bye Beautiful:
    "Did you ever hear what I told you, did you ever read what I wrote you, did you ever listen to what we played".
    That made me think that some of the songs were messages for Tarja and when you listen to some of the songs on Once, you start to see it.

    That's my interpretation however, not necessarily yours
    Anyway here's my analysis of the song.

    "We used to swim the same moonlight waters
    Oceans away from the wakeful day"
    They once had the same dreams and opinions of the music, and he thought that would never change.

    "My fall will be for you
    My love will be in you
    If you be the one to cut me
    I'll bleed forever"
    He cares a lot for her, sees her as a kindred spirit, which would make it so much more hurtful if she would betray him.

    "Scent of the sea before the waking of the world
    Brings me to thee, into the blue memory"
    The memories of the days when she was still like him when it came to music, before she changed, brings him some kind of sadness even though it is nice to think about it.

    "A siren from the deep came to me
    Sang my name my longing"
    She came into his life at the right time, and he saw how she could help him with sharing his poems and songs with the world, what he longed for the most. She is described as a siren, because of her amazing voice, but also because something was luring under the surface that he did not see at that moment.

    "Still I write my songs about that dream of mine
    Worth everything I may ever be"
    He still sees the music and lyrics as the most crucial thing, as the thing that is important to both of them. And that it will always be so.

    "The Child will be born again
    That siren carried him to me"
    She seemed like his muse, she gave him inspiration (the child being his innocence and the imagination for his songs).

    "First of them true loves
    Singing on the shoulders of an angel
    Without care for love n` loss"
    He thought that he had found a kindred spirit and he never thought it would be over so he flew high and felt happy.

    "Bring me home or leave me be
    My love in the dark heart of the night"
    He starts to feel that something is wrong and it leads to depression, he only finds comfort in something familiar.

    "I have lost the path before me
    The one behind will lead me"
    He has lost his course and only by remembering the values they had at the beginning he will find the right course again.

    "Take me
    Cure me
    Kill me
    Bring me home
    Every way
    Every day
    Just another loop in the hangman`s noose"
    He wants it all to stop, because he feels like he and the band is near the end no matter what they do.

    "Take me, cure me, kill me, bring me home
    Every way, every day
    I keep on watching us sleep"
    Same as above. He feels that he can't wake the band again, that it's doomed.

    "Relive the old sin of Adam and Eve
    Of you and me
    Forgive the adoring beast"
    He feels like he was tempted into doing what he wished the most, because he found someone so much alike himself. And now he begs for forgiveness because he let himself be tempted in such a way that almost let him into decay. He sees himself as the Beast that fell in love with the Beauty because she saw something in him that not a lot others had. And now he sees that she betrayed him and he wants the world to forgive him for that.

    "Redeem me into childhood
    Show me myself without the shell"
    He wants his innocence and his dreaming back, he wants to feel like he can trust the world again, the trust she took away when she changed, because he was certain she was never going to, but he was wrong and he started to feel that something was wrong with his judgmental skills and therefore he could never trust anyone.

    "Like the advent of May
    I`ll be there when you say
    Time to never hold our love"
    He will be there when she confesses that her intentions were not as she first expressed them to be and that the mutual love for music is no longer there so there's no reason to think about it anymore.

    "My fall will be for you
    My love will be in you
    You were the one to cut me
    So I`ll bleed forever"
    After all what he gave for it to work out she kept going down another path that was so different from his own and because of that he feels like they have nothing in common anymore, which truly hurts him.

    Well that's my analysis and interpretation. You're allowed to disagree and I would love to hear your opinion.
    Flag NekoMcEvilon October 19, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:GOD THERE'S SO MUCH DETAIL IN THIS SONG. The orchestration is perfect, but trust me, if you never have, turn this all the way up in your headphones, you will hear so much that you've never heard before. Tuomas is the greatest songwriter in the metal world, if not the entire world...
    Flag PookieEatWorldon June 30, 2010   Link
  • -1
    General Comment:You people have no right to post anything on your interpretations on this piece of heaven until you've read what happened during the band's removal of Tarja. Don't ruin a song with your religion. It has as much to do with religion as a banana.
    Flag obesechicken13on February 25, 2010   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:Here's my interpretation. This song is a kind of 2-sided story, with an angel and someone else, maybe the Ocean Soul. They both long for the Child. Sorry if I start telling it like a story!

    "- My fall will be for you -
    My fall will be for you
    My love will be in you
    If you be the one to cut me
    I`ll bleed forever"

    This makes me think of an angel, who has fallen in love with a human or a demon, and is being cast out of heaven for their 'crime'. Most Nightwish songs have something to do with religion or death or heaven (naturally), so this is logical. Angels and angels falling are constant themes (e.g., Wish I had an Angel, Amaranth). It's also about falling, but falling for love, almost sadistic love for another ("If you be the one to cut me / I'll bleed forever"). Tarja sings "My fall will be for you" in her dark, angelic voice, furthering the angel theme.

    -

    "A siren from the deep came to me
    Sang my name my longing
    Still I write my songs about that dream of mine
    Worth everything I may ever be"

    Here is a beautiful example of Odyssean myth being worked into the song. It’s the other side of the story, the side of the Ocean Soul. The Ocean Soul often appears alongside the Child or the Dead Boy. Here, the Ocean Soul is longing for something, maybe the Child, maybe the angel.#

    -

    “The Child will be born again
    That siren carried him to me
    First of them true loves
    Singing on the shoulders of an angel
    Without care for love n` loss”

    Maybe the Child and the Dead Boy are the same, since here it says that the “Child will be born again”, implying that it isn’t alive. A siren (creature of Greek mythology that lured people to their death with their beautiful voices and appearance) appears again. There is another reference to the angel, who is also intricately intertwined with the whole story of “love and loss”.

    -

    “Relive the old sin of Adam and Eve
    Of you and me
    Forgive the adoring beast”
    The sin of Adam and Eve (aka original sin) is another reference to religion. Adam and Eve were pretty much the original ‘destined’ lovers from when time began. It says “Relieve the old sin...Of you and me”, implying that their history is as old as Adam and Eve’s. Since souls in Christianity are immortal, as are angels, this fits perfectly. The “adoring beast” is the sadism of their love.

    -

    “Redeem me into childhood
    Show me myself without the shell
    Like the advent of May
    I`ll be there when you say
    Time to never hold our love”

    Another reference to the Child, and the lost innocence of childhood. The month of May is regarded in some countries and religions as the start of spring, the month of new beginnings and innocence, and children born in that month were said to be more ‘pure’ than other children. This verse also talks about a timeless love, also implying that the characters are immortal.

    -

    Well, that’s just my interpretation of it. And I’m sure everyone has a different one. I hope you found this helpful! I love this song, and everything by Nightwish. Tarja has an amazing voice ^^
    Flag myfallwillbeforyouon January 07, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:"A siren from the deep came to me
    Sang my name my longing
    Still I write my songs about that dream of mine
    Worth everything I may ever be

    The Child will be born again
    That siren carried him to me
    First of them true loves
    Singing on the shoulders of an angel
    Without care for love n` loss

    Bring me home or leave me be
    My love in the dark heart of the night
    I have lost the path before me
    The one behind will lead me"

    I believe these are the key verses in the song.
    There are 4 characters involved.
    Siren = Holy Ghost
    Child = Jesus Christ
    Me = believer in the Christian faith
    Angel = guardian angel
    When you interpret the song in this context, the entire song makes sense.

    Read this Bible passage:
    There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews:
    The same came and said to Him, 'Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that you do, except God be with him.'
    Jesus answered and said to him, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.'
    Nicodemus said to Him, 'How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born?'
    Jesus answered, 'Truly, truly, I say to you, except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.'

    Hence, the title of the song is Ghost Love Score because it is about the work of the Holy Ghost, the "siren" who carried Jesus to "me" the believer.
    Please also read my other comments about this song.

    Flag leekonghianon November 10, 2009   Link
  • 0
    Memory:Tuomas has many sustaining characters in his lyrics: The child, wanderer, poet, dead boy, (nemo), Ocean Soul. This song could be an example of The Child, or even The Dead Boy.

    In an interview with Toumas and Marco on Face Culture. The interviewer says: "Ghost love score...Redeem me into childhood, show me myself without the shell...are you looking for the pure innocence of the child?"
    Tuomas replies: "Well, yes. That seems to be one of the carrying messages in my lyrics.."

    My opinion is it can be taken a number of different ways. Yes, could take it as protecting childhood innocence, could take it as Self-sacrifice for someone you love (perhaps the child), Unrequitted love perhaps?

    Could even go right down to how this song is performed. Think about the chorus, its sung using a choir. Which could suggest that he's not the only one contending for the woman's (or the child's) heart.
    Flag LeumeDarkreignon August 10, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Ghost Love Score is an absolutely ingenious song - very cleverly symbolic and metaphoric.

    My interpretation of the title of the song, Ghost Love Score:

    A ghost is usually a spirit of a dead person, but instead, the character has made the love she once shared the ghost - something that is gone but still haunts her. This song is obviously a score, but is written by the character - 'still I write my songs'.

    --

    Now my interpretation of the lyrics:

    We used to swim the same moonlight waters
    Oceans away from the wakeful day

    The first stanza could have multiple meanings: Perhaps the character is saying that she and her love used to have so much in common, and had no cares in the world.

    Or alternatively, she could be saying that she and her love used to swim at the same place often at night, and never knew that their relationship would be torn apart so brutally.
    --

    My fall will be for you
    My love will be in you
    If you be the one to cut me
    I`ll bleed forever

    In the chorus, the character is saying that she would gladly put her life on the line for her love, because she'll never stop loving him, but if he betrays her, the figurative wound would never heal.
    --

    Scent of the sea before the waking of the world
    Brings me to thee
    Into the blue memory

    In this stanza, she says that the scent of the sea in which she an her love used to swim helps her to remember all the good memories that they shared.
    --

    A siren from the deep came to me
    Sang my name my longing
    Still I write my songs about that dream of mine
    Worth everything I may ever be

    This one is a bit more difficult to interpret. Perhaps the siren is her own mind, tempting her to be vengeful, but she is trying to fight it by dreaming about the relationship that she and her love had, and expressing her emotions through song.
    --

    The Child will be born again
    That siren carried him to me
    First of them true loves
    Singing on the shoulders of an angel
    Without care for love and loss

    Perhaps here she's thinking about how she just wants to be a child again, and that maybe her mind will let her be pure as an angel again, and not have to worry about love and loss.
    --

    Bring me home or leave me be
    My love in the dark heart of the night
    I have lost the path before me
    The one behind will lead me

    Perhaps here the character begins to get bitter and angry over her love's betrayal, and just wants him to make up his mind whether he loves her or he doesn't. She's confused and lost, but perhaps in saying that 'I have lost the path before me, the one behind will lead me' that although she doesn't know where to turn, there's someone from her past to help her.
    --
    Take me
    Cure me
    Kill me
    Bring me home
    Every way
    Every day
    Just another loop in the hangman`s noose

    Here, the bitterness the character feels escalates to an all-time high - maybe she's saying that he's played with her for too long, and, it's just giving her more and more grief and emotional agony.
    --

    Take me, cure me, kill me, bring me home
    Every way, every day
    I keep on watching us sleep

    The character repeats her plea for her love to endf her agony and stop toying with her. Her 'siren', in other words, her mind, keeps replaying the nights when she and her love slept - usually a state of complete serenity. The character is angry, and misses the peace that they once had, like when they slept.
    --

    Relive the old sin of Adam and Eve
    Of you and me
    Forgive the adoring beast

    Maybe her love has previously thought that their relationship was wrong or immoral, but the singer of the song just wants her love to take the forbidden fruit. (The old sin of Adam and Eve). She says that she wants her love to take the forbidden fruit, and make the sin theirs, too. She then makes a plea, perhaps not even to her love, but to God, to 'forgive the adoring beast', meaning that she believes it's wrong to take the forbidden fruit, too, calling herself a 'beast' and asks for forgiveness because she adores her love.
    --

    Redeem me into childhood
    Show me myself without the shell
    Like the advent of May
    I`ll be there when you say
    Time to never hold our love

    Perhaps here she says that she wants to go back to being a child when it never occurred to her to hide her feelings.

    Then she says that even though her love may not say to her directly that it's 'time to never hold our love' (it's over'), that she'll know ('I`ll be there').
    --

    Then comes the final chorus key change - perhaps this symbolises her changed feelings toward her love.


    Flag phreakyphanon July 31, 2009   Link
  • 0
    My Opinion:One of the best songs ever created. Top 10 All time.
    Flag Andrew Evenstaron June 04, 2009   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:It's been explained enough.
    Flag SaiSaion May 19, 2009   Link

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