Baptized with the perfect name
The dawning won by heart
Alone, without himself

War between him and the day
With someone to blame
In the end lil he can do alone

You believe on what you see
You receive on what you give

Caress the one
That never-fading rain
In your heart
To tears of snow-white sorrow
There is the one
That hiding Amaranth
In the land of the day-brave

Apart from the wandering path
In this brief flied up time
We reach for the ones who ever dare

You believe on what you see
You receive on what you give

Caress the one
That never-fading rain
In your heart
To tears of snow-white sorrow
There is the one
That hiding Amaranth
In the land of the day-brave

Reaching, searching
For something untouched
Hearing voices of the never-fading calling

There is the one
That never-fading rain
In your heart
To tears of snow-white sorrow
There is the one
That hiding Amaranth
In the land of the day-brave



Lyrics submitted by IluvTarja

Track duration: 03:51

"Amaranth" as written by Tuomas Lauri Johannes Holopainen

Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.

Lyrics powered by LyricFind


Amaranth song meanings
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  • +1
    Song Meaning:Personally, I think Tuomas is making a comparison between Satan's being cast out of Heaven to his own loss of innocence. I think the Amaranth represents the lost innocence that he is "reaching" and "searching" for. I don't think it really has anything to do with religion at all.
    Flag Lysithiaon November 20, 2011   Link
  • +2
    General Comment:All of you nerdy metalheads can tear into me if you want to, but let me offer something from the perspective of a nerdy punk rocker who happens to like metal. Maybe it has nothing to do with all this deep religious/philosophical stuff, but is more personal. I interpret the song two ways. Either way, I think it is a song of encouragement. For me, it's about growing up and being corrupted by the world around you. You find yourself bitter and guarded after being wounded, and maybe you're even playing the same games as the ones that hurt you. You have to learn to be honest again. Like a child. How you were born. The stripped down (and perhaps original) interpretation is that it's about having big plans, being let down, and having to find your way again. This could apply to some things the band was going through at the time, but I'm not going into that here. The lyrics are above and I analyze them in order, so I will not include all of them. Please excuse my goofy writing style. I also apologize in advance for talking too much.

    He began (and was blessed) with a perfect "name", in the sense of a record or reputation. He's a skeptic by nature, distrusting of outside influence or guidance. He is losing a sense of identity and feels he has no one to turn to.

    He is struggling with "the day"/dawn. I believe this represents change or new beginnings. This also implies that he is living in the night (in darkness or negativity). He needs someone to blame. He feels this need because there is no one to blame. You mostly choose your own destiny, but sometimes life puts you in an unexpected situation that is out of your control. "Little he can do alone" implies both pride and a feeling of helplessness.

    This should be self-explanatory, but one line refers to doubt and distrust, the other to accountability. The second line could be antagonistic to the first.

    Caress the one. "The one" is you. The other you. The REAL you, that is not dragged down by bitterness and sorrow, but feels on top of the world and unstoppable. Something "never-fading" is always there. Your inner child is always there waiting to be called on. The structure of the next line makes me think the rain and tears are one and the same. The fact that the tears remain in your heart and never appear on your face could mean you're holding back, or having a hard time letting go of something. Snow white implies purity... in the sense that there is nothing wrong or dishonest about your feelings. Amaranth is a flower that doesn't die easily. The ancient Greeks thought it to have magical healing properties, and this legend has been perpetuated by some modern fantasy writing. Your "magic cure" won't at first be apparent, and you will look in the wrong places. I believe "the hidden amaranth" refers to drawing on hidden strength within and persevering. In a land of the daybreak means that in this world you will constantly face change.

    Doing things our own way, in this short life, we reach out to others who are not afraid to take charge of their own life and risk being ostracized for being different.

    Repeat
    Repeat

    Reaching, searching for something untouched (or unruined... sometimes it's hard to find). Hearing voices of the Never-Fading calling. You can hear the voices because "the Never-Fading" is not that far away.

    Repeat END

    In the video, the boys rescue an angel (wounded innocence) because they are still young, honest and good-natured. If you will notice, the rest of the villagers are all old and suspicious of anything different (corrupted). The angel's blood represents the amaranth (a red flower and also the color named for it), which should preserve the boys' own innocence/life while all the old people will not be saved from themselves. Obviously you can't kill an angel with fire, but the boys might also be a kind of amaranth to the angel, since they saved it from drowning. (Or something more serious like whatever spiritual battle caused it to be bloody and unconscious). One beautiful thing about music is that many people can enjoy the same piece and have a totally different experience. I made my own experience about myself, but maybe I'm self-centric. I think Amaranth is anyone or anything you can look to and count on when you need help. It could be God, or a significant other, or Zelda... or just about anything that makes your life a better place to be.
    Flag meathammeredon June 29, 2011   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:I think this song is about those who truly do not believe in a God. "The doubting one by heart"

    Sometimes those of us who don't believe find ourselves feeling alone "Alone without himself" and somewhat adrift without even ourselves to feel whole.

    Some may fight for religious understanding "War between him and the day" before the day he should pass away. In the end, there is little he can do to fix his lack of faith "In the end, little he can do alone".

    You believe only what you see "You believe but what you see" (villagers seeing the angel and feeling negative about her) and in the end you will receive what good or bad you have done in life "You receive but what you give".

    Caress the God (or angel) who is eternal "Caress the one, the Never-Fading"
    (Then the song cuts back to reality, that for some it is difficult to be an atheist) "Rain in your heart - the tears of snow-white sorrow" The snow-white sorrow means innocent and honest (though cold) disbelief in God that is causing one's sorrow.

    "Reaching, searching for something untouched" - Reaching and searching for a God that cant be touched in this mortal life.
    Hearing voices of the Never-Fading calling - Hearing voices of angels or a God.

    Note:
    I realize most atheists are not sorry for a lack of any spiritual belief, but it can be difficult for some as was my case years ago. It can be a terrible burden to want to love, only to logically realize there may be no one to receive the love except our human kind. Anyway, that's my take on the song
    Flagged SilentSnowpineon June 28, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:just one thing, I believe the lines 'you believe but what you see,, you receive but what you give'
    are referring to greed. I think the second one is read as a question. It would make no difference whether it was written about belief in a higher power or if it was written with Tarja in mind but it would put a new spin on it.

    If the lyrics are about faith, then it would be easy to translate this into 'you only believe in things you can see. Yet you take everything 'god' has given without belief,giving praise, in him.'

    If it is about Tarja, 'You think you were the only person who could sing for us, yet now you will see otherwise. You took everything Nightwish was and made it all about you.'

    Don't get me wrong I love every Nightwish song i have heard so I am neither a Tarja or an Anette fan. i am a Nightwish fan:P
    Flag rrayon February 28, 2011   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:This for me is one of those songs I can never seem to get out of my head. Breaking the lyrics apart, piece by piece, I think it's actually based off the story of Prometheus.

    Baptised with a perfect name
    The doubting one by heart
    Alone without himself

    War between him and the day
    Need someone to blame
    In the end, little he can do alone

    ^ The aforementioned seems to be in reference to Prometheus' personality. His very nature led him to doubt Zeus' ability to hurt him. Given that all the other titans were locked away in some form, he was the last, and so alone; but forced to serve the gods instead of his previous way of life, as such without himself. When he was punished for giving fire to mankind, it was Hermes who carried out this sentence. While technically not the sun god, there is a strong correlation throughout greek mythos between Hermes and the sun, or day. Prometheus was chained to a mountain where his liver was repeatedly eaten by a carnivorous bird. At this point he was unable to do anything until later rescued by Hercules.

    You believe but what you see
    You receive but what you give

    Caress the one, the Never-Fading
    Rain in your heart - the tears of snow-white sorrow
    Caress the one, the hiding amaranth
    In a land of the daybreak

    ^ This actually refers to the end of the myth, probably why it is the chorus. Prometheus human son was named Deucalion. Him and his wife were spared during the great flood, or the "never-fading rain." The couple's loneliness lead them to consult the oracle of Themis who advised them how to recreate humankind. This occurred on Mount Parnassus, an area sacredto Apollo, or the god of the sun. As such, the term land of the daybreak.

    Apart from the wandering pack
    In this brief flight of time we reach
    For the ones, whoever dare

    ^ This refers to the actual act of Prometheus giving the fire to mankind. He was "apart" from the gods who now ruled. In artistic depcitions, it is common to see humans reaching out towards Prometheus, who could be said to be the one who dared to disobey Zeus.

    You believe but what you see
    You receive but what you give

    Caress the one, the Never-Fading
    Rain in your heart - the tears of snow-white sorrow
    Caress the one, the hiding amaranth
    In a land of the daybreak

    ^See Above

    Reaching, searching for something untouched
    Hearing voices of the Never-Fading calling

    ^This part may be a bit of a stretch, but the take from Prometheus Bound was that Prometheus had given mankind all of the arts such as writing, medicine, and mathmatics. Beforehand these were reserved by the gods. In a sense this would be the "voices of the never-fading calling."

    Caress the one, the Never-Fading
    Rain in your heart - the tears of snow-white sorrow
    Caress the one, the hiding amaranth
    In a land of the daybreak

    ^See Above

    I may be overthinking this, but this is how it comes across to me.
    Flag KyleOrdrumon February 04, 2011   Link
  • 0
    Song Meaning:I always think of Amaranth as meaning something along these lines:


    "Blood hunt

    In White Wolf Game Studio's Vampire: The Masquerade books and role-playing games, a blood hunt is the persecution of a vampire by the rest of the vampiric society in order to kill him. Another name to a blood hunt is the word Amaranth, in reference to the flower. In the past, an Amaranth flower was given to a vampire who will be killed a week before the hunt began as a warning.

    The blood hunt must be officially declared by the local prince. Once the order is given, it is customary to allow the vampire to flee the city. This mercy is extended until midnight, after which any vampire is free to hunt down and destroy the persecuted subject. On occasion, a reward might be offered to the one who delivers or kills the victim.

    Any vampire who helps the subject of a blood hunt in any way is considered an accomplice and may himself become an additional target.

    In some cases it is traditional to let the victim's sire, who is then allowed to perform diablerie on his childe, perform the execution."



    A bit obscure I grant you... but makes perfect sense to me: "the Never-Fading calling, War between him and the day, Apart from the wandering pack, the hiding amaranth..." I suppose in a lot of ways, it could also relate to Tarja's departure, but I like to think that Nightwish didn't write a *whole* album just to whine about her, and instead threw in a few cool vampire references for good measure. :D
    Flag kataklysmicaon January 19, 2011   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:In my opinion, the angel in the video might represent the Amaranth. She symbolizes the innocence which is lost nowadays.
    That might be the reason why her eyes are closed or covered with a piece of clothe. She is disappointed
    by the world and she doesn't want to see it anymore.
    Flag sandra102on August 15, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:I agree with those who said that the Amaranth is symbol of eternity. In Greece, another name for the Amaranth is "για πάντα", which means "forever". Furthermore, in Italy, 'amaranth' is "sempreviva".
    This word comes from the italian phraze "sempre vivo", which means "life forever".
    Flag sandra102on August 14, 2010   Link
  • 0
    My Interpretation:Maybe I am not looking deeply enough into this but I it seems a bit like the angel harks back to the cover of once. Perhaps they are trying to tie the first album with Annette to the last album with Tarja.
    Flag vmicchiaon July 22, 2010   Link
  • 0
    General Comment:Yo! Just found a Tuomas quote on a website: “in life when you are blessed with an Amaranth, you must caress and love it exceptionally. We have been blessed with Anette, and she is our true Amaranth.”

    Read more: musicouch.com/musicouching/tuomas-holopainen-2/

    Still not a clue what the songs on about though...
    Flag Euryaluson July 10, 2010   Link

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