Current members are Dennis Lee (screaming vocals), Shawn Milke (lead vocals, guitars, piano, synth, keys, programming, string composition), Patrick Thompson (lead guitar, backing vocals), Jeremy Bryan (drums, percussion), Shane Crump (bass guitar, backing vocals) and Jake Campbell (rhythm guitar, backing vocals).
Former members were Adam Ferguson (rhythm guitar, vocals), Steven Tomany (bass), Will Anderson (drums) and Daniel Magnuson (drums).
Shawn's sister Melissa Milke takes over the female vocal parts throughout every Alesana album without being officially part of the band.
On Alesana's third studio album "The Emptiness" Adam Fisher of Fear Before contributed the spoken words throughout the album.
The Puppeteer
Alesana Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It's what you wished for
A mountain of filth haunted by tortured shrieks of the dead
I know you'll love it here
Time stops and once again i'm stranded nowhere
And yet again I'm so confused
Why stop
And I'm better off here than on my own
Step right up, come one and all
I will be your host tonight
Welcome to the dreams of hell
You're in for a wild ride
It's strange but I feel right at home
It's odd but I don't want to go
Am I a fool, am I crazy to want to stay, do I belong
Another time, another place, this will do just fine
Foolish mortal, what did you think
That you'd shackle the hands of time
And defeat the gods themselves
Sweet vanity you're my favorite sin
Swallow mountains and choke on them
Then drown yourself on Lazarus
Spread your wings and grab the sun
Sweet vanity you're my favorite sin
Pretty lady let's dance
I bet you thought that you could choose to leave
Everybody is dead
You're all alone and i'm the one, the only one, yeah
I'll do whatever it takes
Oh, what's another mistake
Back and forth and upside down as we laugh ourselves to sleep
We're trying to escape
An evil place so full of wonder taking a hold of me
Feeling the pressure, I should be over you
Slave to the pleasure, I can't get over you
Tonight we'll try to pretend that we're alright, yea
Say its forever, don't let me fade away
Everything's gone, everything's lost
What have I done, can it be undone
Where did you go, will I find you
This is our home, sweet home
The canvas went up in flames
Pretty lady let's dance
I bet you thought that you could choose to leave
Everybody is dead
You're all alone and i'm the one, the only one, yeah
I'll do whatever it takes
Oh, what's another mistake
Back and forth and upside down as we laugh ourselves to sleep
We're trying to escape
An evil place so full of wonder taking a hold of me
Feeling the pressure, I should be over you
Slave to the pleasure, I can't get over you
Tonight we'll try to pretend that we're alright, yea
Say its forever, don't let me fade away
I'm everything you want, I'm everything you need
You're everything to me, don't let me fade away
Foolish mortal, what did you think
That you'd shackle the hands of time
And defeat the gods themselves
Sweet vanity you're my favorite sin
Swallow mountains and choke on them
Then drown yourself on Lazarus
Spread your wings and grab the sun
Sweet vanity you're my favorite sin
Parting is such sweet sorrow
Come back to me soon my dear
I will be counting the days
Farewell my love
This is our home, sweet home
Drench yourself in the cries of the damned
Spill their blood
Bathe in bliss as we torture the sane
Help me, God
"The Puppeteer" is a song by American post-hardcore band Alesana, released in 2010. The song tells a story of someone who is trapped in a place that is both eerie and fascinating. The "Paradise" that is mentioned in the song is not what the character expected it to be, but they are still entranced by it. The character is content with staying within this place, despite it being evil and full of wonder. It could be interpreted that the character is being held captive and brainwashed into staying there. There are elements of an unhealthy relationship too with the lines "I'm everything you want, I'm everything you need, You're everything to me, don't let me fade away."
The lyrics also mention the concept of time stopping and fighting against the hands of time. The character is willing to do whatever it takes to stay in this place and feels a strong connection to it. There is a theme of death and torture throughout the song, with "haunted by tortured shrieks of the dead," "Drench yourself in the cries of the damned, Spill their blood," and "Bathe in bliss as we torture the sane" being a few examples. The song ends with the line "Help me, God," which could mean that the character is asking for help to escape this place.
Line by Line Meaning
I welcome you to paradise
Hello and welcome to this terrible place that I am presenting as wonderful
It's what you wished for
This terrible place is exactly what you wanted, isn't it?
A mountain of filth haunted by tortured shrieks of the dead
This is a disgusting and horrible place filled with the screams of the suffering and deceased
I know you'll love it here
I am certain that this place will capture your heart and make you feel at home
Time stops and once again i'm stranded nowhere
I am lost and unsure of what to do next as time seems to have stopped
And yet again I'm so confused
I am overwhelmed and puzzled by my situation
Why stop
Why should I even bother trying to escape this nightmare?
It honestly can't get much worse
Things here can't possibly get any worse than they already are
And I'm better off here than on my own
Despite the horrors of this place, I am better off here than being alone in the world
Step right up, come one and all
Everyone is welcome to this horrific spectacle I have created
I will be your host tonight
I will be the one leading you through this disturbing experience
Welcome to the dreams of hell
Prepare yourselves for an even more terrifying experience than you can imagine
You're in for a wild ride
This experience is going to be unpredictable and intense
It's strange but I feel right at home
Even though I am in a terrible place, it somehow feels familiar and comfortable
It's odd but I don't want to go
Despite the horrors I've witnessed here, I don't want to leave this place
Am I a fool, am I crazy to want to stay, do I belong
I question my own sanity and wonder if it's foolish to want to stay in this awful place
Another time, another place, this will do just fine
In another life or situation, this place would be perfectly acceptable
Foolish mortal, what did you think
You are foolish to believe that you can overcome the power of this terrible place
That you'd shackle the hands of time
It is impossible for you to control the passage of time in this place
And defeat the gods themselves
You could never hope to defeat the divine forces that control this place
Sweet vanity you're my favorite sin
I take pleasure in my own vanity and the satisfaction I get from it
Swallow mountains and choke on them
My pride is so great that it can swallow even the largest obstacles, but it can also be my undoing
Then drown yourself on Lazarus
You will eventually be consumed and destroyed by the very thing that gave you life
Spread your wings and grab the sun
I will try to achieve the impossible and grasp something that is beyond my reach
Pretty lady let's dance
I invite you to dance with me, even though this place is awful and everyone is dead
I bet you thought that you could choose to leave
You probably thought you could escape this place, but I won't let you go
Everybody is dead
Everyone around us has perished, leaving only us alive in this terrible place
You're all alone and i'm the one, the only one, yeah
You are completely alone except for me, and I have complete control over you
I'll do whatever it takes
I am willing to do anything to keep you trapped here with me
Oh, what's another mistake
I am willing to make even more mistakes to keep you under my control
Back and forth and upside down as we laugh ourselves to sleep
We will continue to suffer and endure this pain, even as we try to pretend we are happy
We're trying to escape
Despite our attempts to ignore it, we are desperate to escape this terrible place
An evil place so full of wonder taking a hold of me
This place, as horrific as it is, is a compelling and fascinating force that has captivated me
Feeling the pressure, I should be over you
I feel immense pressure to forget you and move on with my life
Slave to the pleasure, I can't get over you
I find myself unable to resist the pleasure and satisfaction that comes from keeping you under my control
Tonight we'll try to pretend that we're alright, yea
We will continue to struggle and suffer, trying to convince ourselves that everything is okay
Say its forever, don't let me fade away
I want to keep you with me forever, and I am afraid of losing you or fading into obscurity without you
I'm everything you want, I'm everything you need
I am trying to convince you that I am the only one who can fulfill your desires and meet your needs
You're everything to me, don't let me fade away
You are my everything, and I am afraid of losing you and fading into obscurity without you
Parting is such sweet sorrow
It is painful to say goodbye to you, even though you are trapped here with me
Come back to me soon my dear
I want you to return to me and stay with me always
I will be counting the days
I will be eagerly awaiting your return, counting the days until we can be together again
Farewell my love
Goodbye, my beloved, until we meet again in this terrible place
Drench yourself in the cries of the damned
Immerse yourself in the pain and suffering of those who are doomed to this place
Spill their blood
Use the misery of others to fuel your own twisted pleasures
Bathe in bliss as we torture the sane
Find pleasure in the suffering and madness of those who are trying to escape
Help me, God
I cry out for help, even though I know there is none to be found in this place of eternal suffering
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: DENNIS LEE, JEREMY BRYAN, PATRICK THOMPSON, SHANE DONOVAN CRUMP, SHAWN MILKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
GetScaredGaming - Henry Wylie
Alesana has this really cool way of mixing beautiful parts, poppyness, metalcoreness and brutal metalness all in one package. Its pretty cool tbh.
and it all fits, and they have a cool story to go along with it.
David Martinez
GetScaredGaming yes!!! The intro to this is one of my favorites.
Lana Crowley
that's why I love them
Insignificant Dood
@***** I see...
Insignificant Dood
+GetScaredGaming what the hell is poppyness
Wolf- e303ROTI
@GetScaredGaming i also enjoy the allusion type references they make in their music
stayinyourlena
Seeing them live was the best experience ever. No other concert could've topped it
naruto99124
Hell yeah!
Alaina Does Life
Norml 68 Ikr! These guys put on a great show when I saw them. 😍
Lana Crowley
I love the whole song but that first chorus is everything!