Dim Carcosa
Ancient Rites (Belgien) Lyrics
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The sun invisible or since long down?
Over the dismal landscape
Above Carcosa
No sound, only the wind sighed
Behind mysterious moons, strange towers hide
But even more sitant is
Lost Carcosa
Tales that the Hades will sing
Vague stories of a yellow king
Must die untold in
Strange Carcosa
Mysteries hidden by lake Hali's nebulous depths
A presence of bizarre beauty and dread
Remains unrevealed
In Carcosa
Above the desert high
Twin suns circle the sky
Nevertheless dim still
Is Carcosa
My voice turns weak, lost is my mind
I see, but I am blind
And no sign of life in
Dim Carcosa
The lyrics to Ancient Rites's song Dim Carcosa describe a mystical and ancient fortified town, Carcosa. The first stanza sets the tone of the song with the image of black stars shining over the town. The second line suggests that the sun may have set long ago or perhaps it is invisible, creating a sense of mystery and otherworldliness. The following lines paint a bleak picture of the landscape and the absence of life in Carcosa. The second stanza introduces the idea of strange and mysterious elements within the town. Tales are sung by Hades of a yellow king, King in Yellow, a mysterious figure in literature and ancient folklore. These stories must die untold in the bizarre town of Carcosa. The third stanza further describes the mysteries that lay hidden within the town. These mysteries are so immense that they remain unrevealed, even by the nebulous depths of the lake Hali. The last stanza emphasizes the futility of understanding Carcosa. Even as the twin suns circle high above the desert, the town remains dim and inscrutable. The singer's voice turns weak and they are unable to differentiate reality from illusion amidst the haunting apparitions of Carcosa.
Ancient Rites's Dim Carcosa is heavily influenced by the 1895 horror short story, The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers. The story is divided into ten chapters, half of which describe the mysterious ancient city of Carcosa. The story also inspired the role-playing game Call of Cthulhu and elements of the story have been referenced in other works of literature such as True Detective (2014) and Lovecraft Country (2020).
Line by Line Meaning
Black stars shine on the ancient fortified town
The town is old and fortified, and the stars in the sky are black.
The sun invisible or since long down?
It's unclear whether the sun has set, or if it was never there to begin with.
Over the dismal landscape
The surrounding area is depressing and bleak.
Above Carcosa
Above the town of Carcosa.
No sound, only the wind sighed
The only sound is the wind sighing.
Behind mysterious moons, strange towers hide
There are strange towers that are hidden behind mysterious moons.
But even more sitant is
Even more distant is...
Lost Carcosa
The town of Carcosa is lost.
Tales that the Hades will sing
Stories that only the afterlife will tell.
Vague stories of a yellow king
There are stories about a king who is associated with the color yellow, but they are unclear.
Must die untold in
These stories will never be fully known...
Strange Carcosa
... because they are about the mysterious town of Carcosa.
Mysteries hidden by lake Hali's nebulous depths
There are mysteries that are hidden in the murky depths of Lake Hali.
A presence of bizarre beauty and dread
Whatever is hidden in the lake is both strange and scary, but also intriguing.
Remains unrevealed
It is unknown what is hidden in the lake.
In Carcosa
In the town of Carcosa.
Above the desert high
Above the high desert.
Twin suns circle the sky
There are two suns that are circling the sky.
Nevertheless dim still
Despite there being two suns, it is still dim and dark.
Is Carcosa
The town of Carcosa is still shrouded in mystery.
My voice turns weak, lost is my mind
The artist's voice and mind are failing him.
I see, but I am blind
Even though he can see, he is still without sight or understanding.
And no sign of life in
There is no life to be found...
Dim Carcosa
... in the dim and mysterious town of Carcosa.
Lyrics © OBO APRA/AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Daniel Sánchez
I used to take a bus everyday for a one and a half trip from home to University and then the way back at the end of the day. I used to listen to this album frequently. Sometimes I fell asleep during the trip with the music on, now all these chors, lyrics and melodies are in my subconscious. I had a very pleasant flashback when I listened to the intro again. Thanks for this amazing music!!!
vikingmetaldragon
In my opinion, its one of the best metal albums ever. Its so incredibly beautiful and aggressive, and hopeful and tragic. So good.
Fremioz
El mejor álbum para mi de ellos
Damien Death
Damn such an epic record
Now it becomes clear where Haggard was inspired for their "eppur si muove" LP :D
Both amazing bands but Ancient Rites just tickles my Black Metal-Bone and that i really like :D
Hail Ancient Rites , Van België, Het Vaderland
Serg Ami
On Golden Fields - so great and aggressive and so melodic. Almost last song on this album - it was like beautiful desert for me.
Pavel Fonseca
21:55 Masterpiece.
Alain V G
Pure nostalgie! Machtige schijf, brengt mooie herinneringen naar boven!
Peter Winter
oh the memories... i was hearing this album so much when i was 14 / 15... thank you for the great memories brought back :D
Moredhel83
Jesis, het is echt jaren geleden dat ik Ancient Rites hoorde, en de intro geeft me meteen weer kippenvel!
Mike Slave
one of my favorite release of this flemish horde.