There is more than one artist with this name:

1) Arena is a British … Read Full Bio ↴There is more than one artist with this name:

1) Arena is a British progressive rock band founded in 1995 by Clive Nolan and Mick Pointer (drummer in Marillion's original line-up). All of the band's lyrics are written by Nolan.

Musically the band's style ranges from symphonic to hard rock. Some of the band's recent albums have a similar sound to another of the bands that Nolan has participated in, Shadowland.

Guitarist Jonathan "John" Mitchell has been involved in several other projects like KINO (the UK band), The Urbane, It Bites and Frost*. In these bands he sings in addition to his usual guitar duties.

2) Arena is a breakcore pop act from Russia that released their 4-track EP "Poptrip" in December 2006.
And in 2008 they released another 4-track EP "The Hero of Hyrule".

3) Arena is a Greek punk band from Agrinio

4) Arena is a vaporwave artist from Austin, Texas

Smoke and Mirrors
Arena Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Do you hear the voice?
Shouting down the Midnight Friend
Do you hear the voice?
An empty requiem

Tell me who you are
To treat me like a fool, can't you be
Honest from the start

Explain these tainted rules

Calm me down
A siren's crown
Graceful sounds
Ease me round

More than smoke and mirrors
Can't you see me on the stage?
More than misdirection
Don't you let me fade away!

Spinning out your web
You planned to bring me down – Wrong again!
You crawled inside my head
Corrupted what you found – Wrong again!

Lead me on
A siren's song
Draw me in
Break my wings

More than smoke and mirrors
Can't you see me on the stage?
More than misdirection
Don't you let me fade away!

More than smoke and mirrors
Can't you see me on the stage?
More than misdirection
Don't you let me fade away!
More than smoke and mirrors
Can't you see me on the stage?
More than misdirection
Don't you let me fade away!

More than smoke and mirrors
I'm more than smoke and mirrors!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "Smoke and Mirrors" by Arena seem to be about a person who is dealing with a manipulative and deceitful individual who is trying to bring them down. The "voice" in the first two lines may refer to the manipulator, shouting down the "Midnight Friend", possibly a reference to the person being manipulated themselves. The empty requiem mentioned in the second line represents the absence of meaningfulness and sincerity in the manipulator's actions and attempts to control the person.

The chorus emphasizes the idea that there is more to the person than meets the eye, and that they deserve to be seen and heard beyond the "smoke and mirrors" of the manipulator's facade. The siren imagery in the verses suggests that the manipulator's tactics are alluring and dangerous, but ultimately lead to disappointment and betrayal. The mention of "tainted rules" further highlights the manipulative nature of the relationship.

The final repetition of the chorus, with the person affirming that they are "more than smoke and mirrors", suggests a sense of empowerment and self-realization. Despite the attempts of the manipulator to control and diminish them, the person comes to recognize their own worth and refuses to be reduced to mere illusions.

Line by Line Meaning

Do you hear the voice?
Can you perceive the sound?

Shouting down the Midnight Friend
Overpowering the comforting darkness

Do you hear the voice?
Can you perceive the sound?

An empty requiem
A hollow lament

Tell me who you are
Inform me of your identity

To treat me like a fool, can't you be
Why deceive me when honesty is possible?

Honest from the start
Sincere from the very beginning

Explain these tainted rules
Elucidate these corrupted guidelines

Calm me down
Soothe my nerves

A siren's crown
A beautiful yet dangerous allure

Graceful sounds
Elegant melodies