Activist songwriters and perfo… Read Full Bio ↴Progressive left wing artists and groups.
Activist songwriters and performing artists who started together in a group named Hoola Bandoola Band, lasting 1971-1976.
They participated in a group called "Los Suecos" that performed in Cuba with artists from the groups Nynningen and Nationalteatern in the second half of the '70 and also visited Nicaragua after the Sandinista Revolution in '79.
Björn ("Affe") and Mikael continued after that, sometimes together and sometimes as solo artists, both continuing to write new songs, recompile, interpret or "translate" into Swedish, songs by other artists, especially Bob Dylan, Silvio Rodríguez, Woody Guthrie, etc,.
"Affe" passed away in the beginning of 1999 from lung cancer.
Mikael is still singing and participating with his songs in local political campaigns like the Swedish elections in Sept./09 as well as internationally targeted events, and also visited Latin America in 2010.
Official sites: http://www.mikaelwiehe.se/ (Swedish)
http://www.bjornafzelius.com/ (Norwegian)
Messias
Björn Afzelius & Mikael Wiehe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Dödens stora stillhet känns så nära
Det faller snö på vandringsmannens hatt
Han går där som en vålnad denna natt
Han vandrar genom skogar, över ängar
där nysnön bäddar bolstermjuka sängar
Han pulsar ensam ifrån hus till hus
Men mörkret råder bakom alla fönster
där frostkristaller bildar tusen mönster
Ur eldstäderna stiger ingen rök
Det tycks som hela nejden låge död
Nu andas han med möda och med smärta
och kylan börjar gripa om hans hjärta
Han släpper ner sin ränsel vid sin fot
och ger sig av mot nästa svarta skog
Så ser han upp mot stjärnorna på himlen
Han snubblar till som gripen av en svindel
Så lägger han sej sakta ner på rygg
och drömmen kommer stor och varm och trygg
Och stjärnorna dom vandrar som dom brukar
I fjärran hör man varghonorna tjuta
Mot månens vita skiva syns en örn
I nysnön ser man spåren från en björn
The opening lines of Björn Afzelius and Mikael Wiehe's song Messias paint a bleak picture of a country wrapped in coldness and darkness. The land is under the grip of winter, and death's silence lingers close. Against this backdrop, the song describes a lone wanderer making his way unhurriedly through the woods.
The man is looking for hope or a chance at a new beginning, and he seeks shelter and solace in the houses he passes by. He trudges from place to place, seeking refuge but finding none. No fires burn in the hearths of houses that appear deserted, and the cold seems to have claimed everything around.
The wanderer eventually collapses, and only stars, wolves, eagles, and bears remain. However, the heavens seem to offer the promise of another day, and the man falls into a peaceful slumber, dreaming of warmth, hope, and a brighter tomorrow.
Overall, the lyrics are deeply poetic and melancholic. They describe a man who appears to have lost everything but still clings to the hope that he will find his way again.
Line by Line Meaning
Kylan kramar landet som en järnhand
The cold grips the land tightly like an unyielding fist.
Dödens stora stillhet känns så nära
The great stillness of death feels so close.
Det faller snö på vandringsmannens hatt
Snow falls on the traveler's hat.
Han går där som en vålnad denna natt
He walks there like a ghost this night.
Han vandrar genom skogar, över ängar
He wanders through forests, over fields.
där nysnön bäddar bolstermjuka sängar
Where fresh snow makes soft beds.
Han pulsar ensam ifrån hus till hus
He trudges alone from house to house
och ber till Gud att snart få se ett ljus
And prays to God to soon see a light.
Men mörkret råder bakom alla fönster
But darkness reigns behind all the windows.
där frostkristaller bildar tusen mönster
Where frost crystals form thousands of patterns.
Ur eldstäderna stiger ingen rök
No smoke rises from the hearths.
Det tycks som hela nejden låge död
It seems as if the whole area is dead.
Nu andas han med möda och med smärta
Now he breathes with difficulty and pain.
och kylan börjar gripa om hans hjärta
And the cold begins to grip his heart.
Han släpper ner sin ränsel vid sin fot
He drops his rucksack at his feet.
och ger sig av mot nästa svarta skog
And sets off towards the next dark forest.
Så ser han upp mot stjärnorna på himlen
So he looks up at the stars in the sky.
Han snubblar till som gripen av en svindel
He stumbles as if seized by a dizzy spell.
Så lägger han sej sakta ner på rygg
So he lays down slowly on his back.
och drömmen kommer stor och varm och trygg
And the dream comes, big and warm and safe.
Och stjärnorna dom vandrar som dom brukar
And the stars move as they always do.
I fjärran hör man varghonorna tjuta
In the distance you can hear the howling of the wolves.
Mot månens vita skiva syns en örn
Towards the moon's white disc, an eagle is visible.
I nysnön ser man spåren från en björn
In the fresh snow you can see the tracks of a bear.
Contributed by Bella O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.