Blind Guardian is a part of the German heavy metal scene that emerged in the mid-1980s. The band was formed in 1984 as Lucifer's Heritage by Kürsch (then also bassist), Olbrich, other guitarist Markus Dörk, and drummer Thomas Stauch. Dörk and Stauch both left the following year and were replaced by Christof Theißen and Hans-Peter Frey, respectively, who left as well before the end of the year. In 1987, Siepen joined, and Stauch returned; under this lineup, which lasted 18 years (the longest in the band's history), the band changed their name to Blind Guardian and released their first album, Battalions of Fear, in 1988. They have since released ten more studio albums, including an orchestral album that was released under the name Blind Guardian Twilight Orchestra.
Over the releases, Blind Guardian established themselves as a notably successful band and as pioneers of the power metal movement. In 1996, Kürsch stopped acting as the band's bassist to focus on vocals. Various session members replaced him, mainly Oliver Holzwarth. However, in 2005, Stauch left the band, disapproving of Blind Guardian's transition into a more complex progressive sound with a heavy use of backing vocals, and was replaced by Ehmke.
Most of Blind Guardian's albums were well received by fans and critics alike: Somewhere Far Beyond (1992), Imaginations from the Other Side (1995), and Nightfall in Middle-Earth (1998), are especially seen as influential works. The music is mostly composed by Kürsch and Olbrich together, and the lyrics, written by Kürsch, are mostly inspired by the fiction of fantasy authors such as J. R. R. Tolkien, Michael Moorcock, Stephen King, George R. R. Martin, and Robert Jordan, as well as traditional legends and epics. Over the years, a theme has developed which personifies the band members as traveling storytellers, leading fans to refer to the band affectionately as "The Bards." Blind Guardian has been referred to in one article as one of power metal "big four" bands, along with Helloween, Sabaton, and DragonForce.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blind_Guardian
Discography
Battalions of Fear (1988)
Follow the Blind (1989)
Tales from the Twilight World (1990)
Somewhere Far Beyond (1992)
Imaginations from the Other Side (1995)
Nightfall in Middle-Earth (1998)
A Night at the Opera (2002)
A Twist in the Myth (2006)
At the Edge of Time (2010)
Beyond the Red Mirror (2015)
Legacy of the Dark Lands (2019)
The God Machine (2022)
Blood On My Hands
Blind Guardian Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I've kept it hidden and safe
Fulfill the gods' desire
To hold their waning flame
A sacred life
And what have started long ago
Is heading towards the end
There's blood on my hands
But I am sure in the end
I will prove I was right
Runes of a long forgotten time
Ancient spells in endless rhymes
Soon the other world appears
Roam to the ghostly river Rhine
Leave the misty shades behind
I can feel I'm getting near
chorus:
By the ancient spirits' rites
The old ghosts proclaim their rights
Still they're lost in time
Lost in time
I wonder why they're lost in time
Lost in time
The curse lives on
Still chasing me
It's always been there by my side
And it won't let me out
A treacherous leaf
And a secret unsealed
It will cause deadly wounds
Roam to the ghostly realms at nights
To cleanse the dark shades of my night
Leave the mortal world behind
Float to the endless streams of time
An eternal ray of light
Leave my mortal shape behind
chorus
Lost in time
And it seems they're lost in time
Lost in time
The blood on my hands you see
Cannot be washed away
I am chosen by destiny
To dwell in misery
chorus
Lost in time
The lyrics to Blind Guardian's song "Blood On My Hands" tell the story of a person coming to terms with their inner demons and the consequences of their actions. The singer bears their soul, acknowledging that they have kept it hidden and safe. They feel compelled to fulfill the gods' desire by holding their waning flame, representing their connection to the spiritual world. They are living a sacred life, but they are haunted by the blood on their hands, symbolizing the guilt they feel for their past deeds.
The singer recognizes that what started long ago is heading towards the end. They know that there is no easy way out of their situation and that they will have to face the consequences of their actions. Despite this, they are sure that they will prove that they were right in the end. They then venture into the other world by following ancient runes and spells. They roam to the ghostly river Rhine, leaving the mortal world behind. They can feel that they are getting near to their destination.
The chorus of the song speaks of the ancient spirits' rites and how they are lost in time. The curse of the singer's past actions continues to chase them, and they are always accompanied by it. The curse has caused them deadly wounds, represented by the treacherous leaf and the secret unsealed. They continue to roam to the ghostly realms at night to cleanse the dark shades of their night and float to the endless streams of time, leaving their mortal shape behind.
Line by Line Meaning
And as I bear my inner soul
I'm revealing my true self
I've kept it hidden and safe
I've kept it hidden from others, but safe within me
Fulfill the gods' desire
To satisfy the gods' wishes
To hold their waning flame
To keep the gods' flame burning
A sacred life
A life devoted to the gods
And what have started long ago
Something that began in the past
Is heading towards the end
Is coming to its conclusion
There's no easy way out
It won't be solved easily
There's blood on my hands
I'm responsible for something terrible
But I am sure in the end
I believe that in the end
I will prove I was right
I'll show that I made the correct decision
Runes of a long forgotten time
Symbols from a distant past
Ancient spells in endless rhymes
Spells from the past set to music
Soon the other world appears
Another world is coming into view
Roam to the ghostly river Rhine
Travel to the supernatural Rhine River
Leave the misty shades behind
Leave behind the shadowy figures
I can feel I'm getting near
I'm getting closer to my destination
By the ancient spirits' rites
Follow the ancient customs of the spirits
The old ghosts proclaim their rights
The old spirits assert their power
Still they're lost in time
They're still trapped in the past
I wonder why they're lost in time
I question why they can't move on
The curse lives on
The curse continues to exist
Still chasing me
It's still haunting me
It's always been there by my side
The curse has always been with me
And it won't let me out
It won't release its grip on me
A treacherous leaf
A deceitful act
And a secret unsealed
An undisclosed truth
It will cause deadly wounds
It will have harmful consequences
Roam to the ghostly realms at nights
Travel to supernatural realms at night
To cleanse the dark shades of my night
To purify the darkness in my life
Leave the mortal world behind
Abandon the physical world
Float to the endless streams of time
Travel along the infinite timeline
An eternal ray of light
A never-ending beam of light
Leave my mortal shape behind
Forget my physical self
The blood on my hands you see
The guilt I carry
Cannot be washed away
It can't be absolved
I am chosen by destiny
Fate has chosen me
To dwell in misery
To live in continued suffering
And it seems they're lost in time
It appears they can't move on from the past
Contributed by Audrey T. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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