overture
Cathedral Choir And Orchestra Lyrics
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Didn't come home
His unborn child
Will never know him
Believe him missing
With a number of men
Don't expect
To see him again
The lyrics of Cathedral Choir And Orchestra's song, Overture, narrate a fictional but melancholic account of the last night of Ludwig Von Beethoven, one of the greatest classical music composers in history. The opening lines describe the setting of the late night in the spring of 1827, during which the city of Vienna experiences a massive lightning storm. Inside a large and disorganized room, Beethoven is depicted slumping over his piano, and on the piano lies the manuscript for his tenth symphony, his final work, which he considers to be his best.
The second stanza of the song reflects on the universal symbolism of lightning storms that express the idea of a vital warning that a life, touched by the stars or blessed with talent, is about to end. The lyrics use a metaphor to suggest that the storm brings to life the shadows of the past, and these shadows come to inform the present that a soul born to be great is about to return to the gods. The lyrics create a somber mood and a sense of loss, as the storm represents Beethoven's mortality and the impending end of his creative prowess.
The third and final stanza of the song introduces the characters of Fate and her deformed dwarf son, Twist. Beethoven's last night is not to be spent alone, as he is accompanied by numerous spirits and ghosts from his past. These characters inform him of his impending end, an outcome which Beethoven had deeply suspected. The lyrics suggest that Beethoven was aware that his mortality was inevitable, yet he continues to work and is still in the process of creating, even as his final hour approaches. The song creates an emotional resonance with the listeners as it captures the sorrowful and poignant end of a musical legend.
Line by Line Meaning
On a late night in the spring of 1827
During a night in the spring of 1827, in the late hours, when most people are asleep
The city of Vienna is experiencing the largest lightning storm in its long history.
Vienna is having a very severe lightning storm that surpasses any other storm it has ever had
Within a large disheveled room,
Inside a disorderly and untidy space
Ludwig Von Beethoven is slumped over his piano
Beethoven is hunched over his piano, possibly exhausted or in poor health
And on the piano sits the just completed manuscript for his tenth symphony.
His most recent creation, his tenth symphony, lies on the piano, freshly transcribed
It is his final, and he is certain, his greatest work.
He believes that this tenth symphony is his very last work, and also his most outstanding
From the shadows a beautiful spirit, fate,
Fate emerges from the darkness, surrounded by shadowy figures
And her deformed dwarf son, twist,
Twist, a malformed dwarf, accompanies Fate on her visit
Emerge to inform Beethoven of what he has already deeply suspected,
They arrive to tell Beethoven something he has already had a strong intuition about
That this is to be his last night on earth.
He will not live past this very evening, and will cease to exist
They are accompanied by numerous spirits and ghosts from his past.
Many apparitions of people and events from his life before this moment accompany them
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Songtrust Ave
Written by: PETER TOWNSHEND
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind