Chelsea Joy Wolfe was born in Roseville, California, and grew up in Sacramento. She is of Norwegian and German descent. Her father was in a country band and owned a home studio. By the age of 7, she had written her first poem and by the age of 9, she had written and recorded songs which she later described as "basically Casio-based gothy R&B songs."
Inspired by the dark state of the world and the strange connection between all things, she creates a unique musical blend of goth-folk, experimental rock and spiritual realm funeral songs. With influences ranging from the great minds of Ingmar Bergman and David Lynch to Soviet and end-times literature, her songs conjure visions of other dimensions, claustrophobic echo-rooms and parking garage cathedrals.
Wolfe has recorded seven full length studio albums: The Grime and the Glow, which was released on December 28th, 2010 on limited vinyl through Brooklyn’s Pendu Sound Recordings; Ἀποκάλυψις (pronounced “Apokalypsis”), which was released as a 12” LP on August 23rd, 2011; Unknown Rooms: a Collection of Acoustic Songs, which was released on October, 2012 through Sargent House; Pain Is Beauty, out September 3rd, 2013; Abyss, which was released August 7th, 2015; and Hiss Spun, out September 22nd, 2017; Birth of Violence[7i] which was released on September 13th, 2019.
Grey Days
Chelsea Wolfe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nobody ever said I was alive
Why does everything feel so unnamed?
The poison inside helps me along
Grey and holy
You said it was the first time
Like the morphine
You take it all away
Pretend it's Okay
The grey days
Lost inside the River Styx
I don't know where to run
No hunger,
No fever,
No loss,
No wager
Could wake your mind
How many years have I been sleeping?
How many hours did I throw away?
Why does everything feel so unnamed?
The poison inside helps me along
Grey and holy,
You said it was the first time
Like the morphine
You take it all away
Pretend it's Okay
The grey days
The grey days
The lyrics in Chelsea Wolfe's song Grey Days describe the feeling of being lost and detached from oneself that one can experience when suffering from depression or addiction. The opening lines "How many years have I been sleeping? Nobody ever said I was alive" suggest a state of numbness or apathy towards life, possibly due to the use of drugs or alcohol. The line "Why does everything feel so unnamed?" highlights the difficulty of expressing one's emotions or identifying what's going on inside of oneself. The repeated reference to poison suggests that the singer is aware of the harmful nature of their coping mechanism but feels unable to stop using it.
The chorus, with its repeated reference to "the grey days", is a representation of the melancholy and sadness that the singer is experiencing. The lines "Grey and holy, You said it was the first time" can be interpreted as the singer seeking solace or escape in a religious or spiritual experience, possibly using drugs as a way to transcend reality. The lines "Lost inside the River Styx, I don't know where to run, No hunger, No fever, No loss, No wager, Could wake your mind" further emphasize a sense of hopelessness and being trapped in one's suffering.
Overall, Grey Days is a poignant meditation on the emotional and psychological turmoil of addiction and depression, with the lyrics conveying a sense of detachment from oneself and the world.
Line by Line Meaning
How many years have I been sleeping?
I have been numb and disconnected for a long time, not truly alive.
Nobody ever said I was alive
My existence has been empty and insignificant, with no one recognizing my presence.
Why does everything feel so unnamed?
I am struggling to find meaning and purpose in my life, feeling lost and aimless.
The poison inside helps me along
Despite the pain it causes, my self-destructive behavior is a crutch that I rely on to cope with my emotional turmoil.
Grey and holy
Describing a mundane, colorless existence that is still imbued with a sense of otherworldliness or spirituality.
You said it was the first time
A momentary respite from the monotony, but one that ultimately proves fleeting and disappointing.
Like the morphine
A comparison to a painkiller, something that temporarily relieves discomfort but doesn't solve the underlying issue.
You take it all away
The person being addressed is capable of providing escape or relief from the struggles of life.
Pretend it's Okay
A way of disguising or ignoring negative emotions, instead presenting a facade of normalcy or happiness to the world.
The grey days
Referring to the pervasive sense of sadness or hopelessness that colors the artist's life.
Contributed by Austin C. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
TJ Hastie
This might be my favorite Chelsea Wolfe song to date. The pairing of the industrial-sounding drums and bass with that gorgeous string part and Chelsea's falsetto is genius.
Greg's Whisky Guide
Agreed, it has something unique also because of the violin...& yes those splendid drums !
Greg's Whisky Guide
Agreed, it's just haunting & magic...
Mariam Bendeliani
This is a phenomenally powerful track, those drums and vocals are everything.
Miguel Marques
There's myself before Chelsea Wolfe, and myself after Chelsea Wolfe.
Thank you for exist in this world, Queen!
Ocean Sage
Love the drums! They really add to the rhythm and atmosphere.
X X
+Ocean Sage he's trollin duh lol I'm neither black nor white but I'm diggin the beat too
Alexcia Andrews
With each song being released, it just gets better and better! So fucking stoked for abyss!
Worldin Pains
So fucking talented, I simply cannot find any words to describe it.. I usually do...
DARKstormCLOUD
I can't get enough of her music. .