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.
The Culling
Chelsea Wolfe Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Died too young, the culling then, it was obscene
I am depleted by love
I am depleted by love
I'll never tell the secrets of my family
Bled out, a cult of anonymity
The kettle is wheeling, my love
One ear to the ground
One eye on the room
My tongue on your pulse
My finger in your wound
Sweet dead eyes, I long to hear you again
Sweet dead eyes, I long to see your face
Sweet dead eyes, I long for that illustrious hiss
Sweet dead eyes, I know you feel it
No turning back, only God knows what we′re headed for
The flowers bloom, the sun rises
Flux, hiss, welt, groan
Flux, hiss, welt, groan
Flux, hiss, welt, groan
Flux, hiss, welt, groan
Flux, hiss, welt, groan
Flux, hiss, welt, groan
The lyrics of Chelsea Wolfe's song The Culling delve into themes of love, loss, secrecy, and cults. The haunting opening lines of "Dead eyes, I only call you when you're in my dreams" suggest a conflicted relationship that exists only in the subconscious. The mention of "the culling" and dying too young hint at a tragic ending to the relationship, one that was perhaps cut short by some external force.
The line "I am depleted by love" speaks of the draining, exhausting nature of a deep emotional connection. The singer seems to be grappling with the weight of familial secrets, afraid to reveal too much and falling victim to "a cult of anonymity." The mention of "the kettle" and "wheeling" creates a sense of tension and unease, perhaps alluding to a boiling point that is about to be reached.
The repetition of "flux, hiss, welt, groan" creates a sense of chaos, a frenzy of emotions that cannot be contained. The overall tone of the song is one of resignation, of accepting what has happened and what is to come, with a hint of yearning for a past that is no longer attainable.
Line by Line Meaning
Dead eyes, I only call you when you′re in my dreams
I only think of you in my dreams, when my mind is at its weakest.
Died too young, the culling then, it was obscene
The pointless, sudden demise of our youth was startling and absurd.
I am depleted by love
Love is draining me of everything; I am empty, I am constantly losing.
I'll never tell the secrets of my family
The truth must remain hidden and silent, it cannot be shared or revealed.
Bled out, a cult of anonymity
The blood and life have been sucked out of me by the faceless community I'm a part of.
The kettle is wheeling, my love
The pot is boiling, my darling; things are about to get intense.
Riding on the back of a hell they caused
We are suffering because of the cruelties and evils they inflicted upon us.
One ear to the ground
I am constantly listening, trying to overhear everything happening around me.
One eye on the room
I'm taking in everything in the room, gathering information and being mindful of everything happening.
My tongue on your pulse
I am connected to you, in sync with you and checking for a semblance of life since it makes me feel alive as well.
My finger in your wound
I am absorbing your pain, taking your burden upon myself, and making myself vulnerable.
Sweet dead eyes, I long to hear you again
You're a soothing presence, and I yearn to hear your voice in my mind again and again.
Sweet dead eyes, I long to see your face
Your countenance is calming, and I long to gaze upon it once more, to feel at peace.
Sweet dead eyes, I long for that illustrious hiss
Your voice is like music to my ears and adds warmth to the chill of the void in my life.
Sweet dead eyes, I know you feel it
You understand my restless aches, my thorny predicament, my pain & my joys.
No turning back, only God knows what we′re headed for
We are going forward into unknown, unforeseeable territory, guided only by faith.
The flowers bloom, the sun rises
Despite despair and aching loss, life moves on, beauty blooms and the world keeps spinning.
Flux, hiss, welt, groan
Sounds and senses of chaos, upheaval, and distress, the pain of our world.
Writer(s): Chelsea Joy Wolfe
Contributed by Ryan N. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Kiera
The Culling:
Dead eyes
I only call you when you're in my dreams
Died too young
The culling then, it was obscene
I am depleted by love
I am depleted by love
I'll never tell the secrets of my family
Bled out
A cult of anonymity
The kettle is wheeling, my love
Riding on the back of a hell they caused
One ear to the ground
One eye on the room
My tongue on your pulse
My finger in your wound
Sweet dead eyes, I long to hear you again
Sweet dead eyes, I long to see your face
Sweet dead eyes, I long for that illustrious hiss
Sweet dead eyes, I know you feel it
No turning back
"Only god knows what we're headed for"
The flowers bloom
The sun rises
Flux
Hiss
Welt
Groan
Katie of the Night
as a teenager, this is how i pictured my future life as my grown-up goth self.
anibalelcanibal
Is that what it ended up becoming?
Winand Callebaut
Yes, so what happened ? :)
DelScully
Same.. Now I only get to sacrifice a goat on the second Sunday of every month. It's a shame.
brostenen
Hail Odin.
The HouseHusband's Kitchen
Odin isn't that goth pal. Although i suppose he can be edgy or metal
V N
Chelsea is brilliant. Her songs feel like a soundtrack, the lyrics are perfect, she's both dark and beautiful and the video is like watching a disturbing memory... what else can you ask for?
The Sleeping Giant
Absolutely. She is masterful at blending genres & her voice is so unique in that it's sweet & delicate but also dark & menacing at the same time. She has excellent control over her voice as well, and I love how she can switch from light to dark in an instant (Iron Moon" for example.) Truly one of the best artists out right now.
Wade Guidry
....her phone number.
Jen Wilson Farley
What a lovely way to describe it.