Moreno was born in Sacramento, California to a Mexican father and a Mexican/Irish/Native American/Chinese mother; the latter being the origin of his Spanish nickname Chino, which means "Chinese" in Spanish. He was the third of five children. The Deftones were quite close with the stepson of Max Cavalera of Sepultura and Soulfly, and when he died, Chino was one of the pallbearers at his funeral.
In relation to his often ambiguous yet image-heavy poetic lyrics, Moreno quotes: "[Sometimes] my lyrics don't deal with specific topics. I write down on paper the feelings of the moment, it's not easy to explain the contents of the lyrics or give a logical sense to the words. What I write is also a reaction to the music we make, so the Deftones' sound is not pop, it doesn't communicate happy feelings. Paradoxically my favorite songs of the album talk about love, in a clearly different view." Despite this, Chino has been known to write songs about social issues such as racism, prostitution, urban violence, and drugs. However, even these songs can be rather vague and cryptic.
In 2001 Moreno developed a throat injury and was forced to miss at least four shows. He suffered inflammation on his right vocal cord and partial paralysis of the left vocal cord.
During the making of Deftones' White Pony, Chino began work on a side project, Team Sleep. Chino's influences range from such bands as The Cure, Bad Brains, The Smiths, Duran Duran, The Smashing Pumpkins, Depeche Mode, Helmet, Ugly Kid Joe, Jawbox, Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, Hum, Kool Keith, and Weezer, and claims that Deftones' 2006 album, Saturday Night Wrist, is more of a compromise between all of the members' influences, ranging from their brutal and brooding heavy signature seen on Adrenaline, Around the Fur and Deftones to the more melodic sound heard on White Pony. Chino recently worked with post-hardcore band Norma Jean, on their album The Anti Mother. Chino has also worked with the band Dance Gavin Dance in the song titled "Caviar."
Embers
Chino Moreno Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No one could know, display for everyone the holes in our souls we despise
Timber and stone, monumental, remnants frozen in time
Carried alone the burden, knowing it was all we could do to survive
Only embers remain
Refusing to fade
There's still light to find our way
Black turning to gray
There's still light to find our way
Only embers remain
Scatter the dust, what we once held in hand seems was never at all
Gone in a gust, not ours to understand, ah, agony perpetual
Holding my breath and close my eyes, for a second I can see you again
Motionless, like that day we lost who we both should have been
Only embers remain
Refusing to fade
There's still light to find our way
Only embers remain
Black turning to gray
There's still light to find our way
Only embers
I've been staring at her
Lying still for so long (she's so still, she's so still)
Waiting for this endless
Night to color into dawn (it's neverending, it's neverending)
But it's never lifting, it's always shifting
No one can breathe
It holds me under, and this drags down you
(It drags you down, it drags you down)
This breaks what was made one into two
The song Embers by Chino Moreno talks about gathering the bones and laying them in the sun in patterns that captures the eye. The singer expresses that although they are despised by others, they are remnants that are monumental and frozen in time; therefore they should be displayed for everyone to see. The burden was carried alone, knowing that it was all that could be done to survive, as only embers remain refusing to fade. The song's theme is one of loss, pain, and grief, as the singer discusses being unable to understand what was once held in hand, but was never there at all- gone in a gust. It is agony perpetual, and they hold their breath and close their eyes in the hopes that they can see their loved one once again, motionless, like the day they lost who they should have been together.
The repeating phrase throughout the song 'Only embers remain' signifies that even amidst loss, there is still light to find the way. The loss has resulted in everything becoming black and turned to gray, but the singer believes that they can still find a way as long as they have these embers, which represent hope. The song depicts how the singer is waiting for an "endless night" to turn to dawn, which could signify a hope that things will eventually become better. However, the persistent thought of 'it's never lifting, it's always shifting' could demonstrate how the pain and loss feel endless, and they continuously drag them down, breaking the tangible link they once had with the person they lost.
Line by Line Meaning
Gather the bones and lay them in the sun in patterns that capture the eye
Arrange the remnants of our past in striking formations for others to see.
No one could know, display for everyone the holes in our souls we despise
Despite our desire to conceal our weaknesses, they are exposed for all to see.
Timber and stone, monumental, remnants frozen in time
The enduring evidence of our struggles frozen in memory.
Carried alone the burden, knowing it was all we could do to survive
We bear the weight of our past traumas, despite the toll it takes on us.
Only embers remain
Despite the intensity of our past experiences, only small, flickering remnants remain.
Refusing to fade
These faint embers stubbornly refuse to be extinguished.
There's still light to find our way
Even in our darkest moments, there is always hope to guide us forward.
Black turning to gray
The darkness of our experiences slowly losing its hold on us.
Scatter the dust, what we once held in hand seems was never at all
Our past experiences, once so important, now seem like distant memories.
Gone in a gust, not ours to understand, ah, agony perpetual
Our past is gone in the blink of an eye, leaving us with a constant feeling of pain and loss.
Holding my breath and close my eyes, for a second I can see you again
Despite everything, the memory of someone we have lost continues to haunt us.
Motionless, like that day we lost who we both should have been
Our past experiences have left us feeling stagnant, stuck in a moment in time.
I've been staring at her
We are still fixated on the person we have lost.
Lying still for so long (she's so still, she's so still)
Despite the passage of time, the person we have lost remains motionless.
Waiting for this endless
Our grief and sadness feels never-ending.
Night to color into dawn (it's neverending, it's neverending)
Our pain and sorrow feels like it will never end, like a never-ending night.
But it's never lifting, it's always shifting
Our sadness and grief are never static, always shifting and changing.
No one can breathe
Our pain and sorrow feels suffocating, like we can't catch our breath.
It holds me under, and this drags down you
Our grief and sorrow is not only affecting us, but also those around us.
(It drags you down, it drags you down)
Our pain and sorrow is contagious, dragging everyone around us down.
This breaks what was made one into two
Our grief and sorrow has fractured the unity we once had, turning us into two separate entities.
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: CHINO MORENO, CHRIS ADLER, DAVID RANDALL BLYTHE, JOHN CAMPBELL, MARK MORTON, WILL ADLER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Faceless man
lyrics:
Gather the bones and lay them in the sun
In patterns that capture the eye
No one could know, display for everyone
The holes in our souls we despise
Timber and stone, monumental, remnants frozen in time
Carried alone the burden, knowing it was all we could do to survive
Only embers remain
Refusing to fade
There's still light to find our way
Only embers remain
Black turning to gray
There's still light to find our way
Only embers remain
Scatter the dust, what we once held
In hand seems was never at all
Gone in a gust, not ours to understand, an agony perpetual
Holding my breath and close my eyes
For a second I can see you again
Motionless, like that day we lost who we both should have been
Only embers remain
Refusing to fade
There's still light to find our way
Only embers remain
Black turning to gray
There's still light to find our way
Only embers
I've been staring at her
Lying still for so long (she's so still, she's so still)
Waiting for this endless night to color into dawn
(It's never ending, it's never ending)
But it's never lifting, it's always shifting
No one can breathe
It holds me under and this drags down you
(It drags you down, it drags you down)
This breaks what was made one into two
Reaper 3000
Man Chino's voice is really out of this world.. Goosebumps all the way!
yahublooddrunkeness
cocaine is a helluva drug
2starshinesprivate
Chino is my absolute favorite. Knowing what the lyrics are about and having also lost a baby girl, this song is hauntingly beautiful.
Leon Kamran
You know the goosebumps are coming but you can’t stop them!!
JVexr
@yahublooddrunkeness Meth*
Wes Burton
No shit God damnnnnmm
Deathwing Duck
Love how once Chino's singing kicks in, it's amazingly a seamless transition from the traditional Lamb of God style to the more Melodic Deftones sound. A band has to have a lot of talent to pull that off right.
The Table
Hell yeah man. He has such a haunting voice at times. Perfect for a dark, emotional track like this. Especially alternating with Randy, who in my opinion has one of the angriest growls in metal. Masterful
Faceless man
lyrics:
Gather the bones and lay them in the sun
In patterns that capture the eye
No one could know, display for everyone
The holes in our souls we despise
Timber and stone, monumental, remnants frozen in time
Carried alone the burden, knowing it was all we could do to survive
Only embers remain
Refusing to fade
There's still light to find our way
Only embers remain
Black turning to gray
There's still light to find our way
Only embers remain
Scatter the dust, what we once held
In hand seems was never at all
Gone in a gust, not ours to understand, an agony perpetual
Holding my breath and close my eyes
For a second I can see you again
Motionless, like that day we lost who we both should have been
Only embers remain
Refusing to fade
There's still light to find our way
Only embers remain
Black turning to gray
There's still light to find our way
Only embers
I've been staring at her
Lying still for so long (she's so still, she's so still)
Waiting for this endless night to color into dawn
(It's never ending, it's never ending)
But it's never lifting, it's always shifting
No one can breathe
It holds me under and this drags down you
(It drags you down, it drags you down)
This breaks what was made one into two
Dylan Bitz
Beautiful