Cradle of Filth is an English extreme metal band formed in Suffolk in 1991.… Read Full Bio ↴Cradle of Filth is an English extreme metal band formed in Suffolk in 1991. The band's musical style evolved originally from black metal to a cleaner and more "produced" amalgam of gothic metal, symphonic metal and other metal genres. Their lyrical themes and imagery are heavily influenced by Gothic literature, poetry, mythology and horror films. The band consists of its founding member, vocalist Dani Filth, drummer Martin 'Marthus' Škaroupka, bassist Daniel Firth, guitarists Marek 'Ashok' Šmerda and Donny Burbage, and keyboardist Zoe Marie Federoff.

The band has broken free from its original niche by courting mainstream publicity. This increased accessibility has brought coverage from the likes of Kerrang! and MTV, along with frequent main stage appearances at major festivals such as Ozzfest, Download and even the mainstream Sziget Festival. They have sometimes been perceived as Satanic by casual observers, even though their outright lyrical references to Satanism are few and far between; their use of Satanic imagery has arguably always been more for shock value than any seriously held beliefs.

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cradle_of_Filth

Studio albums/EPs
The Principle of Evil Made Flesh (1994)
V Empire or Dark Faerytales in Phallustein (1996)
Dusk and Her Embrace (1996)
Cruelty and the Beast (1998)
From the Cradle to Enslave (1999)
Midian (2000)
Bitter Suits to Succubi (2001)
Damnation and a Day (2003)
Nymphetamine (2004)
Thornography (2006)
Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder (2008)
Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa (2010)
Evermore Darkly (2011)
The Manticore and Other Horrors (2012)
Hammer of the Witches (2015)
Dusk... and Her Embrace - The Original Sin (2016)
Cryptoriana - The Seductiveness of Decay (2017)
Cruelty and the Beast (Re-Mistressed) (2019)
Existence Is Futile (2021)

She Mourns A Lengthening Shadow
Cradle of Filth Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

She Mourns A Lengthening Shadow"
1996 Cacophonus Records
Hasten to the bridal bed -
Underneath the grave 'tis spread:
In darkness may our love be hid,
Oblivion be our coverlid -
We may rest, and nione forbid.

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of "She Mourns A Lengthening Shadow" by Cradle of Filth suggest a sense of urgency and foreboding as the persona addresses the listener to hurry to the nuptial bed. The language used here also suggests a dark and Gothic atmosphere as the bridal bed is placed underneath the grave. This imagery creates a blend of the living and the dead, which is further accentuated in the later lines.

The persona then implores that their love may be hidden in darkness and covered by oblivion. This line may be interpreted to mean that the persona wants their love to be a secret or kept hidden from the world. The oblivion mentioned here may be a reference to death and the afterlife. This theme of death is a recurrent one in the works of Cradle of Filth.

The phrase "none forbid" may also suggest a defiance of societal norms as the persona seeks to love in their own way, regardless of what others may think or say. Overall, "She Mourns a Lengthening Shadow" is a haunting and dark ode to love that defies societal norms and flouts the conventions of life and death.

Line by Line Meaning

Hasten to the bridal bed -
Quickly go to the marriage bed

Underneath the grave 'tis spread:
The bed is located below the grave

In darkness may our love be hid,
May our love remain hidden in darkness

Oblivion be our coverlid -
Let forgetfulness be our blanket

We may rest, and nione forbid.
We can sleep peacefully, and no one can stop us.

Contributed by Violet H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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