In the Shadow of the Horns
Darkthrone Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Face of the goat in the mirror
Eyes burn like (an) October sunrise
As once they gazed upon the hillside
Searching for the memories

In the shadow of the horns
Only seen by the kings
Of the dawn (of the) first millennium
Upon the thrones

In the shadow of the horns
Cleansed like the air in the night
World without end

(we've become) a race of the cursed seeds
For five united forces
In the eternal dawn
The kings that held (their) heads high

The triumph of chaos has guided our path
We circles the holy Sinai our swords gave wings
Invisible force of our abyssic hate
Our seeds boil as we gaze upon the new millennium

Weeping by the graves of the glorious ones
(so) the hardened frost melts away




Clouds gather across a freezing moon
I kiss the goat witchcraft still breathes

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Darkthrone's "In The Shadow Of The Horns" describe the image of a face of a goat in the mirror, with eyes that burn like an October sunrise. This image is reminiscent of the satanic, pagan, and infernal themes that are present in black metal music. The lyrics then allude to the search for memories and the need for cleansing in the shadow of the horns. The horns refer to the horns of Satan and the idea of being in his shadow.


The chorus of the song repeats the idea of being in the shadow of the horns, which is only seen by kings of the dawn of the first millennium upon thrones. This suggests an exclusive group of individuals who possess knowledge and experience that the common people do not have. The idea of being cleansed like the air in the night, and the world without end, suggests a sense of eternal life, which is also a common theme in black metal.


The lyrics also allude to a race of cursed seeds, united by five forces in the eternal dawn of the new millennium. The kings that held their heads high signify the power and dominance of the elite class, who are part of the cursed seeds. The triumph of chaos that has guided their path suggests a chaotic, dangerous journey that they are willing to undertake to achieve their goals.


Line by Line Meaning

Face of the goat in the mirror
Looking in the mirror, the singer sees the reflection of a goat's face.


Eyes burn like (an) October sunrise
The singer's eyes burn brightly, like the sunrise of an October morning.


As once they gazed upon the hillside
The singer's eyes once gazed upon a hillside, searching for memories.


Searching for the memories
The artist is looking for memories that they lost or have been forgotten.


In the shadow of the horns
The events described in the song take place under the influence of evil.


Only seen by the kings
The events taking place in the shadow of the horns are only visible to powerful and influential people.


Of the dawn (of the) first millennium
These events took place at the beginning of the first millennium.


Upon the thrones
The powerful and influential people who can see the events taking place in the shadow of the horns sit on thrones.


Cleansed like the air in the night
The air in the night is refreshing, and the events that take place in the shadow of the horns are purifying.


World without end
These events will go on forever.


(we've become) a race of the cursed seeds
People have become prone to evil as time has passed.


For five united forces
Five different forces have joined together for a common goal.


In the eternal dawn
These events take place during eternity's dawn.


The kings that held (their) heads high
The powerful and influential people in these events who held their heads high with pride.


The triumph of chaos has guided our path
Evil has led us to where we are today.


We circles the holy Sinai our swords gave wings
The group carrying out these events have a holy mission and their swords give them the power to achieve it.


Invisible force of our abyssic hate
There is a powerful, invisible force behind our hatred.


Our seeds boil as we gaze upon the new millennium
As we look towards the future, our plans are boiling and taking shape.


Weeping by the graves of the glorious ones
People are mourning and weeping at the graves of those who have been victims of these events.


(so) the hardened frost melts away
In the face of mourning and grief, even the hardest of hearts will melt away.


Clouds gather across a freezing moon
These events take place during a dark and gloomy night.


I kiss the goat witchcraft still breathes
The artist gives into the power of darkness and embraces witchcraft.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: IVAR ENGER, LEIF GYLVE NAGELL, TED ARVID SKJELLUM

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@gabrielfrost0634

Face of the Goat in the Mirror
 Eyes Burn like (an) October Sunrise
 As Once they Gazed upon the Hillside
 Searching for the Memories... In the Shadow of the Horns
 only seen by the Kings
 of the Dawn (of the) First Millennium
 upon the Thrones In the Shadow of the Horns
 Cleansed like the air in the Night
 World Without End (we've become) a Race of the Cursed Seeds
 for five United Forces
 in the Eternal Dawn
 the Kings that held (their) heads high The Triumph of chaos - Has Guided our Path
 we Circles the holy Sinai - Our Swords Gave Wings
 Invisible force of our Abyssic Hate
 Our seeds Boil as we gaze upon the New Millennium Weeping by the Graves of the Glorious Ones
 (so) the hardened Frost Melts Away
 Clouds Gather across a Freezing Moon
 I kiss the Goat - Witchcraft Still Breathes



@Jessica-ms6jy

Face of the goat in the mirror
Eyes burn like (an) October sunrise
As once they gazed upon the hillside
Searching for the memories
In the shadow of the horns
Only seen by the kings
Of the dawn (of the) first millennium
Upon the thrones
In the shadow of the horns
Cleansed like the air in the night
World without end
a race of the cursed seeds
For five united forces
In the eternal dawn
The kings that held (their) heads high
The triumph of chaos has guided our path
We circles the holy Sinai our swords gave wings
Invisible force of our abyssic hate
Our seeds boil as we gaze upon the new millennium
Weeping by the graves of the glorious ones
(so) the hardened frost melts away
Clouds gather across a freezing moon
I kiss the goat witchcraft still breathes



All comments from YouTube:

@jonariaofthejonaries1705

This is what happens when a drummer leads the band. Beautiful

@GamerGateDeutsch

AHHRR, the old days, where a face and three fingers made a album cover. RAHHHH !

@cornemarais3965

True story

@mladiseljak4387

Corne Marais *trve story

@cornemarais3965

Nergal The Barbarian even trver story

@glohitia666

OldGamer Three? Only two makes the sign of the cornu. 3 in US sign language means love. You don´t mean that, do you? Not 3; just 2 with the thumb folded, is the correct way. Now raise it for the horned one! (left hand only)

@tjhavok3840

Worldin Pains Look at the album cover. There is three fingers and face.

4 More Replies...

@isrv

When you barely wake up from sleep and the first thing you want to do is bump some darkthrone

@blackdeath6244

isrv me rn

@rustyshackelford4613

same

More Comments

More Versions