Dreadful Shadows was founded in Berlin, Germany, in 1993, by Sven Friedrich… Read Full Bio ↴Dreadful Shadows was founded in Berlin, Germany, in 1993, by Sven Friedrich, Jens Riediger, Ron Thiele, Frank Hofer , and Reiko Jeschke - and would go onto become a staple act of Gothic rock and Dark wave, pioneering the Gothic metal sub-genre. During their career, Dreadful Shadows produced four albums ((1994) 'Estrangement', (1997) 'Buried Again', (1998) 'Beyond the Maze', and (1999) 'The Cycle'), three EPs ((1995) 'Homeless', (1999) 'Live in '98', and (2000) 'Apology'), and toured extensively over Europe and Russia. Though they disbanded in 2000, in 2007 they reunited for live audiences, and remain an active live band to this day. The current line-up features Norman Selbig and André Feller on guitars.

Sven and Norman also co-founded Zeraphine in 2000. Sven has a solo project, Solar Fake, as well.

Funeral Procession
Dreadful Shadows Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

A cold night - my breath turns into ice
The long track to this holy place starts now
The bright moon shines above the trees
I don't feel well,'cause it's me who dies

There's a funeral procession
There's a funeral procession in my mind
This is my funeral procession

There's a funeral procession in my mind

Now I'm there and I see these happy faces
There is just one girl what is crying
Now she perceives me and she comes to me
She touches my face, her fingers are cold

There's a funeral procession
There's a funeral procession in my mind
This is my funeral procession
There's a funeral procession in my mind

The girl in the black dress begins to shiver
She dies away in my arms

And her wide opened eyes stare to heaven
And her body slowly fell to a thousand pieces

Overall Meaning

The song "Funeral Procession" by Dreadful Shadows is a hauntingly beautiful ballad that describes the journey of a dying person to their final resting place. The lyrics paint a vivid picture of a cold winter night, with the singer's breath turning into ice as they make their way to a holy place. The bright moon shines above the trees, but the singer does not feel well because it is their own funeral they are attending.

The funeral procession in the singer's mind is an allegory for their own life, as they come to terms with the fact that they are dying. The lyrics describe the singer's arrival at the funeral, where they see happy faces but only one girl who is crying. The girl perceives the singer and touches their face, but her fingers are cold. As the funeral progresses, the girl in the black dress begins to shiver and eventually dies in the singer's arms, her body falling to a thousand pieces.

The song is a poignant reflection on the fleeting nature of life and the inevitability of death. It paints a vivid picture of the emotional journey that one goes through when facing their own mortality. The melancholic melody and haunting vocals add to the overall atmosphere of the song, creating a sense of sadness and loss.

Line by Line Meaning

A cold night - my breath turns into ice
It's a freezing night and I can see the vapor coming from my breath.

The long track to this holy place starts now
I'm on my way to a sacred place and it's a long journey.

The bright moon shines above the trees
The moon is bright and can be seen over the trees.

I don't feel well,'cause it's me who dies
I'm feeling unwell because I know it's me who's going to die.

There's a funeral procession
I can see a funeral procession in my mind.

There's a funeral procession in my mind
I'm imagining a funeral procession.

This is my funeral procession
It's my own funeral procession that I'm picturing.

Now I'm there and I see these happy faces
I've arrived and can see people who appear happy.

There is just one girl what is crying
There's only one girl who's crying.

Now she perceives me and she comes to me
The girl notices me and approaches me.

She touches my face, her fingers are cold
The girl touches my face, and her fingers are cold.