At the end of 2002 Javier Jiménez and Rubén Villanueva (guitars) shared a m… Read Full Bio ↴At the end of 2002 Javier Jiménez and Rubén Villanueva (guitars) shared a musical vision that they sought to bring to the masses. After recruiting bass player Daniel Melián, EBONY ARK was finally born. After a series of fluid line-ups Beatriz Albert (vocals) and Jorge Sáez (drums) proved to be the final pieces of the puzzle. The band released their first demo in March 2004, containing 6 tracks, one of them being a cover of Irene Cara's "What a feeling

A few months later, Javier Díez joined the band as a keyboard player. In October 2004, EBONY ARK's first studio album Decoder was released, including 11 tracks peppered with great songs like "Dead Men's Lives", "Searching for an Answer" and "Thorn of Ice". Their blend of hard-hitting metal with a progressive edge and Beatriz's powerful vocals over the top proved to be a winning formula for the metal audience, and they received many plaudits from both press and fans alike. EBONY ARK had started with a bang and deservedly pushed their way to the front in the international metal world.

After touring all over Spain in February 2005, Jorge Sáez and Javier Díez left the band due to their commitments lying elsewhere. Iván (drums) and Diego (synth) joined Ebony Ark and the band became more stable. In June of the same year they shot their first video clip for their single "Thorn of Ice" in their hometown of Madrid.

What followed was a busy time for the band, with concerts and rehearsals mixed with the composition of new songs for their new album. Their first concert outside Spain was on May 4th 2006 supporting the Dutch band EPICA in a very special show in Amsterdam's infamous Paradiso venue. In May they started recording Decoder 2.0 for their new label Transmission Records. Unfortunately Transmission Records went bankrupt before the album could be scheduled and never saw the light of day.

Many bands would buckle under the stress of seeing their hard work go down the pan, but Ebony Ark are stronger than that. They set about finding a new deal, and after negotiations with several labels chose the fast-rising UK-based Ascendance Records as their new home. In April 2008, their long awaited second album, When The City Is Quiet, was finally released.

If Only
Ebony Ark Lyrics

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They say you're hidden in
The darkness but you see
Circle's confusion
Why I must kneel to you?
Is there hope after hope?
No, I'm asking for your name

Praying in vain

What does salvation mean?
Dust to dust
Womb to tomb
Ain't no Gift of God?
No...!

If only the suffering of children
If only the wars 'd never been
If only the lies never blind us
I'm waiting for answers still

The only certainly
Is ending in a tomb
Heading for nowhere
How can we keep the faith?
If we keep falling down
Falling down one by one

Forever lost
Forsaken for what I am
Dust to dust
Womb to tomb

Ain't no Gift of God?
No...!

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of "If Only" by Ebony Ark reflect the frustration and despair of individuals who are questioning their faith and struggling to find hope in a world filled with chaos and suffering. The song begins by addressing the concept of God's hiddenness in the darkness and the confusion that surrounds religion, causing the singer to question why they must kneel to this higher power. They are searching for answers and hope, but find themselves "praying in vain" and struggling to find meaning in the nihilistic idea that life ends in a tomb.

The chorus echoes this despair, as the singer wishes that the suffering of children and the horrors of war had never existed, and that lies had not blinded them to the truth. They are still waiting for answers, but wonder if they will ever come. The ending of the song acknowledges the feeling of being lost and forsaken, and ultimately presents a bleak conclusion that there is no gift of God to comfort them.

Overall, the lyrics of "If Only" present a disillusioned view of the world and reflect the struggle that many individuals face in reconciling their beliefs with the pain and suffering they observe around them.

Line by Line Meaning

They say you're hidden in
There's a belief that you're hiding in darkness

The darkness but you see
However, you can see everything despite being in the darkness

Circle's confusion
I'm puzzled by the strange events happening around me

Why I must kneel to you?
I'm questioning the reason why I have to submit to you

Is there hope after hope?
I'm uncertain if there's any hope left

No, I'm asking for your name
I'm seeking to know your identity

Praying in vain
My prayers seem to be useless

What does salvation mean?
I'm curious about the real definition of salvation

Dust to dust
Everything returns to dust eventually

Womb to tomb
From birth to death, our lives are a cycle

Ain't no Gift of God?
I'm questioning if there is really a divine gift for us