Growing up in Malibu, California, she began learning the violin at the age of four and left regular school five years later with the goal of becoming a world-class violinist; she practiced eight or nine hours a day and read a wide range of literature. Progressing to writing her own music, she studied under various teachers and went to Indiana University, which she left over issues regarding the relationship between classical music and the appearance of the performer. Through her own independent label Traitor Records, Autumn debuted with her classical album On a Day: Music for Violin & Continuo, followed by the release in 2003 of her album Enchant.
She appeared in singer Courtney Love's backing band on her 2004 America's Sweetheart tour and returned to Europe. She released the 2006 album Opheliac with the German label Trisol Music Group. In 2007, she released Laced/Unlaced; the re-release of On a Day... appeared as Laced with songs on the electric violin as Unlaced. She later left Trisol to join New York-based The End Records in 2009 and release Opheliac in the United States, where previously it had only been available as an import. Currently she is on tour to promote her newest album Fight Like A Girl. She played the role of Painted Doll in Darren Lynn Bousman's 2012 film The Devil's Carnival.
The Key
Emilie Autumn Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And by the lantern light I see her body fall
She reaches out to me, the Ward Key in her hand
She speaks to me in noises I don’t understand
The key that taunted me, the key that drove me mad
The key that murdered any freedom I once had
Is offered to me know, can this be but a dream?
My trance is broken by this woman’s dying scream
And when I reach the landing every ghostly face
Is waiting for me there commanding me to RUN
The walls are lifting, lockdown’s already begun
The staircase shatters as my fate I fly to meet
The wood is splintering beneath my stocking feet
At last I’m past the gate, at last I’m at the cell
That’s kept me from the sun and hidden me in Hell
The key that locked us in is now what sets us free
The inmates have emerged and now they look to me
To lead them to the light, to lead them to the door
But as we flee I trip and fall down to the floor
Now, as I hit the ground, as painfully I land
The key for which I’ve waited years shoots from my hand
Then, quick as lightning strikes, the Doctor’s heavy shoe
Comes down upon the key concealing it from view
His eyes are burning red with madness, this is when
He picks it up and turns to lock us in again
I leap upon him for I’ve nothing left to lose
He overpowers me and asks the girls to choose
He runs his blade across my throat as if to say
That he will take my life if they don’t walk away
Retreat they do at once, without a second thought
They only know that we were free and now we’re not
And then I feel my darling Annie’s Master Key
From all those years ago, still tied above my knee
It glows against my skin but doesn’t cause me pain
What happens next I cannot possibly explain
It pulls me from the floor, it pulls me towards the gate
It fits into the lock and every last inmate
Is breathless as the bars swing open with a creak
And no one’s seen to move, and no one’s heard to speak
Then, all at once, the clock from fifty floors below
Is loudly striking four, and suddenly I know
What must be done – there can be no one left alive
The Doctor’s all must die if we are to survive
It’s Time to show our strength
It’s Time that we unite
It’s Time to change the game
It’s Time we learn to fight
It’s Time this house is ours
It’s Time we take it back
It’s Time for bloody war
IT’S TIME FOR THE ATTACK!
The lyrics of Emilie Autumn's song The Key paint a vivid picture of a woman's desperate journey towards freedom along with a group of inmates in a mental institution. The woman is given the Ward Key by a dying inmate and races towards Quarantine to unlock the door and free everyone. However, as she falls and loses the key, the Doctor, who represents the oppressive system, picks it up and threatens to lock them in again. In the midst of this chaos, the singer feels a strange glowing sensation from Annie's Master Key tied above her knee, which eventually leads to them opening all the cell doors and launching an attack on the Doctor and his followers.
The Key can be interpreted in different ways, but one of the most profound messages the song conveys is the power of unity and resilience in the face of oppression. The inmates, who are initially trapped and hopeless, are able to break free only when they work together as a team. Interestingly, the song also highlights the themes of madness, violence, and revenge, which are commonly associated with mental illness. However, instead of portraying the inmates as weak and helpless, the song emphasizes their strength and potential for resistance.
Line by Line Meaning
I hear her footsteps running towards me down the hall
I am alerted to someone approaching me by the sound of their footsteps.
And by the lantern light I see her body fall
I witness a woman falling to the ground, illuminated by the light of a lantern.
She reaches out to me, the Ward Key in her hand
The woman extends her hand towards me, holding the key to the ward in her palm.
She speaks to me in noises I don’t understand
The woman communicates with me in sounds that I cannot comprehend.
The key that taunted me, the key that drove me mad
The key that tormented me, causing great distress and insanity.
The key that murdered any freedom I once had
The key that took away my freedom, leaving me imprisoned.
Is offered to me know, can this be but a dream?
The key is now being presented to me, but I cannot believe it to be real.
My trance is broken by this woman’s dying scream
The sound of the woman's death cry snaps me out of my daze.
The key now in my hand from Quarantine I race
With the key now in my possession, I quickly make my way out of quarantine.
And when I reach the landing every ghostly face
Upon arriving at the landing, I am met with the haunting visages of the other prisoners.
Is waiting for me there commanding me to RUN
The spirits urge me to flee, commanding me to move as quickly as possible.
The walls are lifting, lockdown’s already begun
The walls are being raised, indicating that the facility is beginning to lock down.
The staircase shatters as my fate I fly to meet
The staircase breaks apart beneath me as I hasten towards my destiny.
The wood is splintering beneath my stocking feet
The floors are breaking apart under my weight and footwear.
At last I’m past the gate, at last I’m at the cell
I finally make it beyond the gate and arrive at the prison cell.
That’s kept me from the sun and hidden me in Hell
The cell has kept me in darkness, hidden away from the outside world.
The key that locked us in is now what sets us free
The very key that previously imprisoned us is now our means of escape.
The inmates have emerged and now they look to me
The other inmates have joined me and now look to me for direction.
To lead them to the light, to lead them to the door
I am tasked with guiding them towards freedom and the exit.
But as we flee I trip and fall down to the floor
While running away, I stumble and fall to the ground.
Now, as I hit the ground, as painfully I land
Upon hitting the ground, I experience great physical discomfort.
The key for which I’ve waited years shoots from my hand
The key I have been waiting for goes flying from my grasp.
Then, quick as lightning strikes, the Doctor’s heavy shoe
Immediately following the loss of the key, the doctor stomps on it with great force.
Comes down upon the key concealing it from view
The heavy shoe crushes the key, rendering it hidden from sight.
His eyes are burning red with madness, this is when
The doctor's eyes are crazed and maniacal at this moment.
He picks it up and turns to lock us in again
The doctor takes the destroyed key and uses it to re-lock us in.
I leap upon him for I’ve nothing left to lose
Realizing I have nothing left to lose, I attack the doctor.
He overpowers me and asks the girls to choose
The doctor gains the upper hand and forces the other women to make a choice.
He runs his blade across my throat as if to say
Using his blade, the doctor threatens to kill me in order to assert his dominance.
That he will take my life if they don’t walk away
The doctor makes it clear that I will only live if the others retreat.
Retreat they do at once, without a second thought
The other women quickly flee without hesitation.
They only know that we were free and now we’re not
The women only understand that we were once free and are no longer so.
And then I feel my darling Annie’s Master Key
I suddenly sense the presence of a key that belonged to someone named Annie.
From all those years ago, still tied above my knee
The key that belonged to Annie has been tied to my leg for years.
It glows against my skin but doesn’t cause me pain
The key emits a soft light but does not cause me any physical discomfort.
What happens next I cannot possibly explain
I am unable to describe what occurs next.
It pulls me from the floor, it pulls me towards the gate
The key begins to pull me towards the gate, where the other prisoners are waiting.
It fits into the lock and every last inmate
The key is a perfect match for the lock, allowing all of the prisoners to escape.
Is breathless as the bars swing open with a creak
The prisoners are stunned as the bars open slowly with a squeaking sound.
And no one’s seen to move, and no one’s heard to speak
No one in the group makes a sound or movement at this moment.
Then, all at once, the clock from fifty floors below
Suddenly, the clock from fifty floors below begins to chime.
Is loudly striking four, and suddenly I know
The clock strikes four very loudly, and I realize what must be done.
What must be done – there can be no one left alive
I understand that in order to survive, everyone else must be killed.
The Doctor’s all must die if we are to survive
I realize that in order for us to make it through this ordeal, the doctor and his associates must be killed.
It’s Time to show our strength
The time has come for us to demonstrate our power.
It’s Time that we unite
We must come together in order to achieve our goal.
It’s Time to change the game
We must alter the rules of engagement in order to succeed.
It’s Time we learn to fight
We must learn how to battle effectively in order to be victorious.
It’s Time this house is ours
We must take control of the premises.
It’s Time we take it back
We must reclaim what is rightfully ours.
It’s Time for bloody war
The upcoming battle will be brutal and gory.
IT’S TIME FOR THE ATTACK!
We are ready to launch our attack and take control of the situation.
Contributed by Carter A. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Serious Ways
This is one of my favourite "Fight like a girl" songs. A performance as equally chilling as "Gaslight"
Xtsdagger
Amazing, stunning, chilling, was mesmerized while it played
ILoveHobbits
🕯🗝Thanks for being awesome🗝🕯
MsMistyMaiden
I've missed you so much ❤️
Julio cesar Hellmann Scolaro
Loveeeeeeeeeeeeeeee
Xenon777channel
What a strange cat ! ~