Empty
Emperor Lyrics


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He is an empty shell
Shell-shocked Luciferian soul
He is an empty shell
Drained and sealed
He is an empty shell
Penetrating cold
He is an empty shell
Empty Luciferian soul

How furiously and bombastic
He proclaimed his destruction of a mortal coil
In the end it seemed
This was his only possession

Long past were his glorious days
Of filth and lies
And he has reached out to stop time
At its end

He is an empty shell
Shell-shocked Luciferian heart
He is an empty shell
Drained and sealed
He is an empty shell
Penetrating cold
He is an empty shell
Empty Luciferian soul

Empty Luciferian soul

The constant struggle for a moment of quiet indulgence
Eventually stirred and quaked the earth so hard
It swallowed him in a dark and heavy cloud
Slowly and gently starving him into insanity

An inferno of ice
With an ever burning




Bleeding
Heart

Overall Meaning

These lyrics from Emperor's song Empty are a dark and haunting depiction of a fallen angel, a Luciferian soul who has become nothing more than an empty shell. The repetition of the phrase "He is an empty shell" emphasizes the barren and hollow nature of this character, who is described as having a shell-shocked heart and soul that has been drained and sealed. The use of cold imagery, such as "penetrating cold" and "inferno of ice," suggests a sense of emotional numbness and detachment.


The lyrics go on to describe the character's past, with references to his "glorious days" of "filth and lies." It seems that he once took pleasure in proclaiming his own destruction, but now this seems like his only possession. The notion of time stopping at its end suggests a sense of finality and hopelessness. The repetition of the phrase "Empty Luciferian soul" reinforces the idea that this character is entirely devoid of meaningful substance.


The final stanza takes a more literal turn, describing the character being swallowed up by the earth and slowly driven insane. The use of "an inferno of ice" creates a striking contrast and suggests a sense of intense internal conflict. Overall, the lyrics of Empty are a powerful evocation of despair and emptiness.


Line by Line Meaning

He is an empty shell
The subject of the song is void of substance or emotion.


Shell-shocked Luciferian soul
The subject's soul is trauma-stricken and associated with the devil.


Drained and sealed
The subject is completely empty and closed off.


Penetrating cold
The emptiness of the subject is experienced as an intense coldness.


Empty Luciferian soul
The song reaffirms that the subject's soul is completely devoid of any substance, only associated with the devil.


How furiously and bombastic
The subject acted in a dramatic and intense manner.


He proclaimed his destruction of a mortal coil
The subject boasted about ending a human life.


In the end it seemed
Ultimately, it appeared that the subject's only possession was the power to take human life.


This was his only possession
The subject's only form of wealth came from taking human life.


Long past were his glorious days
The subject's days of greatness are far behind him.


Of filth and lies
The greatness the subject once had was rooted in dishonest and unsavory behavior.


And he has reached out to stop time
The subject wants to cling to the past and stop the progression of time.


At its end
The subject is fixated on the idea of the end of time.


The constant struggle for a moment of quiet indulgence
The subject fought for any small moment of peace or happiness.


Eventually stirred and quaked the earth so hard
The subject's struggles became so intense, they had a destructive impact on the world around him.


It swallowed him in a dark and heavy cloud
The subject's struggles consumed and overtook him.


Slowly and gently starving him into insanity
The subject was driven mad by the long and painful process of his struggles.


An inferno of ice
The subject is engulfed by a fiery coldness.


With an ever burning
This coldness doesn't fade, but rather constantly burns within him.


Bleeding
The subject's emotional pain is causing him to bleed out.


Heart
The emotional center of the subject is causing him great turmoil and suffering.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: REBECCA BARNARD

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

Andrew Wilson

Those aren't dislikes, those are just people in Australia giving it a thumbs up.

czr7j9

shit i accidently gave it a thumbs up, sorry

Charlotte Johansen

😂😂😂 true

Lucinda Morgenstern

Found it! Heard it ONCE, ages ago when I was like nine or so, and I didn't know the band, the lyrics, nothing - I only remembered some flashes of the video and that I really liked it. :D Turns out, saying "It was a black metal song I guess, and there was this forest and white corridor and dude making scary faces while singing" ... it's actually enough for some people to deduce what it was. :D

Mr. Pebbles

God I would really love if someone could break down the song, both from a guitarist's perspective and from a composer/producer with music theory. Elements of this song have always stuck with me and it has been about 20 years since I first heard it.

Jeff Barber

The "Prometheus" album is actually really good. I dont know why it gets so much hate

MetalReign

Prometheus is Ihsahn's baby he wrote all of the tracks on it and although it isn't my favorite Emperor album i prefer Anthems it is a good album that doesn't deserve all of the hate it has received.

mmarocker

It wasn't shitty enough for the TR00 KVLT black metal crowd...

imstill notusingmyname

Its Excellent. Its just very ihsahn, which isnt really a problem, but with emperors catalogue it feels like "ihsahn & the boys" kind of thing

Jeff Barber

@Sane Neweyes agreed. I loved SETI as well

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