Shadows
Emperor Lyrics


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In my dreams I'm all I dreamed I could be
When they end I realize it's not me

Just some shadow with my shape and voice
Someone who's never made the noise

People make when they have never been
That burning feeling in someone's chest

Want to be the face someone will miss
When their eyes go dim and their memory slips

Oh, to be my shadow
To feel what I fear I'll never know
Oh, watch that burning feeling grow
How lovely it is to live in the shade

In my dreams you're all I dreamed you would be
The harmony to my melody

Where I am the parts glowing inside
The parts that make you feel so alive

Like mine, your shadow's not much like you
Its crimson blood is made out of love

It's not afraid of what could be
It moves its lips the way that I dreamed

Oh, to be our shadows
To feel what we know we'll never know




Oh, watch that burning feeling grow
We're only meant to be in the shade

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Emperor's song "Shadows" delve into the concept of self-discovery, reflection, and realization. The opening of the song elicits the theme of disillusionment and dissatisfaction with oneself. The singer of the song dreams of becoming who they have always wanted to be, only to wake up and realize that they are not quite there. The reference to the shadow with their shape and voice emphasizes how detached they are from their ideal self.


The song continues with the singer contemplating the feeling of longing for love, remembrance, and significance. They yearn to be the face someone will miss when they die, which implies that they have not yet reached a point where they feel like they have left a significant impact on anyone. The chorus is a reflection of the singer's desire to become their shadow, live in the shade, and bask in the freedom that comes with being yourself without fear or judgment.


The second verse continues the theme of the shadow, and the singer talks about their expectations of others. They dream of being the glowing parts that make other people feel alive. However, they are aware that like them, someone else's shadow is not much like them. The crimson blood of the shadow made out of love signifies that love is the ultimate factor that makes us unique and defines our sense of self. The chorus is a culmination of all of these thoughts into a desire to find peace in the shade and be comfortable with being ourselves instead of trying to live up to someone else's expectations.


Line by Line Meaning

In my dreams I'm all I dreamed I could be
I imagine myself being the best version of me in my dreams


When they end I realize it's not me
But upon waking up, I realize I'm not that person


Just some shadow with my shape and voice
Instead, I'm just a hollow imitation of myself in the dream, a mere shadow of who I aspire to be


Someone who's never made the noise
I haven't truly made the strong impact that I aspire to make


People make when they have never been
The noise that a person makes when they do new things, experience life


That burning feeling in someone's chest
The passion and excitement that emanates from someone who has experienced something impactful


Want to be the face someone will miss
I want to be someone who will be missed and remembered by others when I'm gone


When their eyes go dim and their memory slips
Even when my loved ones' memories begin to fade with age, I hope they'll still remember me


Oh, to be my shadow
I wish I could be just a shadow, able to feel what I fear I'll never know


To feel what I fear I'll never know
To experience the things that I'm afraid I'll never have a chance to experience in real life


Oh, watch that burning feeling grow
And to be able to feel the passion and excitement that comes with it


How lovely it is to live in the shade
Living in the shadow could be just as lovely and fulfilling as living in the spotlight


In my dreams you're all I dreamed you would be
In my dreams, you're the ideal partner I imagined you to be


The harmony to my melody
Together, we create a beautiful and harmonious duo


Where I am the parts glowing inside
I bring out the best parts of you, the parts that come alive in my presence


The parts that make you feel so alive
The parts of you that you may not even realize exist until I bring them out


Like mine, your shadow's not much like you
Just like my shadow is just a poor imitation of me, your shadow is not a true reflection of you either


Its crimson blood is made out of love
Instead, it's made out of love, representing the depth of your emotions that your true self may not express as openly


It's not afraid of what could be
Unlike the real you that may have fears and doubts, your shadow is not afraid and is ready to take on anything


It moves its lips the way that I dreamed
Your shadow speaks and acts exactly how I imagine you would, based on the best version of yourself that I know


We're only meant to be in the shade
In the end, maybe it's best for us to be just shadows, living life in a simple and fulfilling way




Lyrics © DistroKid
Written by: Kenza Sidi-Ali-Cherif

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

ERZEBET HORDE

This is original and real Black Metal, all hails to the old EMPEROR...!!!

James Vigil

Ancient queen is so awesome the rhythm is just incredible .

Isaac Newton

How could anybody not enjoy this???

Morbid Corpse

@I Cannot Fucking Wait Till Morrissey Dies Oh, I know what you meant. I was just saying DSBM, black metal for me is special because few people understand it and appreciate the beauty behind its darkness.

I Cannot Fucking Wait Till Morrissey Dies

@Morbid Corpse Never said it wasn’t, just saying I don’t get how the OP could be confused as to why people don’t like it.

Morbid Corpse

@I Cannot Fucking Wait Till Morrissey Dies And that is a good thing. Wouldn't want Judas Iscariot being used in marketing campaigns, and car commercials.

I Cannot Fucking Wait Till Morrissey Dies

Come on dude it’s pretty easy to understand why a genre like black metal wouldn’t appeal to a lot of people lol.

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@Jones Really ? REALLY BRo ? Do you know me ? Also... what kind of childish reply is that ? "you don't like this ? You don't like metal".
Well according to your answer, you're not able to have a convo !

4 More Replies...

Santiago A Martinez

Emperor • Immortal • Dissection 🤘👿

Worldin Pains 2.0

From when Emperor was coined Witch Metal, even by themselves...

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