Their debut album "Elyria" was released in 1993 and was followed by "Annwyn, Beneath The Waves" in 1996, in part a concept album based around the four elements. 1999 saw the release of their third album, "Evidence of Heaven". In 2001, "Vera Causa" a 2 CD set featuring a live permormance and various rarities was released. "The Burning Season" followed in 2004, and featured a more rock oriented formula. They continued to explore the boundaries of Gothic Rock with their 2009 album, :ankoku butoh: , an album which saw them delve into far-east Asian aesthetics.
Faith and the Muse currently live in Los Angeles, California, USA. Their website is http://www.mercyground.com
The Unquiet Grave
Faith and the Muse Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The wind doth howl today m'love
And a winter's worth of rain
I never had but one true love
In cold grave she was lain
Oh I adored my sweetest love
As any young man may
So I'll sit and weep upon her grave
One true love is eternity for two
Three four nevermore
Will I see my love true
The twelve-month and a day foregone
The dead began to speak
"Oh who sits weeping on my grave
And will not let me sleep?"
"'Tis I, m'love, upon thy grave
Who will not let you sleep
For I crave one kiss of your lips
And that is all I seek"
"You crave one kiss of my cold lips
But I am one year gone
If you have one kiss of my lips
Your time will not be long
Let me remind thee, dearest one
A patient heart to keep
For we professed eternal love
That lives though I may sleep"
There down in yonder garden grove
Love, where we once did walk
The finest flower that ever was seen
Has withered to a stalk
The stalk is withered dry, my love
Though our hearts shan't decay
So make yourself content, my love
Till god calls you away"
The Unquiet Grave is a traditional ballad that dates back to the 15th century. The song is essentially a ghost story about a man weeping on his lover's grave. The first verse describes the weather and hints at the melancholic tone of the song. The man sings about his one true love who is buried in a cold grave. He loved her dearly, and he'll sit and weep upon her grave for twelve months and a day.
In the following verse, the dead speaks from beyond the grave, questioning who sits and weeps upon her grave. The man answers, "It is I, my love, upon thy grave, who will not let you sleep. For I crave one kiss of your lips, and that is all I seek." However, the dead tells him that if he kisses her cold lips, his time will not be long.
The third verse describes a garden grove where they used to walk, and where the finest flower has withered to a stalk. The dead reminds him to keep a patient heart and that they professed eternal love that lives even though she may sleep. The song ends with the dead telling the man to make himself content until god calls him away.
Line by Line Meaning
The wind doth howl today m'love
The weather is particularly harsh today
And a winter's worth of rain
It's been raining heavily for a long time
I never had but one true love
I only ever loved one person
In cold grave she was lain
She died and was buried in the cold ground
Oh I adored my sweetest love
I loved her deeply
As any young man may
As any young man might do
So I'll sit and weep upon her grave
I'll mourn her loss by sitting and crying at her burial site
For twelve-month and a day
For a year and a day
One true love is eternity for two
If two people truly love each other, their love will last forever
Three four nevermore
There will never be another love for me
Will I see my love true
I will never see my true love again
The twelve-month and a day foregone
After a year and a day had passed
The dead began to speak
The deceased person's voice is heard
"Oh who sits weeping on my grave
Who is crying at my grave?
And will not let me sleep?"
And won't allow me to rest?
"'Tis I, m'love, upon thy grave
It's me, my love, sitting on your grave
Who will not let you sleep
I won't let you rest
For I crave one kiss of your lips
I want to kiss you
And that is all I seek"
That's all I want
"You crave one kiss of my cold lips
You want to kiss my cold lips
But I am one year gone
But I've been dead for a year
If you have one kiss of my lips
If you kiss my lips
Your time will not be long
You won't live for much longer
Let me remind thee, dearest one
Let me remind you, my dearest
A patient heart to keep
To be patient and endure
For we professed eternal love
We committed to love each other forever
That lives though I may sleep"
Our love lives on even though I'm dead
There down in yonder garden grove
Over there, in the garden
Love, where we once did walk
Where we used to stroll together, my love
The finest flower that ever was seen
The most beautiful flower ever seen
Has withered to a stalk
Has died and turned into a dry stem
The stalk is withered dry, my love
The stem has dried up, my love
Though our hearts shan't decay
Even though our love will never die
So make yourself content, my love
So be satisfied, my love
Till god calls you away"
Until God takes you to the afterlife
Contributed by Kylie P. Suggest a correction in the comments below.