The band released its first demo in 2001, which caught the attention of Lee Barrett and the band was quickly signed onto Elitist Records, a branch of the infamous Earache. The bands debut album A Warm Glimpse was released in the year 2003. It turned out to be a success, especially among the progressive metal circles, and Farmakon was widely noted by the metal press as a band to keep an eye out for.
Farmakon was signed onto by the Finnish FS Records after Elitist Records came crashing down. The band's second album Robin was released in early 2007. The album continues with the band's trademark twist, but also introduces a darker and more focused side of Farmakon.
In 2010 they split-up.
Band line-up (as of october 2007):
Marko Eskola - Vocals
Toni Salminen - Guitars
Pekka Kauppila - Bass
Riku Airisto - Drums
Helpless
Farmakon Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
In autumnal twilight
Sets the scenery
For a heart-breaking play
Strangled sorrow
Pains of two
Merciless grasp of loneliness
I miss the past
I miss the simpler times
Momentary images
And fragrances
To close my eyes
Detach myself
Sink into numbness
And reminisce
Cold streetlights
Damp asphalt
Take me away
Hide me
I can't stay eternally
Sunshine opens me
The feeling slowly
Fades away
Sometimes I feel
Every piece of misery there is
Powerless to avert my thoughts
I let it in
The opening lyrics of Farmakon’s “Helpless” creates a haunting and melancholic atmosphere that sets the scene for a tragic story. The warm and dim light of autumn twilight sets the stage for an emotional play. The next line introduces the themes of sadness and despair that the song will be dealing with as it tells its heart-wrenching story. Two souls are in pain, held together by a shared experience of loneliness that is both ruthless and never-ending. The singer is struggling with the weight of the past, longing for simpler times, and trying to hold on to fleeting memories and sensations.
As the song progresses, the singer becomes more and more detached from reality, sinking into numbness and reminiscing about the past. The cold streetlights and damp asphalt provide a refuge from the pain, a place to hide away from the world. The singer knows that they cannot stay here forever, though. The sunshine will eventually come, and with it, the feeling of numbness will fade away.
The last verse describes the singer’s feelings of powerlessness in the face of misery. It is a crushing sensation that cannot be avoided, and the singer has no choice but to let it in. "Helpless" is a powerful song that captures the essence of sadness and the complexities of human emotions.
Line by Line Meaning
The warm, dim light
The soothing and comforting glow of a faint light that radiates warmth
In autumnal twilight
During the transition of day into night, in the season of fall, where life withers away
Sets the scenery
Creates a picturesque view of the environment
For a heart-breaking play
Like a theatrical performance that elicits sadness and despair from the audience
Strangled sorrow
A feeling of extreme sadness and loss that suffocates the heart and soul
Pains of two
The agony that two individuals share and suffer together
Merciless grasp of loneliness
An unrelenting hold on the soul that makes one feel isolated and abandoned
Uncompromising and endless
Persistent and infinite, without any possibility for reconciliation or relief
I miss the past
A longing for the days that have gone by
I miss the simpler times
Nostalgic for a time when life was less complicated and easier to navigate
Momentary images
Fleeting visions that bring back memories of the past
And fragrances
Scents that evoke a particular time or place in one's life
To close my eyes
To shut out the present and go back to a different time
Detach myself
To distance oneself from reality and separate oneself from what is happening in the here and now
Sink into numbness
To become emotionally desensitized and blanketed by a state of insensibility
And reminisce
To recall and reflect on past events and experiences fondly
Cold streetlights
The chilling glow of the streetlights that line the lonely roads
Damp asphalt
The moisture-laden pavement that one walks on in the rain
Take me away
A desperate plea to escape the pain of the present
Hide me
To seek refuge and protection from the harsh reality of the world
I can't stay eternally
Acknowledging the impermanence of life and one's own mortality
Sunshine opens me
The warmth and light of the sun that can lift one's spirits and open one's heart
The feeling slowly
Gradually and steadily, over a period of time
Fades away
Becomes less and less vivid and eventually disappears
Sometimes I feel
Occasionally experiencing
Every piece of misery there is
All of the suffering and pain that exists in the world
Powerless to avert my thoughts
Helpless in controlling one's own mind and avoiding negative thoughts
I let it in
Allowing oneself to be consumed by the weight of despair and depression
Contributed by Lucas Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Trey Cherry
One of my all time favorite songs <3
WinstonSmith911
Trey Cherry _ Mine too! "Cold streetlights....damp asphalt...take me away..." I like this more than anything Opeth put out in the last 8 years.