A pioneer of the progressive metal movement, Fates Warning has been referred to as one of the "Big Three" of the genre, creating and popularizing the style along with Queensrÿche and Dream Theater. Their early work, influenced by the new wave of British heavy metal, is also important in the development of American power metal. Fates Warning has released thirteen studio albums, two live albums, one compilation album, one VHS cassette, three DVDs (each featuring live concerts) and four demo tapes. The band experienced its first commercial success with the 1986 release of their third studio album, Awaken the Guardian, which peaked at No. 191 on the Billboard 200 and became the first album released on Metal Blade to enter that chart. Their next three albums—No Exit (1988), Perfect Symmetry (1989) and Parallels (1991)—were also successful; the first two peaked at No. 111 and No. 141 on the Billboard 200, respectively. By 2001, Fates Warning had sold over a million albums worldwide. Their thirteenth studio album, Long Day Good Night, was released on November 6, 2020.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fates_Warning
Studio albums
Night on Bröcken (1984)
The Spectre Within (1985)
Awaken the Guardian (1986)
No Exit (1988)
Perfect Symmetry (1989)
Parallels (1991)
Inside Out (1994)
A Pleasant Shade of Gray (1997)
Disconnected (2000)
FWX (2004)
Darkness in a Different Light (2013)
Theories of Flight (2016)
Long Day Good Night (2020)
Firefly
Fates Warning Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I see you shine
Drifting down to me, drift down to me
Is this how it's supposed to be?
Will you stay, will you go?
Again, this time, how far?
Then you take, and you're gone
Fly, far away
I won't regret at all
Not asking you to stay
I can't make you understand
As I close my empty hand
And as I stand here
Watching stars go shooting by
A thought comes to me, it comes to me
This is how it's supposed to be
Fly, far away
I won't regret at all
Not asking you to stay
I can't make you understand
As I close my empty hand
And as night turns to day
Alone now I walk away
And as time changes
Your light fades into the gray
Will you stay, will you go?
Again, this time, how far?
Then you take, and you're gone
No longer need to wait here anymore
Fly, far away
I won't regret at all
Not asking you to stay
I can't make you understand
As I close these empty hands
The lyrics to "Firefly" by Fates Warning are about the fleeting nature of relationships and the difficulty of holding onto something that is meant to be temporary. The song is told from the perspective of someone who sees a firefly - a symbol of something beautiful and magical - in the darkness of night. The firefly represents a relationship that is fleeting and cannot be held onto. The singer contemplates the inevitability of the firefly's departure but struggles with the conflicting emotions of wanting it to stay and knowing that it must go.
The lyrics also touch on the theme of acceptance, as the singer realizes that he cannot make the firefly understand his feelings and decides not to regret not asking it to stay. The song ends with the singer alone, watching the firefly fade away into the gray of the morning, but accepting that this is how it's supposed to be. The song has a poignant and melancholy feel, but ultimately the message is one of acceptance and letting go.
Line by Line Meaning
There, in the silence of the night
In the quiet nighttime, with nothing else around
I see you shine
I see your light shine in the darkness
Drifting down to me, drift down to me
Your light slowly descends towards me
Is this how it's supposed to be?
I wonder if this is what's meant to happen
Will you stay, will you go?
I wonder if you'll stay or leave
Again, this time, how far?
If you leave, I wonder how far you'll go
Then you take, and you're gone
If you choose to leave, you'll take your light with you
No longer need to wait here anymore
I won't wait for you anymore
Fly, far away
I want you to leave and go far away
I won't regret at all
I won't feel bad about asking you to leave
Not asking you to stay
I won't ask you to stay with me
I can't make you understand
I know you won't understand why I want you to leave
As I close my empty hand
I let go of any hope of keeping you here
And as I stand here
As I continue to watch you leave
Watching stars go shooting by
I watch the stars move across the sky
A thought comes to me, it comes to me
I suddenly realize
This is how it's supposed to be
Maybe this is how it was supposed to happen
Alone now I walk away
Now that you're gone, I walk away by myself
And as time changes
As time passes
Your light fades into the gray
Your light becomes weaker and fades away
As I close these empty hands
As I let go of any hope of keeping you here
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JIM MATHEOS, RAY BALDERRAMA
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Agis Tournas
There, in the silence of the night
I see you shine
Drifting down to me, drift down to me
Is this how it's supposed to be?
Will you stay, will you go?
Again, this time, how far?
Then you take, and you're gone
No longer need to wait here anymore
Fly, far away
I won't regret at all
Not asking you to stay
I can't make you understand
As I close my empty hand
And as I stand here
Watching stars go shooting by
A thought comes to me, it comes to me
This is how it's supposed to be
Fly, far away
I won't regret at all
Not asking you to stay
I can't make you understand
As I close my empty hand
And as night turns to day
Alone now I walk away
And as time changes
Your light fades into the gray
Will you stay, will you go?
Again, this time, how far?
Then you take, and you're gone
No longer need to wait here anymore
Fly, far away
I won't regret at all
Not asking you to stay
I can't make you understand
As I close these empty hands
Paul Korver
Firefly
There, in the silence of the night
I see you shine
Drifting down to me, drift down to me
Is this how it's supposed to be?
Will you stay, will you go?
Again, this time, how far?
Then you take, and you're gone
No longer need to wait here anymore
Fly, far away..
I won't regret at all
Not asking you to stay
I can't make you understand
As I close my empty hand
And as I stand here
Watching stars go shooting by
A thought comes to me, it comes to me
This is how it's supposed to be
Fly, far away
I won't regret at all
Not asking you to stay
I can't make you understand
As I close my empty hand
And as night turns to day
Alone now I walk away
And as time changes
Your light fades into the gray
Will you stay, will you go?
Again, this time, how far?
Then you take, and you're gone
No longer need to wait here anymore
Fly, far away
I won't regret at all
Not asking you to stay
I can't make you understand
As I close my empty hand
Matias
I hate it when people compare Fates and DT. Both are phenomenal bands. But, let's not forgot that Dream Theater was inspired by Fates Warning.
Harry Lupo
John Arch tried out for dream theater
André Chaves da Nóbrega Gomes
Nice comparison
lucid phreak
@SUB-BROTHERHOOD Love QR - but I disagree 100 percent. If Maiden did not exist I think FW would not exist.. I WILL agree that the popularity of fates as well as QR complimented each other well.. I also respect your opinion. Not trying to get in a flame war whatsoever.. #melodiprog.
SUB-BROTHERHOOD
@gudalpesanz Without Queensryche there'd be no Fates Warning.
SuperJEB
@Desdenova I would classify Watchtower as technical metal.
Omair Sheikh
Fates Warning has always been about intelligent and thoughtful metal music. No gimmicks and nonsense that most metal bands present nowadays, and no mid life crisis or insecurities that their peers suffer from. That's what makes them a rare gem in metal. Really looking forward to the new album.
Ivanyi Attila
They progressive. Progressive=intelligence.
Tugend8
Yes, absolutely! I share your point of view. They are lovely great authentic musicians ...
RK Fountain
Omair Sheikh I couldn't agree more.