Winter Will End
Finist Lyrics
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There's no flowers, snow is around
Sun is shining but warmth is hiding
In temples built for the clown
Who can say there's no other way
I'm not a fool to blindly obey
Stream of life seems frozen but I know
Ain't you tired to live in the fear?
Gods! Please bless us - the battle is near
Take the sword in your hand
We have to defend
Our great Motherland...
And winter will end.
The lyrics to Finist's song "Winter Will End" speak about the arrival of winter and its impact on one's surroundings. The first stanza describes the arrival of winter from the south, replacing the flowers with snow and hiding the warmth behind temples built for the clown. This can be interpreted as a metaphor for the winter taking over the beauty and warmth of life. However, amidst this environment, the singer maintains hope that spring will come back again. The singer acknowledges that while the stream of life seems frozen, he knows that life will bloom again.
The second stanza sets a more political and patriotic tone. The singer asks if the listener is tired of living in fear and calls upon the gods to bless them in the upcoming battle. The singer asks the listener to take up their sword to defend the great Motherland. The singer maintains that despite the current state of winter, it will eventually end, and spring will come back. The song expresses the hope that no matter how harsh the present situation is, it will eventually give way to a brighter future.
Overall, the song seems to be a message of hope and reassurance. Finist's lyrics encourage the listener to hold onto hope for a better tomorrow instead of dwelling on the present harsh realities. The message is delivered through poetic lyrics and a powerful melody that gives such an emotional impact.
Line by Line Meaning
From the south the winter has come
The cold season has arrived, and it has come from the southern direction.
There's no flowers, snow is around
The ground is covered in snow, and there aren't any signs of flowers or vegetation.
Sun is shining but warmth is hiding
Although the sun is out, it doesn't feel warm due to the winter season.
In temples built for the clown
There are places built for entertainment, yet they feel empty and uninviting in the winter months.
Who can say there's no other way
Is there anyone who can confidently say that there are no alternative routes to take?
I'm not a fool to blindly obey
I won't mindlessly follow orders without understanding the reasoning behind them.
Stream of life seems frozen but I know
Although it may feel like life has come to a standstill, I believe that it will continue to flow.
The spring will come here again
The season of spring will eventually return to this place.
Ain't you tired to live in the fear?
Are you not fed up with constantly living in fear?
Gods! Please bless us - the battle is near
Oh gods, please bestow your blessings upon us, as we are about to enter into a battle.
Take the sword in your hand
We must prepare ourselves for battle and take up our weapons.
We have to defend
It's our responsibility to protect and defend what we believe in.
Our great Motherland...
We must stand up for and defend our homeland.
And winter will end.
Despite the challenges we may face, the winter season will eventually come to an end.
Contributed by Anthony D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
Vellichor
2011: Shortly after the release of A Dance with Dragons, Martin said, "the last two books will go a little quicker than this one has". After all, A Dance with Dragons released a full five years over deadline, so the assurance that the final two books would be written more quickly was comforting news.
2012: Saying he had about 400 pages written, Martin said, "The sixth volume won’t be released in 2012 or in 2013. I really look forward to publishing it in 2014, but I am really bad for predictions.”
2015: Martin apologized for his previous estimate of 2014, which was missed; that said, he promised that he'd rethink his previous intention to not attend ComicCon if he succeeded in finishing The Winds of Winter beforehand. This gave fans hope: clearly, he believed it was possible to finish the novel before ComicCon. He must nearly be done with it! Also this year, Martin said the new goal was 2016, which would have the book releasing alongside Season Six of the TV show.
2016: "Look, I have always had problems with deadlines," Martin wrote in a blog post.
2017: No book yet. When a fan asks for an update, Martin, seemingly irritated, responded with that he believed it would be out that year, in 2017. Later that year he posted on his blog: “I am still working on [The Winds of Winter], I am still months away (how many? good question), I still have good days and bad days, and that’s all I care to say. … I do think you will have a Westeros book from me in 2018.”
2018: A Westeros book was released. It was Fire and Blood, not The Winds of Winter. Dude even began opining about the possibility of never finishing his books, saying: "Many many people invest their time into works without endings. F. Scott Fitzgerald never finished The Last Tycoon, Charles Dickens never finished Edwin Drood, Mervyn Peake never finished Titus Alone, yet those works are still read.”
2020: Martin had these comments when, again, giving an update on The Winds of Winter. "I wrote hundreds and hundreds of pages of The Winds of Winter in 2020. The best year I’ve had on WOW since I began it. Why? I don’t know. Maybe the isolation. Or maybe I just got on a roll. Sometimes I do get on a roll. I need to keep rolling, though. I still have hundreds of more pages to write to bring the novel to a satisfactory conclusion. That’s what 2021 is for, I hope. I will make no predictions on when I will finish. Every time I do, assholes on the internet take that as a 'promise,’ and then wait eagerly to crucify me when I miss the deadline. All I will say is that I am hopeful."
2021: Referencing how much work he'd accomplished during the year, Martin said this: “Let me say [once] again, yes, I am still working on Winds of Winter.” He noted that he'd made less progress on the novel in 2021 than in 2020, though was quick to point of that "less" did not mean "none".
2022: As of writing this, March 26th, 2022, there is no release date of any kind of the novel. He is 2,345 days over his original publisher-set deadline of October 2015. Martin turns 74 this year. In the event that he succeeded in publishing The Winds of Winter by 2023, and if the writing process on A Dream of Spring went similarly to The Winds of Winter, he could be as old as 85 when it released in 2034.
Xel
Martin is a self-admitted gardener type of writer. In my own reading and writing experiences, when I've encountered writers who lean more heavily to gardening and do very little if any work in the architect-side of writing to have some kind of a map to get the story/character naturally get to where they need to end up, it bites them later. They generally start out strong with a story, because there is so much freedom to grow. It's all knew and so many pathways of your own imagining to take. However, as the story progresses and choices are made, the paths ahead become more limited and, without ret-cons or diminishing the quality of your work by just making things happen in very unnatural ways for the plot, you are bound to the past and you can't go backward. You no longer have the freedom you had before and this often frustrates gardeners.
Martin could have started with a general idea of a character and plot and where he wanted things to end up, but gardeners who work in the moment and let their muse run wild let the story and characters just flow instead. For all we know, he killed Snow on a moment of passionate inspiration and he loved the idea. In that moment it was exactly what he thought was right for the story. But now he's been distracted and that passion has cooled. Plus, in mulling it over for years now, he could have realized the idea has hindered where he originally wanted to go. Or perhaps killing Snow was always part of the plan, but he has thought of things he wished he'd done instead (better ideas he is now more passionate about), but he's trapped because of what has already been published and can't be easily ret-conned. I'm just using the Jon Snow situation as an example. It could be anything. Like his original idea of how to finish the story is something that he fears won't fly in present social/political climates and he doesn't have the nerve to finish it. Or his end idea is no longer appealing and he can't think of anything else with the previous history he's already written for the previous stories. Writing could just give him anxiety or frustration and it became not fun. Gardeners thrive on the fun and struggle when it becomes "work". Furthermore, the longer he is removed from the story and those characters, the more passion and connection he loses with them. I could see him struggle to get into their mindset again or care about their ends. Gardeners can fall out of love with characters. Especially after 10 years and Martin changes as a person.
Whatever the reason, I think something has made writing ASOIAF difficult or unpleasant or simply uninteresting to him. It doesn't get the fire going anymore. I've found gardener writers to be those who dislike limitations and being beholden to anything. And, unfortunately, an established published past they can't just make up to suit their new ideas because the past they've written is already in stone is like an albatross around their neck. It's also far enough into the story he can't add new characters to spice things up for him.
Starting new stories is always much more enjoyable for gardeners. If he can explore writing ideas he is passionate about that he can't weave into ASOIAF, then he is free to add them to new projects. So that, I can easily imagine, makes new stuff all the more appealing to him.
He could also just be very lazy and, now that he is at the half-way point, needing to bring things together, doing tough stuff like linking all the chains he's created to the conclusion for each storyline/character arc he wants is too much architecture and it creates writer's blocks.
Pea Nuts_Ma
Do you want to know the real reason Martin will never finish that book? It's because he wrote himself into a corner. He created this elaborate world with hundreds, if not thousands of characters, each with complicated backstories that have to be cross-referenced and double-checked each time he inserts them because he can't remember what he wrote. He's probably got a massive database just for that. Then, he made a mistake by letting HBO film a show based on a series that was never finished. Now, he's got to go back to what the show did and try to figure out what the hell he wants to do with each character. I wouldn't be surprised if he hasn't rewritten what he's got multiple times or trashed what he has.
That's the big risk a writer takes when you create a lavish fantasy world with its own language and history spanning thousands of years. It may start small, but quickly takes on a life of its own. That's why, as a writer, I stick to a handful of characters. Have one hero, one heroine, and a few secondary characters to drive your plot.
This guy: Dragons, incest, zombie walkers, a one-eyed raven, court intrigue, families with more dysfunction than a guest on Jerry Springer, and plot lines that span centuries.
Dude, ever hear of less is more?
Tolkien did it, but I think he was the exception and not the rule.
Aristophanes
@CountArtha
Well, he killed the "mad queen". Daenarys stated in her victory speech that her future fundament of power would lie on her eastern allies (Dothraki, Unsullied; naming Greyworm chief of all her armies, using an eastern language), rejecting the western houses.
Jon would have been the only westerosi she would have trusted any longer. So he would be the only one to get near her to assasinate her... well, besides Aryam who would have killed her John-Wick-like with a pencil and knocking the dragon out with a roundhouse kick. But as I said: This character was totaly broken in the last season(s) and should have died as soon as she got her revenge (probably in a fight against the white walkers).
Everyone remembers the jokes about Jon in the last season, but overall he had a very good arc. Just compare it to Aragorn: Both are (half) orphans and were raised by others. Both long time didn't know about their true heritage and first had to perform low key and shitty "jobs" (watchmen- ranger), which formed their characters (loyal, brave, humble, caring). Simply good guys that grew into their roles as leaders. First: serve and follow. Second commanding and ruling. The old boss from the nightswatch even told this Jon baltantly in the show.
Both put their duty over their personal likings and refused follow egoistic motives (Aragorn not taking the ring from Frodo, Jon not going south revenging his father, returning to the nightwatch and leaving his wildling woman), completing their development to the virtue ruler and getting the girl that was firts unreachable for them (but now they "earned" her/proved themselfs worthy).
And here we are, last season: In a Tolkien style story, they would have get the girl, fullfilled their destiny, sat on the throne and ruled till they are old and grey. Like Aragorn. Like a fairytale. Like everyone would expect it. But Martins fantasy world is not crafted in this manner. This world is more grey, there are no classic heros and - like in the real world - more treachery and dirty politics. Conseqently, after going through all this sh*t Jon gets nothing. For the greater good, he has to forsake all he stands for: Become a traitor and kill the woman he loves. No "thanks Jon", no recognition, nothing.
That's a character arc G.R.R. Martin would write. Just look at Jaime: Saves the city by killing the mad king and everyone hates him. The hero gets no recognition, there is no choosen one, history repeats itself, there is no pot of gold at the end of the rainbow, end of story.
Long story, short outcome: Like Daenarys, Jons arc is fitting and loyal to the style of Martin and his series. Poorly executed by the show, but overall the core is good. For anyone prefering the Tolkien style, it is of course unsatisfying...but that's the way GoT got popular in the first hand.
C L
Anytime Geroge compares himself to or especially when he criticizes Tolkien, I want to slap the taste out of his mouth. At least Tolkien finished his epic saga, and many more books as well. He also fought in a world war, wrote part of the W section of the dictionary. Despite having a career teaching on top of that, he wrote multiple appendices to his books, including a comprehensive timeline of events. He even answered thousands of fan letters with questions about the lore, fleshing his story out further. Tolkien wrote a story that might be a little cliche at times (to modern readers) but was actually ahead of it's time in offering a hero character who was just a humble hobbit who overcame the forces of extreme evil by being himself.
When Martin finishes his series, he can then whine about Aragorn's tax policy. And hey, maybe Tolkien made his story easier to complete by not ending every likable POV character's story arc with a horiffic death? But what would Tolkien know? He only perfected the genre after all.
Tayna Abreu
@Stupid Anon YES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Tayna Abreu
@Blrp He is not! Stop this nonsense, just because he apropriated the RR for his pen name doesnt make him close to Tolkien
Tayna Abreu
The hubris of Martin to have put the RR in his pen name just makes me angry.
trolleriffic
@Commandosoap777 Dune works as a standalone book though. It's an enjoyable read even if you never get into the sequels.
OverlordMGC Over
@Balandrus Ah alright. Thanks for clarifying. That this guy is even comparing himself to Tolkien should be a crime.
Vellichor
2011: Shortly after the release of A Dance with Dragons, Martin said, "the last two books will go a little quicker than this one has". After all, A Dance with Dragons released a full five years over deadline, so the assurance that the final two books would be written more quickly was comforting news.
2012: Saying he had about 400 pages written, Martin said, "The sixth volume won’t be released in 2012 or in 2013. I really look forward to publishing it in 2014, but I am really bad for predictions.”
2015: Martin apologized for his previous estimate of 2014, which was missed; that said, he promised that he'd rethink his previous intention to not attend ComicCon if he succeeded in finishing The Winds of Winter beforehand. This gave fans hope: clearly, he believed it was possible to finish the novel before ComicCon. He must nearly be done with it! Also this year, Martin said the new goal was 2016, which would have the book releasing alongside Season Six of the TV show.
2016: "Look, I have always had problems with deadlines," Martin wrote in a blog post.
2017: No book yet. When a fan asks for an update, Martin, seemingly irritated, responded with that he believed it would be out that year, in 2017. Later that year he posted on his blog: “I am still working on [The Winds of Winter], I am still months away (how many? good question), I still have good days and bad days, and that’s all I care to say. … I do think you will have a Westeros book from me in 2018.”
2018: A Westeros book was released. It was Fire and Blood, not The Winds of Winter. Dude even began opining about the possibility of never finishing his books, saying: "Many many people invest their time into works without endings. F. Scott Fitzgerald never finished The Last Tycoon, Charles Dickens never finished Edwin Drood, Mervyn Peake never finished Titus Alone, yet those works are still read.”
2020: Martin had these comments when, again, giving an update on The Winds of Winter. "I wrote hundreds and hundreds of pages of The Winds of Winter in 2020. The best year I’ve had on WOW since I began it. Why? I don’t know. Maybe the isolation. Or maybe I just got on a roll. Sometimes I do get on a roll. I need to keep rolling, though. I still have hundreds of more pages to write to bring the novel to a satisfactory conclusion. That’s what 2021 is for, I hope. I will make no predictions on when I will finish. Every time I do, assholes on the internet take that as a 'promise,’ and then wait eagerly to crucify me when I miss the deadline. All I will say is that I am hopeful."
2021: Referencing how much work he'd accomplished during the year, Martin said this: “Let me say [once] again, yes, I am still working on Winds of Winter.” He noted that he'd made less progress on the novel in 2021 than in 2020, though was quick to point of that "less" did not mean "none".
2022: As of writing this, March 26th, 2022, there is no release date of any kind of the novel. He is 2,345 days over his original publisher-set deadline of October 2015. Martin turns 74 this year. In the event that he succeeded in publishing The Winds of Winter by 2023, and if the writing process on A Dream of Spring went similarly to The Winds of Winter, he could be as old as 85 when it released in 2034.
DivasRus
@Vellichor I mean people want to defend him because they love the series but pretty much all cues, interviews etc show the man's a self righteous cunt.
Legbiter 14
Didn’t George also scrap most of what he’d written for winds in 2015? Feel like I remember reading that somewhere.
Edit: Nevermind, looks like that was mostly just a fan theory. He did say he would be done in a few months in 2015 and then clearly kept writing so maybe it holds some weight.
panatha tube
Finishing A Dream of Spring by 2034? Optimistic are we?