Flowing Tears was a gothic metal band from Saarland, Germany. Formed in 199… Read Full Bio ↴Flowing Tears was a gothic metal band from Saarland, Germany. Formed in 1994, their original band name was Flowing Tears & Withered Flowers, which they used on their first two releases, Swansongs and Joy Parade. On Swansongs, Manfred Bersin contributed the male vocals. They officially split up in 2014.

With the release of Serpentine two years later, the band would build on the work they did with Jade, adding a slightly more up tempo, less depressing sound. After the release of Serpentine, Stefanie Duchêne had to leave the band. Her pregnancy was incompatible with the high sights of the band. She is currently working on her solo career. Their current vocalist is Helen Vogt. With a sound similar to that of Serpentine, and Vogt's vocal similarities with Stefanie Duchêne's vocals, the band released their 5th studio album, Razorbliss.

On October 20, 2004, just seven months after the release of "Razorbliss", two founding members of Flowing Tears, Björn Lorson and Cristian Zimmer, died in a car accident.

Exactly 4 years after the accident, on October 20, 2008 they released their sixth studio album, titled Thy Kingdom Gone. It is a concept album containing 12 songs, along with artwork made by Seth Siro Anton, who is known for doing artwork with Moonspell, Soilwork, and Paradise Lost.

Final line-up

* Helen Vogt - Vocals (2004-2014)
* Benjamin Buss - Guitars, programming, keyboards (1994-2014)
* David Vogt - Bass guitar (2007-2014)
* Stefen Gemballa - Drums (2002-2014)

Former members

* Lena Fischer - Keyboards (1994-c. 1995)
* Björn Lorson - Guitar (1994-2004) RIP
* Manfred Bersin - Vocals (1994-1996); Guitar (1996-c. 1999)
* Cristian Zimmer - Drums (1994-1997) RIP
* Stefanie Duchêne - Vocals (1998-2004)
* Eric Hilt - Drums (1998-2000)
* Mike Voltz - Keyboard (2000)
* Frédéric Lesny - Bass (1996-2007)

Portsall
Flowing Tears Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

We laid on the back on a late summernight
When we ran out of words we could say
Two stranded stars on a deepfrozen sky
So gone but afraid not to stay

We counted the stars any latesummernight
And we watched their departure all day
"Tomorrow we'll join 'em" we dreamt many times

But tomorrow was so far away

And the moon, and the stars,
And the summernight sky
That dirty old barn, and the grey in our eyes
The harbour, the sea, and the rivers of plight

And still we're so far away...

And still we lay on the back

Another latesummernight
So gone but afraid not to stay

Overall Meaning

In "Portsall," Flowing Tears sings about the experience of being lost and overwhelmed, viewing oneself as a "stranded star" in the vast expanse of the night sky. The lyrics describe a sense of stagnation and longing, as the singer and their companion lay on their backs, gazing at the stars and dreaming of "joining them." Despite feeling adrift and uncertain about the future, they remain rooted in the present moment, afraid to move forward but unwilling to let go of the beauty and wonder around them.

The imagery in the lyrics is often melancholic and bittersweet, as the singer recalls memories of summernights, harbors, and rivers of plight. The phrase "grey in our eyes" suggests a sense of weariness or resignation, as if the singers have been through countless struggles and are still struggling to find their way. However, the song also contains a note of hope, in the form of the repeating line "we're still so far away." This refrain implies that there is still a chance to reach for something better or greater, even if that goal feels impossibly distant at times.

Line by Line Meaning

We laid on the back on a late summernight
We lied down on a late summer night

When we ran out of words we could say
When we ran out of things to talk about

Two stranded stars on a deepfrozen sky
We felt lost like two stars on a cold, dark sky

So gone but afraid not to stay
Despite feeling lost, we were afraid of leaving

We counted the stars any latesummernight
We spent many late summer nights counting the stars

And we watched their departure all day
And watched them disappear as the day went by

"Tomorrow we'll join 'em" we dreamt many times
We often dreamed of joining the stars tomorrow

But tomorrow was so far away
But it felt like tomorrow would never come

And the moon, and the stars,
We stared at the moon and the stars

And the summernight sky
And the summer night sky

That dirty old barn, and the grey in our eyes
We noticed the run-down barn and felt hopeless