overture
Franz Allers Lyrics
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The city of Vienna is experiencing the largest lightning storm in its long history.
Within a large disheveled room,
Ludwig Von Beethoven is slumped over his piano
And on the piano sits the just completed manuscript for his tenth symphony.
It is his final, and he is certain, his greatest work.]
Since the time when ra and isis
And apollo dreamed athena
And men began to understand
That when darkness folds on darkness
In the restless tides of night
And lightning raises shadows
And for moments gives them life
It's been said by those who ponder
That it surely is a sign
That a life touched by the stars
Is now running out of time
And that somewhere in that darkness
In the heart of that great storm
The world returns a soul
That the gods caused to be born
And this was such a storm
The kind one rarely sees in life
For in a room now filled with shadows
The great Beethoven was spending
His last night
[From the shadows a beautiful spirit, fate,
And her deformed dwarf son, twist,
Emerge to inform Beethoven of what he has already deeply suspected,
That this is to be his last night on earth.
They are accompanied by numerous spirits and ghosts from his past.]
The lyrics to Franz Allers's song "Overture" tell the story of the final moments in the life of the renowned composer Ludwig Von Beethoven. In the spring of 1827, the city of Vienna experiences a historically tremendous lightning storm. Beethoven, slumped over his piano in a large, disheveled room, has just completed the manuscript for his tenth symphony. He is convinced that it is his greatest work and also his last. The song conveys the idea that the storm is a sign that Beethoven's life, touched by the stars and filled with musical genius, is now running out of time.
The second stanza of the song reflects on the symbolism of lightning and its connection to the gods and the mystery of life and death. The line "And that somewhere in that darkness/ In the heart of that great storm/ The world returns a soul/ That the gods caused to be born" implies that the storm is a kind of cosmic reckoning, where the life force of Beethoven, having been brought into the world by the gods, is now being returned to the universe. As the song progresses, we learn that Beethoven's suspicions of his imminent death are confirmed by the arrival of the spirits of Fate and her deformed dwarf son, Twist. They are accompanied by ghosts and spirits from Beethoven's past.
Overall, the lyrics to "Overture" convey a sense of cosmic majesty and inevitability, as a great life comes to an end amid the turmoil of the natural world. The storm and all of the supernatural elements it brings forth serve to underline the central importance of Beethoven's life and work, and of the power that art and music have to connect us to something larger than ourselves.
Line by Line Meaning
On a late night in the spring of 1827
It was a dark night in spring, during the year 1827
The city of Vienna is experiencing the largest lightning storm in its long history.
Vienna was going through the biggest lightning storm it had ever experienced
Within a large disheveled room,
Inside a spacious and messy room
Ludwig Von Beethoven is slumped over his piano
Beethoven was laying over his piano
And on the piano sits the just completed manuscript for his tenth symphony.
On top of the piano, there was the recently finished manuscript of Beethoven's tenth symphony
It is his final, and he is certain, his greatest work.
Beethoven was certain that his tenth symphony was his final and greatest masterpiece
From the shadows a beautiful spirit, fate,
A stunning spirit called fate emerged from the darkness
And her deformed dwarf son, twist,
She appeared next to her misshapen dwarf son called Twist
Emerge to inform Beethoven of what he has already deeply suspected,
They approached Beethoven with the information he already had a hunch about
That this is to be his last night on earth.
That the end of his life was going to be that very evening
They are accompanied by numerous spirits and ghosts from his past.
Fate and Twist were accompanied by plenty of spirits and ghosts that were from Beethoven's life
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JIMMY HOROWITZ, ROBIN MILLER, LEO ROST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind