Anders Nyström calls Red House Painters one of Katatonia's biggest influences.
Idle Blood
Katatonia Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Bringer of my despair
You are stagnation of hope and will
O you personify loss and remorse
And you hide until my fears reappear
[Chorus]
The love for life once bright
A burning fuse
The only flame I have
Fate's spiral down this curve
(Shall only serve)
The seeds growing my misery
These wounds kill time
My struggle sublime
Idle the blood
A black state of mind
All dreams left behind
You claim to be my long absent friend
You are the cancer that just moved in
You come with the dark night of the soul
But I am turning my back on you
You know I do
[Chorus]
[Repeat x2]
Idle the blood
A black state of mind
All my dreams left behind
The lyrics of Katatonia's song, Idle Blood, speak about a personified state of despair, loss, and remorse that the singer refers to as 'you'. This 'you' symbolizes the stagnation of hope and will, and it only appears when the singer's fears resurface. The chorus refers to the once-bright love for life that has now been relegated to the background, replaced with burning fuse representing the only flame he has to cling onto. The lyrics further emphasize the singer's fate's spiral down the curve, which shall only serve the seeds of misery growing within him. Every passing moment seems to be killing time, but the singer's struggle with this sublime gloom is noble, nonetheless.
The second stanza goes on to describe the insidious nature of 'you' as the singer's long-absent friend who is actually cancer that just moved in. 'You' come with the dark night of the soul, but the singer is determined to turn his back on this personified despair. The singer refuses to be defeated and acknowledges that it is imperative to move on and abandon the ghosts of the past that lurk around in idle blood. The song's title brilliantly reflects the state of mind that the singer is in - black, dull, and inactive. A state where all dreams are left behind, and wishes have faded away into the void.
Line by Line Meaning
You there
Addressing the entity responsible for his despair.
Bringer of my despair
Refers to the entity as the cause for his distress.
You are stagnation of hope and will
The entity is suppressing his will to hope.
O you personify loss and remorse
This entity embodies feelings of regret and defeat.
And you hide until my fears reappear
The entity is dormant until his fear resurfaces.
The love for life once bright
Referring to a passion for life that was once present.
(Out of sight)
This love has disappeared from his view.
A burning fuse
A ticking time bomb of emotions that will soon detonate.
The only flame I have
This passion is the only thing that keeps him from giving up.
Fate's spiral down this curve
His destiny is a downward spiral.
(Shall only serve)
This destiny only serves to exacerbate his misery.
The seeds growing my misery
His problems are growing and getting worse with time.
These wounds kill time
These afflictions are a burden on his time and energy.
My struggle sublime
His fight is noble and worth the effort it takes.
Idle the blood
His blood is stagnant, lacking passion and life.
A black state of mind
He is in a depressed, dark state of mind.
All dreams left behind
He has given up on all his hopes and dreams.
You claim to be my long absent friend
The entity has disguised itself as something benevolent.
You are the cancer that just moved in
The entity is a destructive force taking ahold of him.
You come with the dark night of the soul
The entity is associated with a sense of spiritual crisis.
But I am turning my back on you
He is taking control and rejecting the entity's negative influence.
All my dreams left behind
Further emphasis on his lack of hope and motivation due to his struggles.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Written by: ANDERS NYSTROM
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
WarhawkBeyond2040
Absolutely loving the Opeth influence that's going on here. One of my all time favourite Kataonia songs
Mulukkis
At times you almost think you're listening to Opeth.
WarhawkBeyond2040
@Mulukkis I'm glad I'm not the only one who thought that, when I first heard this track, I initially thought it was Opeth as you can definitely hear their influence in the music which is no surprise as Mikael Åkerfeldt was a member of Katatonia at one point plus him and Jonas Renkse play together in a band called Bloodbath
Mulukkis
@WarhawkBeyond2040 Yeah. Idle Blood is a prime example of their Opeth influences.
Jon Fredette
Akerfeldt: "best heavy album I've heard in the last 10 years"
Also Akerfeldt: "is that me singing?"
Skeletal Wish
This is such a beautiful band and he has such a calming voice
Cerebus
This song sounds like a mix of Katatonia, Opeth and Porcupine Tree.
Austin S.
That time Katatonia wrote an Opeth song. This sounds just like something off of Damnation or Blackwater Park. Well done.
fede camusso ARG 🇦🇷
Amazing track 🤘🤘🔥
Álvaro Basanta
I think this is the first time I see no dislikes in a song on YouTube.