Katatonia is a Swedish doom metal band formed in Stockholm in 1991 by Jonas… Read Full Bio ↴Katatonia is a Swedish doom metal band formed in Stockholm in 1991 by Jonas Renkse and Anders Nyström. The band started as a studio-only project for the duo, as an outlet for the band's love of death metal/doom metal. Increasing popularity led them to add more band members for live performances, though outside of the band's founders, the lineup was a constantly changing, revolving door of musicians throughout the 1990s, notably including Mikael Åkerfeldt of the band Opeth for a period. After two death/doom albums, Dance of December Souls (1993) and Brave Murder Day (1996), problems with Renkse's vocal cords coupled with new musical influences led the band away from the screamed vocals of death metal to a sound combining elements of doom metal, alternative metal and progressive metal.

The band released two more albums, Discouraged Ones (1998) and Tonight's Decision (1999), before settling into a stable quintet lineup for all of the 2000s. The band released four more albums with said lineup: Last Fair Deal Gone Down (2001), Viva Emptiness (2003), The Great Cold Distance (2006) and Night Is the New Day (2009), with the band slowly moving away from their metal sound while adding more progressive rock sounds to their work over time. While lineup changes started up again into the 2010s, Renkse and Nyström persisted, and the band continued on to release their ninth and tenth studio albums, Dead End Kings (2012) and The Fall of Hearts (2016). After touring in support of the album through 2017, the band entered a hiatus at the beginning of 2018. The band returned from their hiatus in February 2019, with their eleventh studio album, City Burials, released in April 2020 and twelfth studio album, Sky Void of Stars (2023).

Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Katatonia

Studio albums
Dance of December Souls (1993)
Brave Murder Day (1996)
Discouraged Ones (1998)
Tonight's Decision (1999)
Last Fair Deal Gone Down (2001)
Viva Emptiness (2003)
The Great Cold Distance (2006)
Night Is the New Day (2009)
Dead End Kings (2012)
The Fall of Hearts (2016)
City Burials (2020)
Sky Void of Stars (2023)

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Katatonia was a Polish death/thrash metal band. They released one demo, "It's Only a Dream", in 1993 before splitting up. See here: https://www.metal-archives.com/bands/Katatonia/55254

Saw You Drown
Katatonia Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

As through your shattered eyes
It all came together
And your heart cries
Weeping through the weather
Another way to change your mind
I'm weaker than they say
To leave this all behind
The only way to stay

Don't you know
I'm the end of what we'll be
And right below us
The last thing you'll see

In the water
I saw you drown
Down the water
Saw you drown

As through my shattered sight
You're no longer here
And my heart cries
Sleeping through the light
Another way to change my mind
Never is the day

To leave this all behind
The only way to stay

Overall Meaning

The lyrics for the Katatonia song "Saw You Drown" convey a sense of emotional turmoil and despair. The opening lines suggest a fragmented and shattered state of mind, as though seeing the world through broken glass. As the song progresses, it becomes clear that the singer is speaking to someone who has drowned, either figuratively or literally. The lines "And your heart cries weeping through the weather" suggest a sense of profound sadness and loss.

Despite the pain, the singer seems to draw strength from the situation, as the lines "To leave this all behind, the only way to stay" suggest. It seems as though the singer has accepted that there is no going back to the way things were before, but that moving forward may provide some relief. The final lines of the song suggest that the singer is also suffering, referencing a "shattered sight" and a heart that cries.

In summary, "Saw You Drown" is a poignant and introspective song that deals with themes of grief, loss, and acceptance. The lyrics are crafted in such a way as to evoke a strong emotional response from the listener, and the music fits perfectly with the mood of the words.

Line by Line Meaning

As through your shattered eyes
Looking at a broken world from a shattered perspective

It all came together
Despite the chaos, everything seemed to make sense

And your heart cries
Feeling intense emotions

Weeping through the weather
Crying despite any external circumstances

Another way to change your mind
Seeking alternate perspectives to modify thoughts

I'm weaker than they say
Admitting personal vulnerability

To leave this all behind
Wanting to escape current reality

The only way to stay
In order to survive, must maintain current situation

Don't you know
A plea for understanding

I'm the end of what we'll be
Accepting responsibility for an ending

And right below us
The end is imminent and nearby