Since the band's inception, there have been over fifteen musicians in and out of King Diamond, with the only two mainstays being vocalist King Diamond and guitarist Andy LaRocque. In 1987 the band released their second studio release Abigail (their first concept album). Throughout the 1980s, King Diamond released a total of four studio albums. In the early 1990s, the band was put on hold when King Diamond reunited with his former outfit Mercyful Fate. After reforming King Diamond in 1994, Diamond would balance recording and touring with both Mercyful Fate and his eponymous band throughout the 90's. Since the early 2000s, King Diamond have kept recording and touring and, since 2014, the band has been composed of vocalist King Diamond, guitarist Andy LaRocque, guitarist Mike Wead, drummer Matt Thompson, and bassist Pontus Egberg.
A Mansion in Darkness
King Diamond Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
No lights to show the way
How could this ever be their home
Through the darkness You could only see
A giant shadow which was to be
A house where evil ruled at night
And the shadows at the gate, they seemed to be alive
Yeah the shadows at the gate, Alive
Except for what the rats had got
And the dust of time that showed its mark
Armed with candlelight and open eyes
Through the dark they fought their way
'Til every room was lit again...Again
And the house began to breathe, it seemed to be alive
Yeah the house began to breathe, Alive
As the candlelight began to fade
And Jonathan said "Let's go to bed"
The fireplace had ceased to burn...Burn
Both were fast asleep before the dawn, Dreaming, dreaming
And they did not know about the shadow
Yeah the shadow on the wall, it really came alive
Yeah the shadow on the wall, Sunrise!
In the song 'A Mansion in Darkness' by King Diamond, the singer takes us into a secluded alley where they come across a house where evil rules at night. The darkness is so impenetrable that the characters have to rely on candlelight to navigate through the house. The mansion is in shambles, rats have destroyed everything in their way, and the dust is the only thing that shows the passage of time. The shadows at the gate appear to come to life, while the house itself seems to breathe. The singer then informs us that as they fall asleep, a shadow emerges on the wall. This shadow is alive and indicates the presence of an unspeakable terror.
The lyrics are rich in imagery and are steeped in horror. The house represents a place of terror where evil forces rule at night, and the shadows come to life, indicating a presence that is beyond comprehension. The use of candlelight adds to the mystery and heightens the terror for the characters. Overall, the song is a dark and foreboding masterpiece that takes the listener on a terrifying journey that leaves a lasting impression.
Line by Line Meaning
Riding up the alley in the rain
In the rain, they drove through the path to the mansion
No lights to show the way
The alley was dark and gloomy and they couldn't see anything
How could this ever be their home
They wondered how anyone could live in such a gloomy place
Through the darkness You could only see
The darkness was so thick that you could barely see anything
A giant shadow which was to be
There was an immense shadow of the mansion in front of them
A house where evil ruled at night
The mansion was known to be the place of evil activities especially during night time
And the shadows at the gate, they seemed to be alive
The shadows at the gate appeared to be moving and alive
Everything inside was left untouched
Apart from the rats, everything inside the mansion was left undisturbed for a long time
Except for what the rats had got
Rats had damaged and scattered things around the mansion
And the dust of time that showed its mark
The dust that accumulated over time had left marks around the mansion
Armed with candlelight and open eyes
They held candles in their hands and remained vigilant
Through the dark they fought their way
They struggled their way through the darkness
'Til every room was lit again...Again
They lit up every room in the mansion
And the house began to breathe, it seemed to be alive
The mansion appeared to come back to life as they lit up every room
Yeah the house began to breathe, Alive
The mansion seemed to come alive with energy and power
As the candlelight began to fade
As the candles started to melt and go out
And Jonathan said "Let's go to bed"
Jonathan suggested that they go to bed
The fireplace had ceased to burn...Burn
The fire that was burning in the mansion had gone out
Both were fast asleep before the dawn, Dreaming, dreaming
They fell asleep before sunrise and started dreaming
And they did not know about the shadow
They were unaware of the enormous shadow in their room
Yeah the shadow on the wall, it really came alive
The giant shadow on the wall started to move and took shape
Yeah the shadow on the wall, Sunrise!
The shadow took form as the sun started to rise
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ANDY LA ROCQUE, KIM BENDIX PETERSEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Patty Steinbock Harrington
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMG!!
☆I LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS SONG~*ESPECIALLY* WHEN
KING DIAMOND SINGS/*SCREAMS*~
☆"SUNRISE"!!☆
☆I ALSO ESPECIALLY LOVE THE INSANELY WICKED GUITAR RIFF IMMEDIATELY AFTER
"SUNRISE"!!☆
☆THIS AMAZING SONG SENDS
COLD CHILLS UP & DOWN MY SPINE EVERY SINGLE TIME THAT I LISTEN TO IT!!☆
☆HELL...THIS *ENTIRE ALBUM SENDS COLD CHILLS UP & DOWN MY SPINE EVERY SINGLE TIME THAT I LISTEN TO IT!!☆
ABIGAIL REALLY REALLY ROXX!!
Master Voland
Помню в молодости перевел весь этот альбом на русский и ходил распевал что-то вроде этого
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Подьезжали ливнем в темноте
Ни огня, лишь мрак везде
Как мог быть этаким их до-о-ом?
Сквозь ночную мглу всяк видеть мог
Гиганта тень лежит у ног
То дом, где ночью правит зло-о-о!
Эти тени у ворот, казалось ожили
Эти тени у ворот, живы-ы!
Все внутри осталось как тогда
Для крыс лишь тут нашлась еда
Да прах времен скопился зде-е-есь!
Со свечой и страхом перед тьмой
Пробрались сквозь домик свой
Пока не осветили ве-е-есь!
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За достоверность сейчас, увы, не ручаюсь
Но в то время я старался, чтобы совпадал каждый слог и размерность. Чтоб по русски пелось в такт, пусть даже где-то с дословным переводом чуток и согрешил)
Lucas Ribeiro
Riding up the alley in the rain
No lights to show the way
How could this ever be their home
Through the darkness You could only see
A giant shadow which was to be
A house where evil ruled at night
And the shadows at the gate, they seemed to be alive
Yeah the shadows at the gate, Alive
Everything inside was left untouched
Except for what the rats had got
And the dust of time that showed its mark
Armed with candlelight and open eyes
Through the dark they fought their way
'Til every room was lit again...Again
And the house began to breathe, it seemed to be alive
Yeah the house began to breathe, Alive
As the candlelight began to fade
And Jonathan said "Let's go to bed"
The fireplace had ceased to burn...Burn
Both were fast asleep before the dawn, Dreaming, dreaming
And they did not know about the shadow
Yeah the shadow on the wall, it really came alive
Yeah the shadow on the wall, Sunrise!
TCOCharlesDexterWard
on the top of the best metal songs ever written
THE SECRET ✨ POLYGLOT✨
@Y eah 🤘 once a king always a king
Y eah
Definetely in top 100. Edit: Definetely in top 10 when it was composed.
Darin Raven Wharton
#FACTS
Koalafishmutantbird
👍
MillionBlue青
No doubt about that
emedina73
What a brilliant mind the King has! Such wonderful story telling through vocals that are amazingly wide in range coupled with other very talented musicians! You just don’t see music like this anymore,that was a very special time! I miss those days dearly!
Psycho Machinery
King was way ahead of his time from his very beginning
victor garcia
King as a whole is fantastic. But it in this song the part that stands out to me in particular is right at 1:46 when his scream fades into the guitar.. Goosebumps.. 😱
Torgo1969
+victor garcia As a new fan of KD, it seems to me that every song is horrifying, so the screams and falsetto fit perfectly with the otherworldly and occult terrors in the story.