Dead Boy's Poem
Nightwish Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

I live no more to shame, nor me, nor you
I'm sorry

Born from silence, silence full of it
A perfect concert, my best friend
So much to live for, so much to die for
If only my heart had a home
Sing what you can't say
Forget what you can't play
Hasten to drown into beautiful eyes
Walk within my poetry, this dying music
My love letter to nobody

Never sigh for better world
It's already composed, played and told
Every thought, the music I write
Everything, a wish for the night

Wrote for the eclipse, wrote for the virgin
Died for the beauty, the one in the garden
Created a kingdom, reached for the wisdom
Failed in becoming a god

Never sigh for better world
It's already composed, played and told
Every thought, the music I write
Everything, a wish for the night

If you read this line
Remember not the hand that wrote it
Remember only the verse
Songmaker's cry, the one without tears
For I've given this its strength
And it has become my only strength
Comforting home, mother's lap, chance for immortality
Where being wanted became a thrill I never knew
The sweet piano writing down my life

Teach me passion, for I fear it's gone
Show me love, hold the lorn
So much more I wanted to give to the ones who love me
I'm sorry
Time will tell, this bitter farewell
I live no more to shame, nor me, nor you

And you
I wish I didn't feel for you anymore

A lonely soul
An ocean soul
A lonely soul
An ocean soul

So much more I wanted to give to the ones who love me
Time will tell

A lonely soul
An ocean soul




A lonely soul
An ocean soul

Overall Meaning

Dead Boy's Poem by Nightwish is a melancholic, thought-provoking song that tells the story of a person who has passed away but left something behind for the world to remember them by. The song begins by acknowledging that the writer and the reader will not live forever and apologizes for any shame that might have been caused. The first verse is an ode to silence and the writer's best friend, which is probably music. The writer then expresses a feeling of being torn between life and death, wishing they had a home in their heart.


The chorus of the song talks about the writer's love for writing music and lyrics. They talk about how every thought and every wish is penned down in their music, which is a tribute to life. The verses that follow talk about the different events and people that have inspired the writer's work. The writer notes that they have failed in their attempt to become a god by creating a kingdom and seeking wisdom.


The song culminates with the writer's request to be taught passion and shown love, acknowledging that they could not give everything they wanted to the people who love them. Dead Boy's Poem is a poignant statement on the fleeting nature of life, the importance of art, and the search for meaning.


Line by Line Meaning

I live no more to shame, nor me, nor you
I am no longer alive to bring shame to myself or to others.


Born from silence, silence full of it
I was created from silence, a complete lack of noise.


A perfect concert, my best friend
My time on Earth was a flawless performance and my best friend.


So much to live for, so much to die for
I had so many things in life worth living for, but equally as many that could have led me to death.


If only my heart had a home
I wish my heart belonged somewhere.


Sing what you can't say
Sing about that which you cannot articulate verbally.


Forget what you can't play
Don't dwell on the fact that you cannot play certain things.


Hasten to drown into beautiful eyes
Lose yourself in the beauty of someone's eyes.


Walk within my poetry, this dying music
Let my poetry be a guide through my life's journey.


My love letter to nobody
This is my personal love letter to no one in particular.


Never sigh for better world
Don't long for a better world because everything has already been created, played, and told.


It's already composed, played and told
The world is already set in stone.


Every thought, the music I write
All of my thoughts are manifested into the music I write.


Everything, a wish for the night
Everything I wish for is to happen during the nighttime.


Wrote for the eclipse, wrote for the virgin
I wrote about the eclipse and the virgin.


Died for the beauty, the one in the garden
I died in the name of beauty, the one that can be found in a garden.


Created a kingdom, reached for the wisdom
I created a kingdom to seek wisdom.


Failed in becoming a god
I was unsuccessful in becoming a god.


If you read this line
If you're reading this now...


Remember not the hand that wrote it
... forget about who wrote it.


Remember only the verse
... just remember the words.


Songmaker's cry, the one without tears
This is a songmaker's cry, with no tears.


For I've given this its strength
I have given this everything I have.


And it has become my only strength
It has consumed all of my strength.


Comforting home, mother's lap, chance for immortality
This is my comforting home, like a mother's lap, and my chance at immortality.


Where being wanted became a thrill I never knew
I never knew that feeling the desire to be wanted could be such a thrill.


The sweet piano writing down my life
There is a sweet piano writing down and documenting my life.


Teach me passion, for I fear it's gone
Help me find my passion, because I fear it may be lost.


Show me love, hold the lorn
Show me love, and help me forget my woes and struggles.


So much more I wanted to give to the ones who love me
I had so much more I wanted to give to those who loved me.


Time will tell, this bitter farewell
Only time will reveal the true nature of this bitter farewell.


And you
Lastly, to you...


I wish I didn't feel for you anymore
I wish my feelings for you would disappear.


A lonely soul
I am a lonely soul.


An ocean soul
I am an ocean soul.


So much more I wanted to give to the ones who love me
Again, I had so much more I wanted to give to those who loved me.


Time will tell
Only time will reveal.


A lonely soul
Again, I am a lonely soul.


An ocean soul
I am still an ocean soul.




Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Erno Matti Juhani Vuorinen, Jukka Antero Navalainen, Sami Tuure Petteri Vaenskae, Tarja Soile Susanna Turunen, Tero Kalle Sakari Kinnunen, Tuomas Lauri Johannes Holopainen

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
To comment on or correct specific content, highlight it

Genre not found
Artist not found
Album not found
Song not found
Comments from YouTube:

Ruben T

This is the most heartbreaking song Nightwish ever did. They've done their lion's share of sad songs, but this one is on another level entirely.

Rockgamegirl

This and Eva are definitely in the top for their sad songs

Fleet Admiral Sakazuki

Two for Tragedy

Rowdy ReidGirl

In1992, my mother and I went to visit a friend of hers from polytechnic Social Worker course.. I met the daughter of the friend, and I met Sarah, who had leukemia and had lost her hair from chemo. We all played together. I loved Sarah's gentleness. A year or so later, I asked about her, and my mother said nonchalantly, " Oh, she died.." That broke my heart. I was 14. Whenever I hear this song, I immediately think of Sarah, whose last name I never found out ❤ Rest now Sarah ❤❤

PookieEatWorld

Every time I hear something new by Nightwish, I find that I must compulsively listen to it until I have it memorized, and have studied every single note and its relationship to the notes around it. In my mind, there is no greater song writer in the world than Tuomas Holopainen.

Ben Lawson

Wonder what @PookieEatWorld is up to nowadays 🤔

Khalid Rajabov

@Ben Lawson same

DTheEndeavoring

Many of the lyrics of this song remind me of my relationship with my mother and how it impacted me throughout my life, even well after her death. She said she loved me, but she would frequently isolate me and verbally pick me apart, so I knew she didn't -- but I wanted so badly to believe the lie. As if to remind me that it was simple deceit, there was a time when she pulled back her fist to hit me, only stopping when I got angry and challenged her to do it. She was sick and needed help; help that I couldn't give. After years of PTSD and depression, I had nothing left to give. As her life came to an end -- despite all of my efforts to keep her alive and well -- all she could manage to do was fight with everyone around her. Then, in 2015, she passed on. In one fell swoop, I not only failed to become a god, I also turned my back on the one who had ignored my prayers.

Rowdy ReidGirl

@TheEndeavouring I've been where you have ❤ We're survivors

reeza zaaba

I wanted to do this song(dead boy's poem) before I die, because I wanted to tell the whole world what I think and feel. It expresses a lot of myself.-Tuomas Holopainen-

More Comments

More Versions