Tuomas wrote 'Higher Than Hope' for his memory, who reflects how it is to lose somebody that stands close to you. The spoken words in the middel of the song is from an interview with Marc himself, recored right before his death.
Higher Than Hope
Nightwish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And left me with no key
To unlock the chest of remedy
Mother, the pain ain't hurting me
But the love that I feel
When you hold me near
The hopes were high
Now my dreams are left to live through you
Red Sun rising
Drown without inhaling
Within, the dark holds hard
Red Sun rising
Curtain falling
Higher than hope my cure lies
Passion tide
An angel by my side
But no Christ to end this war
To deliver my soul from the sword
Hope has show me a scenery
Paradise poetry
With first snow I'll be gone
The hopes were high
Red Sun rising
Your death saved me
Red Sun rising
Nightwish's song Higher Than Hope is a powerful and emotional ballad that delves into themes of suffering, love, and hope. The opening lines, "Time it took the most of me and left me with no key to unlock the chest of remedy," suggest that the singer has endured much pain and struggles to find solace or healing. However, the presence of their mother brings them comfort and love, leading them to remark, "the pain ain't hurting me, but the love that I feel when you hold me near." This demonstrates the powerful impact that love and empathy can have in difficult times.
The remainder of the song explores the idea that dreams and hopes can be passed on to others, as the singer acknowledges that their own dreams may be unattainable, but they can live vicariously through those they love. The lyrics "the hopes were high, the choirs were vast, now my dreams are left to live through you" demonstrate this notion. The song also touches on the idea of finding peace and cure in unexpected places, such as in nature or through poetry, with lines like "with first snow I'll be gone" suggesting that nature may be a source of comfort for the singer.
Overall, Higher Than Hope is a moving and thought-provoking song that explores complex emotional concepts such as pain, love, and hope. It encourages listeners to find hope and solace in unexpected places and to appreciate the power of love and empathy in even the darkest of times.
Line by Line Meaning
Time it took the most of me
The passage of time has taken the most important parts of my life
And left me with no key
Unfortunately time has left me without important tools to move forward
To unlock the chest of remedy
There is no way to solve the issues I am facing
Mother, the pain ain't hurting me
Even though I am in pain, it doesn't feel as bad because of your love
But the love that I feel
The love that my mother provides changes my mood immensely
When you hold me near
Being around my mother and feeling her presence makes me feel better
The hopes were high
I had a lot of optimism early on
The choirs were vast
There were many people who believed in me
Now my dreams are left to live through you
I cannot make my own dreams come true. Instead, I have to live vicariously through other people
Red Sun rising
A beautiful yet ominous sight
Drown without inhaling
Feeling overwhelmed to the point of suffocation
Within, the dark holds hard
My inner pain is very difficult to deal with
Curtain falling
The end is near
Higher than hope my cure lies
The solution to my problems is beyond what I can hope for
Passion tide
There are strong emotions that sway back and forth
An angel by my side
A comforting presence helps me get through tough times
But no Christ to end this war
I cannot rely on miraculous intervention to help solve my issues
To deliver my soul from the sword
I am battling demons that threaten to hurt me both physically and emotionally
Hope has show me a scenery
I have been given a glimpse of a better future
Paradise poetry
This future would be a beautiful thing
With first snow I'll be gone
I only hope to live until the winter so I can say I made it through another season
Your death saved me
The death of someone else has brought me great change
Red Sun rising
A beautiful yet ominous sight
Lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Marco Hietala, Tuomas Lauri Johannes Holopainen
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@taradwipa
Time it took the most of me
And left me with no key
To unlock the chest of remedy
Mother, the pain ain't hurting me
But the love that I feel
When you hold me near
The hopes were high
The choirs were vast
Now my dreams are left to live through you
Red Sun rising
Drown without inhaling
Within, the dark holds hard
Passiontide
An angel by my side
But no Christ to end this war
To deliver my soul from the sword
Hope has shown me a scenery
Paradise poetry
With first snow I'll be gone
The hopes were high
The choirs were vast
Now my dreams are left to live through you
Red Sun rising
Drown without inhaling
Within, the dark holds hard
Red Sun rising
Curtain falling
Higher than hope my cure lies
Your death saved me
Red Sun rising
Drown without inhaling
Within, the dark holds hard
Red Sun rising
Curtain falling
Higher than hope my cure lies
Red Sun rising
Drown without inhaling
Within, the dark holds hard
Red Sun rising
Curtain falling
Higher than hope my cure lies
@nataner
This album defines my year of 2008. Good and bad moments ... miss.
But this song, I've cried a lot.
@taradwipa
Time it took the most of me
And left me with no key
To unlock the chest of remedy
Mother, the pain ain't hurting me
But the love that I feel
When you hold me near
The hopes were high
The choirs were vast
Now my dreams are left to live through you
Red Sun rising
Drown without inhaling
Within, the dark holds hard
Passiontide
An angel by my side
But no Christ to end this war
To deliver my soul from the sword
Hope has shown me a scenery
Paradise poetry
With first snow I'll be gone
The hopes were high
The choirs were vast
Now my dreams are left to live through you
Red Sun rising
Drown without inhaling
Within, the dark holds hard
Red Sun rising
Curtain falling
Higher than hope my cure lies
Your death saved me
Red Sun rising
Drown without inhaling
Within, the dark holds hard
Red Sun rising
Curtain falling
Higher than hope my cure lies
Red Sun rising
Drown without inhaling
Within, the dark holds hard
Red Sun rising
Curtain falling
Higher than hope my cure lies
@justincarlson3134
Thank you. 🖤
@Evanescencegirl23
such an underrated song! The refrain is so intense and desperate. I was addicted to this song when I was 17.
@mitchrist1181
Same, "It's not 'why is this happening to me but why was I saved" and "paradise poetry". Great lines. As well as the key change in the 12 bar bridge
@mikkolehtonen3485
The forgotten treasure, true masterpiece
@Oerger89
First time i listened to this, the refrain came in sync with the plane dropping in a sudden turbulence, ive never before believed more in higher forces
@user-nh1qg3yd5q
This song may be the best of the "Once" album, with "Creek Mary's Blood" and "Romanticide". That doesn't mean that the rest of the songs are not good. It's one of the best and of my favourite Nightwish albums.
@zuzakrzak4296
The best one is Ghost Love Score
@zuzakrzak4296
But other songs are awesome too