The Kinslayer
Nightwish Lyrics


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For whom the gun tolls
For whom the prey weeps
Bow before a war
Call it religion

Some wounds never heal
Some tears never will
Dry for the unkind
Cry for mankind

Even the dead cry
Their only comfort
Kill your friend, I don't care
Orchid kids, blinded stare

Need to understand
No need to forgive
No truth no sense left to be followed

Facing this unbearable fear
like meeting an old friend

"Time to die, poor mates,
You made me what I am!"

In this world of a million religions
everyone prays the same way

"Your praying is in vain
It'll all be over soon"

Father help me, save me a place by your side!

"There is no God Our creed is but for ourselves"
"Not a hero unless you die Our species eat the wounded ones"

Drunk with the blood of your victims
I do feel your pity-wanting pain,
Lust for fame, a deadly game

"Run away with your impeccable kin!"

"Good wombs hath borne bad sons"

Cursing, God, why?
Falling for every lie
Survivors' guilt
In us forevermore

Fifteen candles
Redeemers of this world
Dwell in hypocrisy:
"How were we supposed to know?"

Four pink ones




Nine blue ones
Two black ones

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Nightwish's The Kinslayer may seem dark and difficult to interpret at first glance, but it actually has a deeper meaning when looked into. The song is about the Columbine High School massacre that happened in 1999, where two students opened fire on their fellow students and teachers, taking 13 lives and injuring 21 others. The lyrics reflect on the cause of the massacre, the lack of understanding between different religions and the need for forgiveness despite unforgivable actions. The lyrics also touch on the survivors' guilt and the difficulty of coping with a traumatic experience like this.


The first stanza talks about the religious justifications behind wars and how it leads to the loss of innocent lives. The lyrics 'Bow before a war, Call it religion' can be interpreted as religious fanaticism leading to violence. The second stanza talks about the aftermath of such violent acts and how some wounds and tears never fully heal. The line 'Even the dead cry, Their only comfort' is a metaphorical line that represents the loss of the victims who can never come back. The third stanza talks about the shooters and their lack of remorse for the killing. The lyrics 'Kill your friend, I don't care, Orchid kids, blinded stare' talks about the lack of empathy for their victims.


Line by Line Meaning

For whom the gun tolls
Whose life has been taken by the gun


For whom the prey weeps
Whose death has made the prey mourn


Bow before a war
Submit to a conflict


Call it religion
Justify the war as a religious cause


Some wounds never heal
Some emotional traumas cannot be overcome


Some tears never will
Some sorrows will never go away


Dry for the unkind
No tears left for unkindness


Cry for mankind
Weep for humanity


Even the dead cry
Death feels like a comfort when the pain is unbearable


Their only comfort
When alive, death felt like the only way to find peace


Kill your friend, I don't care
Betraying someone's friendship for personal gain


Orchid kids, blinded stare
Young and innocent individuals misled and manipulated to do things they don't understand


Need to understand
The need to comprehend the situation


No need to forgive
Lack of desire to forgive those responsible for the damages


No truth no sense left to be followed
The situation is too confusing and chaotic, so nothing makes sense


Facing this unbearable fear like meeting an old friend
The comfort of being familiar even in a terrifying moment


"Time to die, poor mates, You made me what I am!"
The person blames their friends for the way they are now, and see killing them as a way to move forward


In this world of a million religions everyone prays the same way
Despite the differences in their beliefs, people's prayers in times of tragedy and grief are the same


"Your praying is in vain It'll all be over soon"
The person is so hopeless that they can't see a point in praying, as everything will end soon anyway


Father help me, save me a place by your side!
The last hope for salvation is in God's hands


"There is no God Our creed is but for ourselves" "Not a hero unless you die Our species eat the wounded ones"
The person has lost their faith and feels that the only thing that matters is their own agenda, even if that means harming others


Drunk with the blood of your victims I do feel your pity-wanting pain, Lust for fame, a deadly game
The person is high on their own power, but at the same time, they are empathizing with their victims without wanting to stop because they are enjoying the attention and control they have over others.


"Run away with your impeccable kin!"
The person is taunting their enemies that they should flee with their family members, as they are all perfect and innocent


"Good wombs hath borne bad sons"
Mothers can't always control the actions of their children, even if they raised them well


Cursing, God, why?
Anger and frustration towards God for allowing terrible things to happen


Falling for every lie
Being deceived by manipulative people


Survivors' guilt
Feeling guilty for having survived an ordeal while others didn't make it


In us forevermore
The emotional trauma will never fully go away.


Fifteen candles
Representing the church service for those who passed away


Redeemers of this world
Representing those who seek redemption for their past mistakes


Dwell in hypocrisy: "How were we supposed to know?"
People denying their responsibility for causing tragedy, hiding behind their ignorance as an excuse


Four pink ones Nine blue ones Two black ones
Referring to the colors of candles at the church service: pink for love, blue for peace, and black for death




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

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@Aeger136

Este es el Nightwish que me gusta, y la epoca en la que tenia 3 años y obviamente no los conocía x'D

@djcam723

Yo apenas nacía ,una bronca jajajau

@franciscopolano7788

EL primer recital al que asistí (con 15 años) fue Nightwish en Obras Sanitarias en 2004. Glorioso. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adt4M3eOGtw

@Aeger136

@@franciscopolano7788 Yo tarde muchos años en poder ver a Nightwish o a Tarja, a Nightwish los pude ver en su último concierto con Anette en Utah, pero no junte el dinero para la entrada, no fue hasta 2011 que vi a Tarja con 13 años y a Nightwish hasta los 21 en 2018 😓

@doguipreacher

20 years ago i was in line for that show as Tarja and the rest of the band walked by cause the van left them half a block away, and the place was a restaurant that didn´t have backstage access (the stage is a corner of the eating area)

@hellhammer8130

Habia una vez, hace mucho tiempo una banda llamada Nightwish....

@ffonalrah

I was proudly there

@diegohernan4326

Fue en Acatraz cuando estaba en Av Rivadavia estuve ahí fue INCREÍBLE!!

@griseldamontiel6962

Que lindo haber estado ahí lpm

@stasa-X

Tarja's magic voice and performance is amazing ❤️. Her powerful way who sung fantastic.
The best era ever.

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