Turn Loose the Mermaids
Nightwish Lyrics
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At the end of the line far far away
A child holding on to the magic of birth and awe
Oh, how beautiful it used to be
Just you and me far beyond the sea
The waters, scarce in motion
Quivering still
At the end of the river the sundown beams
All the relics of a life long lived
Here, weary traveler rest your wand
Sleep the journey from your eyes
Good journey, love, time to go
I checked your teeth and warmed your toes
In the horizon I see them coming for you
The mermaid grace, the forever call
Beauty in spyglass on an old man's porch
The mermaids you turn loose brought back your tears
At the end of the river the sundown beams
All the relics of a life long lived
Here, weary traveler rest your wand
Sleep the journey from your eyes
At the end of the river the sundown beams
All the relics of a life long lived
Here, weary traveler rest your wand
Sleep the journey from your eyes
At the end of the river the sundown beams
All the relics of a life long lived
Here, weary traveler rest your wand
Sleep the journey from your eyes
At the end of the river the sundown beams
All the relics of a life long lived
Here, weary traveler rest your wand
Sleep the journey from your eyes
In Nightwish's song "Turn Loose the Mermaids," the lyrics speak of a sense of loss and longing for a past relationship or connection that has been lost to time. The imagery of a kite flying over a graveyard and a child holding onto the magic of birth and awe sets the tone for the nostalgic longing and remembrance of a time that was once magical and beautiful. The repetition of the line "At the end of the river the sundown beams, all the relics of a life long lived, here, weary traveler rest your wand, sleep the journey from your eyes" creates a dreamlike atmosphere of letting go and finding peace in the end.
The song then references the mermaids that have been "turned loose" or set free, which seems to symbolize the release of emotions and pain that have been held onto in regards to the lost relationship or connection. The mermaids bring back tears, perhaps representing the memory of the emotions felt during the time that has passed. The final verse, which repeats the same lines as the previous verses, creates a sense of closure and acceptance of the natural cycle of life, as the weary traveler is allowed to rest and sleep.
Overall, "Turn Loose the Mermaids" is a song that speaks to the universal experience of loss and the yearning for what was once beautiful and magical. The repetition of the same lines over and over again creates a sense of hypnotic release and acceptance of the journey that all must travel in life.
Line by Line Meaning
A kite above a graveyard grey
A kite hovers over a dreary cemetery
At the end of the line far far away
The kite is so far away it's at the end of the string
A child holding on to the magic of birth and awe
A child clings onto the wonder and awe of life's beginnings
Oh, how beautiful it used to be
Memories of how lovely things were in the past
Just you and me far beyond the sea
Together, we ventured far out to sea
The waters, scarce in motion
The sea was almost still
Quivering still
But it trembled with emotion
All the relics of a life long lived
At the end of the river, we find the remnants of a long existence
Here, weary traveler rest your wand
Take a break and put down your burden, tired adventurer
Sleep the journey from your eyes
Close your eyes and forget your travels for a while
Good journey, love, time to go
Farewell, love, it's time to depart
I checked your teeth and warmed your toes
I made sure you were taken care of before you left
In the horizon I see them coming for you
I can see someone coming to take you away
The mermaid grace, the forever call
The beauty and allure of mermaids is eternal
Beauty in spyglass on an old man's porch
An old man sees the beauty of the world through a telescope
The mermaids you turn loose brought back your tears
The mermaids you released made you cry, perhaps due to their beauty and passing beauty of life
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: ERNO VUORINEN, MARKO HIETALA, TUOMAS HOLOPAINEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@pkmntrainerbini2856
"Nightwish keyboardist and chief songwriter Tuomas Holopainen told Metal Hammer
magazine how witnessing the passing away of his grandfather inspired
this ballad. He explained: "One thing that I like to do is pay a little
homage to certain things that I really respect – for example, the My
Dying Bride album Turn Loose The Swans is one of my all-time
favourites, which is why this is called 'Turn Loose The Mermaids'. It's
nothing to do with My Dying Bride other than the title, but it was born
in the moment when I saw my grandfather die, and my grandmother was
giving him the final message. It was one of the most emotional
experiences of my life – it was so dark and beautiful at the same time. I
had to make a song about it – the last thing she did was check his
teeth, warm his toes, and then [say] 'Good journey my love, see you
soon'. She was 93 back then, and 15 minutes after, he died. I'd never
seen a dead person before, and it was an emotional moment, so I wanted
to do a song about it. The album's all about life and the power and
beauty of imagination, and I thought that we needed to include the final
chapter of life, which is death." "
says songfacts site
@b33fcake34
This song is beautiful. If I could I would make a video to go along with what I imagine for this song. I'll share what I have in mind the best I can. Things like this look better in ones mind than has words but here it is.
0:00-0:15 a small group of people dressed in black, walk towards a grave yard along a horse drawn carriage on a gloomy almost rainy day.
0:15-0:35 we flash back in time a few weeks and see an old homestead on a cliff or hill by the ocean. Its a beautiful setting with mountains just in the background. Just down this hill from the home is a shallow flowing river.
0:35-0:50 We find an old couple inside the home. The husband lay in bed dying from old age. His wife sits on the bed beside him reflecting on past times.
0:51-1:11 We are back outside the homestead and see the sun shinning down on the end of the river as it reaches the sea. Then at 0:57 we see all the hard work that has been done at the place and things that have been built.Then at 1:01 we see the wife telling her husband he lived his life to the full and he can rest now.
1:12-1:25 We flash forward back to the people with the horse drawn carriage as they stop at the new grave that has already been dug.
1:26- 1:42 We flash back again. The wife tells him he can rest now, and comforts him. She knows he does not have much more time as she looks out the window towards the sea.
1:42- 1:58 the rest of the family comes into the room to say there goodbyes.
1:59- 2:16 we see the river again as the sun shines on it, and more of the hard work that was done at the home.
2:17- 2:34 we see the old man, close his eyes, and enter deaths sleep.
2:35- 3:05 we flash back further in time and we see the old man and his wife and the life they went through together. We see them when there young, when there just starting to build there home. We see the children they had together. We see there children grow up and start families of there own. We see the old man and his wife as grandparents. We see the life they lived.
3:06- 3:22 We return to the grave yard with the Casket being lowered into the ground. Everyone says there final goodbyes and the old woman is the last to leave.
3:23- 3:32 we find the old woman, walking in the middle of the river towards the sea. We see she has a big smile on her face.
3:33- 3:39 we see the the old woman is actually in the house, in her chair, asleep in death.
3:40- 4:20 we see the old woman continuing to walk towards the sea as the sun beams down greatly on her and the end of the river. She walks atop the water. Shes walking faster now and is becoming more excited. Then she sees him, just ahead standing on the water. He reaches out his hand and grabs hers. They are with each other once more, and they both turn and walk into the setting sun, leaving the short river of life, and entering the vast sea.
@rjac1989
Let’s all appreciate for a minute Annette for the time she was in Nightwish. Imaginaerum was one of the greatest albums I ever heard and she did an amazing job on the album.
@cybersymes6590
Dark Passion Play is, for me, Nightwish’s best album. And that was the first one Annette sang on.
Imaginaerium was another fantastic piece of work. Annette did brilliantly on both albums.
@stasa-X
I do agree with you ☺️,i like Annete's voice and she made a great job with NW. I could not imagine anyone else to sung Imaginearum or DPP, Tuomas said and I agree with him completely.
@rjac1989
ΑΝΑΣΤΑΣΙΑ ΞΑΝΘΟΠΟΥΛΟΥ she was amazing 🙂very grateful for Tuomas writing Imaginaerum. It’s a really wonderful album ☺️
@stasa-X
@@rjac1989 Yes indeed,i always love this ❤️ album and I never boring to listening 🎧🤪.
@rjac1989
ΑΝΑΣΤΑΣΙΑ ΞΑΝΘΟΠΟΥΛΟΥ couldnt agree with you more. Glad to see other people agree with me 🙂it’s just such a timeless album, don’t think I could ever get bored listening to it!
@sophiemaor5211
Nightwish: I want my tears back!
Also Nightwish: The mermaids you turned loose brought back your tears.
PROBLEM SOLVED.
@killuazoldyck6452
This needs more upvotes
@sarahwaldock3196
LOL
@XemilyXfetishX
hahah I was thinking this while I was listening to this song