Ashes
Oceanlab Lyrics


Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴  Line by Line Meaning ↴

Across the Eerie waters
Misty covered glass I spied
A sad procession, snaking down
The dry and deathly trail
And as my telescopic eye
Focused on the marching line
It settled on the fallen crown
Now covered with a veil

The heavy weight of mourning
Drew each head to face the ground
Muscles tight on bearers' arms
Each body cold and frail
And through the muslin mist
The beating drums, the only sound
Twenty boats out in the bay
All ready to set sail

Ashes take me back to Earth
Water quench my human thirst
Ashes take me back to Earth
Water quench my human thirst

My bones soaked in the icy cold
And fixed me where I lay
Until each vessel left the shore
And made a line for me
There never was a breeze
The leaves were silent all that day
They say the sails were ghosts
That stole the wind to set them free

I layed transfixed
Felt nothing, but the beating of my fear
As flames rose up and swallowed whole
Greatest of the fleet
The others circled round
And I heard chanting fill the air
The ashes, lifted high
Were falling back into the sea

Ashes take me back to Earth
Water quench my human thirst




Ashes take me back to Earth
Water quench my human thirst

Overall Meaning

The lyrics to Oceanlab's song "Ashes" paint a dark and eerie picture of a funeral procession taking place by a body of water. The first verse sets the scene with a telescope-like focus on the procession and the fallen crown, now covered with a veil. The second verse describes the weight of mourning and the sound of the beating drums as the boats line up to set sail. The chorus, "Ashes take me back to Earth, Water quench my human thirst," seems to be an appeal to return to the natural world after death.


Throughout the song, there is a sense of the supernatural, from the misty-covered glass to the sails being ghosts. The imagery is haunting and visceral, conveying a sense of loss and the inevitability of death. The repeated chorus adds to the haunting atmosphere, as if the singer is pleading for a release from their earthly existence.


Overall, "Ashes" is a powerful and poetic song that explores themes of mortality, grief, and the mysteries of death.


Line by Line Meaning

Across the Eerie waters
Over the mysterious sea


Misty covered glass I spied
I looked through a foggy telescope


A sad procession, snaking down
A mournful group weaving through


The dry and deathly trail
The lifeless path below


And as my telescopic eye
While I focused my far-seeing lens


Focused on the marching line
My sight fixated on the procession


It settled on the fallen crown
And rested on the lost crown


Now covered with a veil
Now hidden beneath a cloth


The heavy weight of mourning
The burden of grief


Drew each head to face the ground
Forcing everyone to bow down


Muscles tight on bearers' arms
The carriers' arms straining


Each body cold and frail
Every body weak and frail


And through the muslin mist
Through the sheer haze


The beating drums, the only sound
The drums thudding as the only noise


Twenty boats out in the bay
Twenty ships floated in the bay


All ready to set sail
Prepared to start their journey


Ashes take me back to Earth
Let the remains return to the ground


Water quench my human thirst
Let me drink water to quench my thirst


My bones soaked in the icy cold
I was freezing, chilled to the bone


And fixed me where I lay
Immovable in my spot


Until each vessel left the shore
Until each ship departed from the coast


And made a line for me
And lined up to receive me


There never was a breeze
No breeze was ever felt


The leaves were silent all that day
Trees rustled still, without a sound


They say the sails were ghosts
Rumored that the sails were ghost-like


That stole the wind to set them free
That took the wind to break their chains


I layed transfixed
I froze in place


Felt nothing, but the beating of my fear
Only felt my fear thumping inside


As flames rose up and swallowed whole
As the fire rose and consumed everything


Greatest of the fleet
The largest ship in the group


The others circled round
The rest of the ships surrounded it


And I heard chanting fill the air
I heard voices chanting all around


The ashes, lifted high
The remains, raised up


Were falling back into the sea
Dropping back into the water




Lyrics © Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: ANTHONY PATRICK JAMES MCGUINNESS, JONATHAN DAVID GRANT, JUSTINE SIMONE FREHA SUISSA, PAAVO OLAVI SILJAMAEKI

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
Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@Baheccakonova7

"Ashes"

Across the eerie waters
Misty covered glass I spied
A sad procession snaking down
The dry and deathly trail
And as my telescopic eye
Focused on the marching line
It settled on the fallen crown
Now covered with a veil

The heavy weight of mourning
Drew each head to face the ground
Muscles tight on bearers arms
Each body cold and frail
And through the muslin mist
The beating drums the only sound
Twenty boats out in the bay
All ready to set sail

Ashes, take me back to earth
Water, quench my human thirst
Ashes, take me back to earth
Water, quench my human thirst

My bones soaked in the icy cold
And fixed me where I lay
Until each vessel left the shore
And made a line for me
There never was a breeze
The leaves were silent all that day
They say the sails were ghosts
That stole the wind to set them free

I lay transfixed
Felt nothing but the beating of my fear
As flames rose up and swallowed whole
Greatest of the fleet
The others circled round
And I heard chanting fill the air
The ashes lifted high
Were falling back into the sea

Ashes, take me back to earth
Water, quench my human thirst
Ashes, take me back to earth
Water, quench my human thirst



@Baheccakonova7

Across the Eerie waters 💖
Misty covered glass I spied
A sad procession, snaking down
The dry and deathly trail
And as my telescopic eye
Focused on the marching line
It settled on the fallen crown
Now covered with a veil
The heavy weight of mourning
Drew each head to face the ground
Muscles tight on bearers' arms
Each body cold and frail
And through the muslin mist
The beating drums, the only sound
Twenty boats out in the bay
All ready to set sail

Ashes take me back to Earth
Water quench my human thirst
Ashes take me back to Earth
Water quench my human thirst

My bones soaked in the icy cold
And fixed me where I lay
Until each vessel left the shore
And made a line for me
There never was a breeze
The leaves were silent all that day
They say the sails were ghosts
That…



@Uzzy649

Ashes"

Across the eerie waters
Misty covered glass I spied
A sad procession snaking down
The dry and deathly trail
And as my telescopic eye
Focused on the marching line
It settled on the fallen crown
Now covered with a veil

The heavy weight of mourning
Drew each head to face the ground
Muscles tight on bearers arms
Each body cold and frail
And through the muslin mist
The beating drums the only sound
Twenty boats out in the bay
All ready to set sail

Ashes, take me back to earth
Water, quench my human thirst
Ashes, take me back to earth
Water, quench my human thirst

My bones soaked in the icy cold
And fixed me where I lay
Until each vessel left the shore
And made a line for me
There never was a breeze
The leaves were silent all that day
They say the sails were ghosts
That stole the wind to set them free

I lay transfixed
Felt nothing but the beating of my fear
As flames rose up and swallowed whole
Greatest of the fleet
The others circled round
And I heard chanting fill the air
The ashes lifted high
Were falling back into the sea

Ashes, take me back to earth
Water, quench my human thirst
Ashes, take me back to earth
Water, quench my human thirst



All comments from YouTube:

@charmin745

It's 2023 and I listen to it over and over. Beautiful mix of music, voice, lyrics, and DRUMS

@Castle24

I can still remember driving to the coast with an old girlfriend listening to strictly trance the entire way. We talked about trivial things mostly, but any time a song like this came on, there was nothing but silence.

It moved my soul, and I shared a moment lost in time and emotion. Trance truly saved my life from drugs. It made me miss myself, my friends, my family. Thank you OceanLab, Above and Beyond, and all the others captivated every ounce of my shame and put it to hope.

Every time I hear this particular song come on, I miss her brown eyes and the warmth of that car ride. And I miss the breath of the ocean; the pure rapture of my life begun anew.

Thank you for trance. Thank you for all music.

@Castle24

captivating*

>_>

Dem grammar mistakes.

@idlh

Hence the name "Trance!"

@Castle24

Been almost a year since I last posted about this. I still gravitate to this song during times of need. To those of you who empathized with me and enjoyed my story, I'm touched. Here I am at 2:30AM moderately content with myself, but I needed that final something to unburden my soul. Thanks again OceanLab.

@JippysProfoundings

<3 Trance thanks you!

@fridakahlo9027

What a nice memory. Thanks for sharing.

12 More Replies...

@ksy4747

I always pictured the spirit of the one who died observing his/hers own funeral and longing to return back to being human . Reading the lyrics more thoroughly for the first time in years I think that's exactly what is happening in the song. This is my favorite OceanLab song and I have some of the best memories to this song... time flew by too fast..

@mizzhudson0127

Yes I totally agree! I've always felt the same way since I heard this song. It seems like that's what I hear them saying in the lyrics

@MDCSWildcats86

Specifically, it's a Valkyrie (still alive) imagining her own funeral.

More Comments

More Versions