Bleak
Opeth? Lyrics


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Beating
Heart still beating for the cause
Feeding
Soul still feeding on the loss
Aching
Limbs are aching from the rush
Fading
You are fading from my sight

Break of morning, coldness lingers on
Shroud me into nightmares of the sun

Moving
I am moving closer to your side
Luring
You are luring me into the night
Crying
Who is crying for you here
Dying
I am dying fast inside your tears

Plunging towards bereavement faster yet
Clearing thoughts, my mind is set

Devious movements in your eyes
Moved me from relief
Breath comes out white clouds with your lies
And filters through me

You're close to the final word
You're staring right past me in dismay
A liquid seeps from your chest
And drains me away

Mist ripples round your thin white neck
And draws me a line
Cold fingers mark this dying wreck
This moment is mine

Help me cure you
Atone for all you've done
Help me leave you
As all the days are done

Night falls again
Taking what's left of me

Slight twist, shivering corpse
Ornated with water, fills the cracks




Clasped in my limbs by tradition
This is all you need

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Opeth's song "Bleak" capture the pain and sorrow of losing someone dear. The singer's heart is still beating for the cause, meaning that even though the person they loved has passed on, they continue to feel passionately about the memories and experiences they shared. The soul continues to feed on the loss, as the singer struggles to come to terms with the tragedy. The limbs are aching from the rush, which could refer to the adrenaline rush that comes with the realization that something terrible has happened. The person they loved is fading from their sight, perhaps suggesting that the memories of the relationship are becoming increasingly distant with time.


The break of morning brings with it a coldness that lingers on, as the singer is haunted by nightmares of the sun. They move closer to the person they love, even though they know it's futile. The person they love is luring them into the night, and even though they cry for them, they know it's time to let go. The singer is dying fast inside the other person's tears, as they spiral towards bereavement at an alarming rate.


The devious movements in the other person's eyes have moved the singer from relief, and they can't believe the lies that are being told. Breath comes out as white clouds with the other person's lies and filters through the singer. They know that the other person is close to the final word and is staring right past them in dismay. A liquid seeps from their chest and drains the singer away. Mist ripples around the other person's thin white neck, drawing a line that the singer can't cross. Cold fingers mark the dying wreck of the singer's emotions, and this moment is theirs alone.


Line by Line Meaning

Beating
My heart is still beating


Heart still beating for the cause
My heart still beats for the reason I'm passionate about


Feeding
My soul is still being fed


Soul still feeding on the loss
My soul still gains sustenance from my losses


Aching
My limbs ache


Limbs are aching from the rush
My limbs are aching from the adrenaline rush


Fading
You are fading from my sight


You are fading from my sight
I can barely see you anymore


Break of morning, coldness lingers on
It's morning, but it feels cold and bleak


Shroud me into nightmares of the sun
It feels like the sun is mocking me and I'm trapped in a nightmare


Moving
I'm moving closer to you


I am moving closer to your side
I'm getting closer to being by your side


Luring
You're luring me


You are luring me into the night
You're drawing me into darkness


Crying
Someone is crying


Who is crying for you here
No one here is crying for you


Dying
I'm dying inside


I am dying fast inside your tears
I'm dying quickly because of your tears and sadness


Plunging towards bereavement faster yet
I'm moving fast towards grief and loss


Clearing thoughts, my mind is set
My thoughts are clearing and I know what I need to do


Devious movements in your eyes
Your eyes are showing some sneaky or deceitful movements


Moved me from relief
This made me stop feeling relieved


Breath comes out white clouds with your lies
You're lying and I can see the white puffs of cold breath from your mouth


And filters through me
I feel the lie affecting me


You're close to the final word
You're almost done speaking your last words


You're staring right past me in dismay
You're looking past me as if you're sad or disappointed


A liquid seeps from your chest
A liquid is oozing from your chest


And drains me away
This liquid is taking me away or draining me


Mist ripples round your thin white neck
Misty air is swaying around your skinny, white neck


And draws me a line
This mist is creating a boundary between us


Cold fingers mark this dying wreck
My cold fingers are touching this ruined body


This moment is mine
This is my moment to take and hold


Help me cure you
Let me help heal you


Atone for all you've done
I want to make up for everything you've done


Help me leave you
Help me to walk away from you


As all the days are done
As all the days have ended


Night falls again
Darkness is approaching again


Taking what's left of me
Taking whatever I have left


Slight twist, shivering corpse
The body is tremble and twisting


Ornated with water, fills the cracks
It has water in it, filling any gaps or cracks


Clasped in my limbs by tradition
I'm holding it in my arms, as part of a tradition


This is all you need
This is all you want or require




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: MIKAEL LARS AKERFELDT

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Most interesting comments from YouTube:

@jonm3929

0:21 - Heavily distorted guitar
5:20 - Acoustic Section/clean vocals
8:17 - Death metal vocals/Clean vocals
0:41 - intervallic verse riff/octaves
1:19 - A harmonic minor descending run/semitonal modulation
2:40 - Ab9 Arpeggio
6:01 - chromatic diatonic chords
6:41 - sus4chords/counter meldoic lines
3:14 - bm tonaltiy
3:45 - dm tonality
8:54 - fuzz
4:29 - Drone notes



@ashleighpankhurst9989

Beating
Heart still beating for the cause
Feeding
Soul still feeding from the loss
Aching
Limbs are aching from the rush
Fading
You are fading from my sight

Break of morning, coldness lingers on
Shroud me into nightmares of the sun

Moving
I am moving closer to your side
Luring
You are luring me into the night
Crying
Who is crying for you here
Dying
I am dying fast inside your tears

Plunging towards bereavement faster yet
Clearing thoughts, my mind is set

Devious movements in your eyes (Steven Wilson)
Moved me from relief (Mikael Akerfeldt)
Breath comes out white clouds with your lies (Steven Wilson)
And filters through me (Mikael Akerfeldt)
You're close to the final word (Mikael Akerfeldt and Steven Wilson)
You're staring right past me in dismay (Mikael Akerfeldt and Steven Wilson)
A liquid seeps from your chest (Mikael Akerfeldt and Steven Wilson)
And drains me away (Mikael Akerfeldt)
Mist ripples round your thin white neck (Steven Wilson)
And draws me a line (Mikael Akerfeldt)
Cold fingers mark this dying wreck (Steven Wilson)
This moment is mine (Mikael Akerfeldt)

Help me cure you
Atone for all you've done
Help me leave you
As all the days are gone

Devious movements in your eyes (Steven Wilson)
Moved me from relief (Mikael Akerfeldt)
Breath comes out white clouds with your lies (Steven Wilson)
And filters through me (Mikael Akerfeldt)
You're close to the final word (Mikael Akerfeldt and Steven Wilson)
You're staring right past me in dismay (Mikael Akerfeldt and Steven Wilson)
A liquid seeps from your chest (Mikael Akerfeldt and Steven Wilson)
And drains me away (Mikael Akerfeldt)
Mist ripples round your thin white neck (Steven Wilson)
And draws me a line (Mikael Akerfeldt)
Cold fingers mark this dying wreck (Steven Wilson)
This moment is mine (Mikael Akerfeldt)

Night fall again
Taking what's left of me
Slight twist, shivering corpse
Ornated with water, fills the cracks
Clasped in my limbs by tradition
This is all you need



All comments from YouTube:

@robertwalton7565

Discovering Opeth at 61! There's still time!

@robertwalton7565

@Jevgeni Chernov I'm seeing them in concert in February. Small venue too. Should be loud. I came across them because I was a child of 70s prog and was interested in modern prog. Turns out I like their use of the death growl too (although i did a little research on its origins to better understand it).

@Leonvitta

This comment gave me life!!!!!!!!!

@aarons720

Will you be my grandpa?

@aarons720

Damn man, you must have made some real evolution in your tastes. I'm jealous, you were alive with Led Zepplin and Jimi Hendrix were starting out, might have been a young lad. But you've been around for all the greatest bands I've wished I could see in their prime and grow up with. You were alive when Black Sabbath was just getting started. Now here you are, listening to Opeth..... I think Metal is on the decline though, when I'm 61 I'm betting I won't be discovering great bands like Opeth, probably some Electronic Dance Music or some Dubstep shit will be all there is then. Hope I'm wrong.

@robertwalton7565

@@aarons720 There will always be Simon and Garfunkel. Life is as much about re-discovering things as it is about discovering. Metal was something I never went near as a teen. Led Zeppilin was as heavy as I got. The last while has been about checking all the bands I didn't listen to. There was a ton of '60s psych to catch up on because I too young for it at the time. The '60s and '70s is like a bottomless pit of good, but obviously there's a lot of great stuff in the last 20 years as well. It's why we have ears. And yes, it was an incredible time to be listening to music. Luckily, listening to Dark Side of the Moon, or Led Zeppilin IV for the first time is just as as incredible whether it's 1972 or 2020.

111 More Replies...

@lil_billiam69

This is the song that got me into opeth. The clean vocals are majestic. The slow acoustic bluesy part is amazing. The talent of Mikeal Akerfeldt and this band is absolutely amazing. I love how they contrast heavy and slow soft parts. Opeth is definitely top 5 favorites for me

@chickennuggets7999

Same, it was the first song by them that I heard and it's still my favourite

@dftdty

Don't forget Steven Wilson!

@infall_blackmetal

same. i only found out about them like 4 months ago due to a youtuber by the name Ola Englund, huge part of the guitar community and owner of Solar guitars, he was always talking about them in his videos so i had to look them up and this was the first song i just so happened to click on and the first time i heard that intro riff i was hooked. it was like entering a whole new world for me, the only prog i had ever heard was Tool and while theyre good, they just dont click with me like Opeth does, there is so much more power and energy behind their songs than any other band i think ive ever heard. after i listened all the way through i was just in shock and awe, i think i listened to it on repeat for the next 7 hours and its still as surreal of a listen now as it was the first time. this band is life changing and is the reason i pick up a guitar.

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