Orphaned Land is a progressive metal band from Petah Tikva, Israel, formed … Read Full Bio ↴Orphaned Land is a progressive metal band from Petah Tikva, Israel, formed in 1991. They combine oriental elements and traditional Jewish folk music with slow doom/death metal.

Orphaned Land is a doom/death band at its core, but they are highly influenced by the folk music and tradition of the Oriental Jews (Mizraḥim), making their sound much more progressive than typical doom/death bands. Their album Sahara (1994) was the first to include a combination of death metal and traditional oriental music. In their second album El Norra Alila (1996), Orphaned Land elaborated the combination of metal and oriental music, including the addition of song with traditional oriental Jewish piyyut and Arab melodies. This album conveyed a message of co-existence between Jews and Muslims. Their third album, Mabool (the Hebrew name for the Deluge, depicted in the Bible and Noah's story), 2004, was worked for seven years and takes the combination of doom/death metal, oriental music and biblical issues to a new level. The album tells the story of the seventh son of God (who was divided into three, each one symbolizing one monotheistic religion) which try to warn humanity from a coming flood (deluge) as punishment for their sins. Musically, the album contains oriental instruments, two choruses, traditional Yemenite chants sung by Shlomit Levi and quotes of Biblical verses from the story of the Deluge, read by Kobi Farhi, Orphaned Land's vocalist and one of its founders. The level of musical competency displayed in the heavy layering and orchestration combined with the more story-driven, conceptual nature of the album's lyrics as a whole lend a very strong progressive feel to the work.

Band Members:
Kobi Farhi − lead vocals, backing vocals, death growls, chants
Shlomit Levi - female vocals
Matan Shmuely - vocals, session drums
Matti Svatizky − rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar
Uri Zelcha − bass, fretless bass
Yatziv Caspi − drums, percussion
Idan Amsalem – guitars, bouzouki

Former Band Members:
Eran Asias − drums
Sami Bachar − drums
Avi Diamond − session drums
Itzik Levy − keyboards
Eden Rabin − keyboards, backing vocals
Yatziv Caspi - session drums
Avi Agababa - session drums
Yossi Sa'aron (Sassi) - guitars, oud, saz, bouzouki, chumbush, backing vocals

A Neverending Way
Orphaned Land Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

When summer's gone and winter's past
It seems like a neverending way
And thinking of what I have to say
It seems like a neverending way
I am within you now, with my sinful cry
I am within you, now one am I
Perish the love, perish your love
When the sunfilled summer comes to love

It seems like a neverending way
It comes to us like a snow-white dove
It seems like a neverending way
I am within you now with my lonely cry
I am within you now 'till the time we die

I am within you now 'till the time we perish the love
Perish your love

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Orphaned Land's "05. a Neverending Way" present a cycle of seasons and emotions, emphasizing the neverending aspect of the journey through life. The shift between summer and winter serves as a metaphor for the highs and lows of the human experience. When summer, representing love and happiness, comes, it seems like an endless period of joy. However, when winter, a symbol of hardship and sadness, arrives, the journey ahead seems like it will never end.

The song's wording suggests that the singer is speaking directly to their significant other, using "you" in the lyrics. They implore their lover to let their love perish, perhaps because the ups and downs of the relationship become overwhelming. The repetitive insistence on "I am within you now" can be interpreted as a plea for closeness during any season. The singer's sin and loneliness echo throughout the song, underlining the hardship of the journey through life.

Overall, "05. a Neverending Way" is a poignant song that evokes the cyclical journey of life and love. It reminds the listener that, no matter the season or circumstance, the way ahead is neverending, and we must endure both the highs and lows.

Line by Line Meaning

When summer's gone and winter's past
After the seasons change and time passes

It seems like a neverending way
It feels like an endless journey

And thinking of what I have to say
Reflecting on what I need to express

It seems like a neverending way
It still feels like an unending path

I am within you now, with my sinful cry
My guilty emotions are present in you

I am within you, now one am I
We have united as one being

Perish the love, perish your love
Let go of the love we once shared

When the sunfilled summer comes to love
When warm weather brings a newfound love

It seems like a neverending way
We still feel like we're on an endless journey

It comes to us like a snow-white dove
Love arrives like a symbol of purity

It seems like a neverending way
We can't escape this feeling of endlessness