Roland Grapow, born August 30th, 1959 in Hamburg, Germany is a professional… Read Full Bio ↴Roland Grapow, born August 30th, 1959 in Hamburg, Germany is a professional guitarist. Roland is most well known for his time in the power metal band Helloween, who he played with for for 12 years after replacing founding member Kai Hansen.

Roland played on several Hellowen albums - from Pink Bubbles Go Ape to The Dark Ride.

During his time with Helloween Roland also formed a solo project. The first release, The Four Seasons of Life, featured members of Helloween playing backup, with Roland trying his hand at singing in addition to guitar playing. On the second album, Kaleidoscope, current and former members of Yngwie Malmsteen's band were utilised.

In 2001, Roland and bandmate Uli Kusch were fired from Helloween due to musical and personal differences with guitarist Michael Weikath. The side project they had been planning, Masterplan, instead became their new full-time band.

Till The End
Roland Grapow Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

Hear that thunder die away
I wouldn't wonder if somebody screamed
Nice and slowly 'till the end
Crashing bones and a smell of burning skin

Open your heart for a holy land
Mankind will lose control
If you just hide under government

Nobody will reach for more
'Till the end

Creating creatures manipulate DNA
Nothing natural, that's what the future will be
Silicon standard for synthetic girls
That's what we need like our atomic world

Open your heart for a holy land
Mankind will lose control
If you just hide under government
Nobody will reach for more
'Till the end
'Till the end

(SOLO)

Open your heart for a holy land
Mankind will lose control
If you just hide under government
Nobody will reach for more

Open your heart for a holy land
Mankind will lose control
If you just hide under government
Nobody will reach for more

'Till the end
'Till the end

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Roland Grapow's "Till the End" song convey a sense of foreboding as the entire composition is infused with dark emotions. The lines "Hear that thunder die away, I wouldn't wonder if somebody screamed" sets a tense and uncertain tone, as if waiting for something terrible to happen. The next lines, "Nice and slowly 'till the end, Crashing bones and a smell of burning skin" intensify the unease with their imagery of destruction and carnage.

The lyrics touch on the downside of progress and technological advances that are seen as unnatural and dangerous, for instance, "Creating creatures manipulate DNA, Nothing natural, that's what the future will be, Silicon standard for synthetic girls, That's what we need like our atomic world." The songwriter suggests that this kind of progress can spell the end of humanity if people keep turning a blind eye to how their governments and institutions are using them for their selfish gains.

The song's overall message is a call to action for humans to take a step back, reevaluate their priorities, and strive for a better, more natural existence. The lines "Open your heart for a holy land, Mankind will lose control, If you just hide under government, Nobody will reach for more, 'Till the end" urges people to take charge and reclaim their power before it's too late. Ultimately, the lyrics serve as a warning of sorts about the dangers of unchecked power and unbridled technological progress.

Line by Line Meaning

Hear that thunder die away
Sounds of a volatile and eruptive situation gradually fades away

I wouldn't wonder if somebody screamed
A possibility that someone might have been hurt and screamed for help

Nice and slowly 'till the end
A warning that a tragic event might happen at its own pace, leading to a conclusive end

Crashing bones and a smell of burning skin
Able to sense a destructive and perilous atmosphere

Open your heart for a holy land
Be open to the idea of a sacred place and set aside prejudice

Mankind will lose control
Humans will eventually lose their grip and influence

If you just hide under government
If you blindly submit to the authority and avoid taking the lead

Nobody will reach for more
There will be no aspiration to pursue greater things or make progress

'Till the end
Until the circumstance reaches its final, ultimate conclusion

Creating creatures manipulate DNA
The act of generating entities through tampering with genetic code

Nothing natural, that's what the future will be
The future will be devoid of anything authentic, and everything would be artificial