The band first reached substantial commercial success with its third studio album Fight for the Rock (1986), which peaked at number 158 on the Billboard 200. Its next four albums—Hall of the Mountain King (1987), Gutter Ballet (1989), Streets: A Rock Opera (1991) and Edge of Thorns (1993)—were also successful but more critically acclaimed than Fight for the Rock. On October 17, 1993, six months after the release of Edge of Thorns, guitarist Criss Oliva was killed in a car accident. Following his death, Jon (along with producer Paul O'Neill) decided to continue Savatage in memory of his brother. The band released four more studio albums, and went through several line-up changes before going on an extended hiatus in 2002. During the years—partly even before the hiatus—members founded various new bands such as Jon Oliva's Pain, Trans-Siberian Orchestra, Circle II Circle and Doctor Butcher. On August 2, 2014, Savatage announced that they were reuniting for the 2015 Wacken Open Air; despite having discussed the possibility of more shows and new music, the band went on hiatus once again. Although Savatage technically remains inactive, half of the members of the band claimed in interviews during throughout 2020 and 2021 that they have been working on new material for a possible follow-up to Poets and Madmen (2001).
Studio albums
Sirens (1983)
Power of the Night (1985)
Fight for the Rock (1986)
Hall of the Mountain King (1987)
Gutter Ballet (1989)
Streets: A Rock Opera (1991)
Edge of Thorns (1993)
Handful of Rain (1994)
Dead Winter Dead (1995)
The Wake of Magellan (1997)
Poets and Madmen (2001)
Commissar
Savatage Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
The night is darker
Do you think commissar
Their dreams are starker
Do you hear commissar
The night is breathing
Could it be commissar
We should be leaving
Does comes crashing down
Do you hear commissar
The night is silent
Do you think commissar
It is defiance
Do you see commissar
The mob has faces
Could it be commissar
The dark embraces
All as darkness will
And in that dark we'll drown
Cities, towns
We've torn them down
And all we've found
Are relics in a cemetery
But never fear
I will stay near
And to the dark
I will be your emissary
Knights on horseback
Bishops pacing
All are losing ground
The pawn is now a queen
He's moved across the board unseen
The move is down
I believe
That we've intrigued for far too long
But now I think the plot has ended
A quick retreat
Into the street
Admit defeat
And hope our moves will be defended
Across their throats
The blade does wander
They die without a sound
Who'd have thought we'd meet
As bones beneath the dragons feet
The wall is down
The song "Commissar" by Savatage tells a story of a commissar during a revolution or a war at night time. The lyrics are written in the form of a conversation between two people, one of whom is the commissar. The song begins with the commissar observing the night, the darkness and the dreams of the people he is responsible for. He appears to be worried about what might happen if they stay any longer and suggests they leave before the curtain falls.
As the song progresses, the commissar becomes more and more uneasy, he hears the silence of the night and wonders if it is a sign of defiance from the people, he sees the faces of the mob and is afraid of the dark that surrounds them. The chorus repeats the idea that they must leave before the curtain falls, suggesting that there is a danger of being caught.
The second verse further develops the atmosphere of tension and despair. The towns and cities they have destroyed are nothing but relics in a cemetery, symbolizing the cost of war. The commissar promises to stay near and be the emissary of the dark, perhaps the only thing left for him to do. The final section of the song is more abstract, referring to knights on horseback and bishops pacing, all losing ground. The move is down and the pawn has become a queen. The commissar admits defeat and hopes that his moves will be defended. The song ends with a dark image, the blade wandering across their throats, dying without a sound, and bones beneath the dragon's feet as the wall falls.
Line by Line Meaning
Do you see commissar
Are you aware, commissar?
The night is darker
The night is mysterious and unsettling.
Do you think commissar
Do you ponder, commissar?
Their dreams are starker
Their dreams are darker and more ominous.
Do you hear commissar
Are you listening, commissar?
The night is breathing
The night is alive with activity and sound.
Could it be commissar
Is it possible, commissar?
We should be leaving
We should leave immediately.
Now before the curtain
Before the final act of this drama.
Does comes crashing down
Comes crashing down suddenly and violently.
The night is silent
The night is quiet and still.
It is defiance
It is a show of resistance and rebellion.
Do you see commissar
Do you recognize, commissar?
The mob has faces
The mob is made up of individual people.
Could it be commissar
Is it possible, commissar?
The dark embraces
The darkness envelops and consumes us.
All as darkness will
Everything will succumb to darkness eventually.
And in that dark we'll drown
We will be overwhelmed and defeated by the darkness.
Cities, towns
Places we have destroyed.
We've torn them down
We have destroyed them completely.
And all we've found
All that remains are ruins.
Are relics in a cemetery
The only remnants of our destruction are buried and forgotten.
But never fear
Do not be afraid.
I will stay near
I will remain by your side.
And to the dark
In the face of darkness.
I will be your emissary
I will represent you and your interests.
Knights on horseback
Powerful and influential people.
Bishops pacing
Religious leaders who are anxious.
All are losing ground
Everyone is losing their power and influence.
The pawn is now a queen
Someone who was weak and vulnerable is now in a position of strength.
He's moved across the board unseen
He has gained his power and influence without anyone noticing.
The move is down
The moment of change has arrived.
I believe
In my opinion.
That we've intrigued for far too long
We have been plotting and scheming for too long.
But now I think the plot has ended
I believe that our plan has failed.
A quick retreat
We must leave quickly and without delay.
Into the street
Out into the open and public.
Admit defeat
We must confess our failure and surrender.
And hope our moves will be defended
We hope that our actions will still be supported or justified.
Across their throats
Killing them or taking away their power.
The blade does wander
The weapon moves erratically and indiscriminately.
They die without a sound
They are killed quickly and silently.
Who'd have thought we'd meet
Who could have predicted that we would be in this situation?
As bones beneath the dragons feet
Our fate is to be forgotten and destroyed in the end.
The wall is down
Our defenses have failed and we are vulnerable.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
brningpyre
Oh, man. I haven't heard this song in, like, 6 years. SO AWESOME!
Nekes12
listen again
ulverX
Absolute MASTERPIECE
Kugl fuhr
my father gave this CD to me when I was twelve, it's the first time I hear this song since then it's so fucking epic!
Yulian Ganchovski
Your father was genius. Deep respect to such parents!
paolino
Good good father!!!!!!!
arthur hazar
Your father is great man
G L
Must love you very much, your dad.
Preflex!
Your dad is cool.
MrPrecisini
One of the best songs ever written.. I love it !