Best described as "introverted exhibitionism", the holistic concept of their ritualistic/Jungian art is not necessarily rooted in the grounds of a commonly accepted sense of aesthetics – which is one of the many aspects that gives their work its serious and most unique character. Though their music playfully fuses elements of classical, baroque, medieval, and even electronic music, the essence of Sopor Aeternus & The Ensemble of Shadows always remains entirely "goth".
Despite the fact that to this very day they still refuse to perform live in front of a human audience, Sopor Aeternus & The Ensemble of Shadows have long gathered cult status in underground circles worldwide.
Strongly recommended to be approached only with an open heart and mind, the profound darkness (and occasionally subversive humour) of their multi-layered (yet fragile) art is mainly intended as a spiritual healing-process for the wounded soul.
Saturn Devouring His Children
Sopor Aeternus & The Ensemble of Shadows Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
the reason for his parricide,
the silent and illusive try to stop the fleeting hand of time.
A strategy, that will always be
but a hopeless venture, bound to fail,
and all he ever does conceive is a twisted kind of burial;
which he had never thought to yield...-
as something further lies concealed.
Burying the children in a hurry, secretly within the tomb,
in the gentle safety ... of his own belly,
where, soundly asleep, they'll be waiting for
the time of their delivery ... and exactly that's the irony !
Something that he had never thought to yield...-
as something further lies concealed.
Fear... this is the secret name,
driving force and motivation
for his attempt to stop the wheel;
yes, something further lies concealed.
We truly know the secret reason,
still something further lies concealed,
the dreadful murder, a sad illusion,
now something else shall be revealed:
I, your child, bury myself
within your body... eagerly,
forbidden taste, never admitted,
driven by the ghouls of fear.
Refuge for unspoken longing(s),
we are not quite ready for this world...-
in silent slumber of a darker safety...-
into my mother's womb I want to return.
The lyrics of "Saturn Devouring His Children" by Sopor Aeternus & The Ensemble of Shadows explore the ancient Greek myth of the god Saturn (also known as Cronus) who ate all of his children to prevent them from overthrowing him. The lyrical analysis speaks of the secret reason why Saturn committed the parricide, which is to halt the hand of time. The strategy, which he thought would aid him, will never work, and the only thing he ever accomplishes is a twisted kind of burial, a secret he had never imagined possible. The children are buried secretly in him, where they'll wait patiently to be released from their mother's womb. Despite the fact that Saturn believes he is burying them to keep himself powerful, the irony is clear: he is merely stalling the inevitable.
Fear is the motivation and the driving force behind Saturn's actions, and this is made evident in the lyrics. However, something more sinister lurks beneath the surface. Although we are aware of the secret reason for the parricide, the lyrics also imply that there is something else hidden away from the listener. The song ends with the child burying itself eagerly within Saturn's belly as if searching for a safe haven. The lyrics reveal that we are not yet ready for this world, and that the child desires to return to the protection of its mother's womb in a silent slumber of darker, safer grounds.
Line by Line Meaning
We know the secret reason,
We are aware of the hidden motive behind Saturn's act.
the reason for his parricide,
The reason Saturn is killing his own children.
the silent and illusive try to stop the fleeting hand of time.
Saturn is attempting to halt time from advancing, but not openly.
A strategy, that will always be
Saturn's plan is carefully crafted and unchanging.
but a hopeless venture, bound to fail,
Despite his efforts, Saturn's mission is doomed to be unsuccessful.
and all he ever does conceive is a twisted kind of burial;
His idea of killing and burying his children is disturbing and unusual.
which he had never thought to yield...-
Despite the brutality of his act, Saturn never changed his mind.
as something further lies concealed.
There is still an additional, unknown aspect to Saturn's actions.
Burying the children in a hurry, secretly within the tomb,
Saturn is quickly and secretly disposing of his children's bodies.
in the gentle safety ... of his own belly,
He places their remains in his stomach, as it is the safest place he can think of.
where, soundly asleep, they'll be waiting for
The children's bodies are at rest and will wait.
the time of their delivery ... and exactly that's the irony !
The irony is that the place he felt was safest for them is, in fact, where their doom awaits.
Something that he had never thought to yield...-
His opinion about where his children's bodies would be laid to rest never changed.
as something further lies concealed.
There is still more to Saturn's plan unknown to us.
Fear... this is the secret name,
Fear is the driving force behind Saturn's actions.
driving force and motivation
Fear is why Saturn is motivated to commit the act.
for his attempt to stop the wheel;
Saturn hopes to stop the cyclical nature of time.
yes, something further lies concealed.
There is more to Saturn's plan than meets the eye.
We truly know the secret reason,
The truth behind Saturn's plan is known to some.
still something further lies concealed,
Despite knowledge of Saturn's motives, there is still more to discover.
the dreadful murder, a sad illusion,
Killing his children is a tragic and heartbreaking event for Saturn.
now something else shall be revealed:
A new piece of information about Saturn's plan will come to light.
I, your child, bury myself
The child is speaking to Saturn and reveals that they are willing participants in the act.
within your body... eagerly,
Despite being killed, they are enthusiastic about being within Saturn's body.
forbidden taste, never admitted,
The child has a desire to return to the womb, which was never allowed.
driven by the ghouls of fear.
The fear that Saturn feels is what motivates the child's decision.
Refuge for unspoken longing(s),
Being in the womb satisfies the child's desires and needs.
we are not quite ready for this world...-
The child feels unprepared for life outside the womb.
in silent slumber of a darker safety...-
Being in a complete state of rest and peace is where the child wants to be.
into my mother's womb I want to return.
The child wishes to return to the safety of the womb, even if it means being killed and buried there.
Contributed by Tyler O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.