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.
Transfiguration
Sopor Aeternus & The Ensemble of Shadows Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Can be as immaculate and pure
As the love of us Cold Ones for the dead.
Our love lives only in those fleeting moments
Of recollection
Memories we're fearing to forget.
Our love knows neither kiss nor touch,
When visualizing what we've lost.
Awoken by a sound or scent,
Some visions call sad phantoms, floating,
Wrapped in fading colours our lament.
And then there is the all-devouring dread:
"some day I might not bring him back...,
When my feeble mind can't help but lose
The contours of his face".
Lost forever, lone and sad,
Gone forever to the dead...
So far beyond the barriers of the opposite space.
Yet, alas, despite it all
Walking through these deserted halls
It's easy, still, to love the dead
It's easier to love the dead.
The lyrics of "Transfiguration" by Sopor Aeternus & The Ensemble of Shadows explore the theme of love for the dead. The song opens with the singer acknowledging that nothing in the world can be as pure and immaculate as the love that the "Cold Ones" feel for the deceased. They live only in fleeting moments of recollection and fear losing these memories. The love they feel is entirely abstract and does not involve any physical contact or affection.
The second verse describes the various ways in which the Cold Ones connect with the dead. They embrace dust, air, or even themselves when visualizing what they have lost. The singer is awoken by sounds or scents that trigger sad phantoms, wrapped in fading colors, representing their lament. The singer then acknowledges the all-consuming fear of losing their memories or forgetting the contours of their loved ones' faces. They long to keep their memories alive but acknowledge that some memories are lost forever.
However, despite all of this, the singer finds it much easier to love the dead than the living. The song implies that this is because the dead are perfect in memory, fixed in time and unchanging, while the living are flawed and ever-changing. The song conveys an eerie beauty, exploring the idea of love and loss in a unique and poignant way.
Line by Line Meaning
Nothing in this world
There is nothing in this world
Can be as immaculate and pure
that can be as perfect and clean
As the love of us Cold Ones for the dead.
as the love that we, the Cold Ones, have for the deceased.
Our love lives only in those fleeting moments
Our love only exists in brief instances
Of recollection
when we remember.
Memories we're fearing to forget.
Memories that we are afraid to lose.
Our love knows neither kiss nor touch,
Our affection doesn't involve physical contact,
We are embracing dust, air or ourselves
We embrace dust, air, or ourselves
When visualizing what we've lost.
when we imagine what we have lost.
Awoken by a sound or scent,
We are awakened by a sound or smell.
Some visions call sad phantoms, floating,
Some of our images summon melancholy, floating apparitions,
Wrapped in fading colours our lament.
our sorrow wrapped in fading hues.
And then there is the all-devouring dread:
And then we feel the overwhelming sense of despair:
"some day I might not bring him back...,
"One day, I may not be able to recall his face...
When my feeble mind can't help but lose
When my weak mind can't avoid
The contours of his face".
forgetting what his face looks like."
Lost forever, lone and sad,
Lost forever, alone and grief-stricken,
Gone forever to the dead...
Gone forever to the deceased...
So far beyond the barriers of the opposite space.
So very far away on the other side.
Yet, alas, despite it all
Despite everything,
Walking through these deserted halls
Roaming through these empty corridors
It's easy, still, to love the dead
it's still easy for us to love the deceased.
It's easier to love the dead.
Actually, it's easier to love the deceased.
Lyrics © A SIDE MUSIC LLC
Written by: LARRY GRENADIER
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@yugoth555
o great song , one of my favorites of sopor, great video
@roseaneenedinosilva.2347
Fascinante!
@unanime666
hermoso :)
@pioggiaviola
veramente affascinante. ribadisco che il suo sperimentalismo ha qel non so che di particolare. mi sto guardando un pò di suoi video e devo dire che nn è niente male!!
@soniaskrips
can anyone tell me the instrumentation for this song?
@qweerew5560
得劲得劲适合葬礼
@RenevanderWaard
Great Thanks Moiareaper
@KaRy8367
Like black death.
@lera13
tragedy...........
@deadalley31
i didn't know stewie griffin was in a band