She is the former lead singer of the Finnish band Nightwish which she founded along with Emppu Vuorinen and Tuomas Holopainen in 1996. After being expelled from the band in October 2005, Tarja Turunen is now devoting her time to her solo career under the stage name of Tarja.
During the spring of 2005, she prepared a collaboration with Germany's Martin Kesici, the duet Leaving You for Me, also accompanied by a video. On November 8th 2006, Tarja's first solo album, Henkäys Ikuisuudesta was released as a Christmas album.
Tarja's second solo album, My Winter Storm, was released in November 2007 and achieved gold status in Finland on the day of release. The album took the number 1 spot in the Finnish charts. Tarja also sings on track In The Picture, composed by Rage guitarist Victor Smolski, on Nuclear Blast Allstars' album 'Into The Light', 2007. In 2009, Tarja released a duet with Doro Pesch, the former vocalist for heavy metal band Warlock.
Tarja's third solo album, What Lies Beneath was released in Finland on September 1, 2010. The album sold around 1,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release, landing it position 24 on the Top New Artist Albums chart. This is the first album on which Tarja is credited for composition on every original track.
Official site: www.tarjaturunen.com
Undertaker
Tarja Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I'll bury them all
Leave them with me
Dress them in silk
Black as the nigh
Where no one can see
Shallow their graves
Silent their names
Swallowed by earth
Written in dust
Killing the fame
How did they die?
Oh the despair
So many lost
Original sin
Gone in thin air
That is the cost
No one recalls
All that is left
Nameless farewell
Minding the fall
Cover the theft
Welcome to hell
Meet your maker, ring your bells in vain
Undertaker, I am why you came
Feed your life with every need you have
And down below, forever, oh how sad
Covered with thorns
Knocking the wood
Scratching the lid
Legends are born
Without fine jewels
Here I forbid
Walk amongst you
Sing to your sweet
Dark lullabies
Giving you rest
Tainting your dreams
Cover your eyes
Meet your maker, ring your bells in vain
Undertaker, I am why you came
Feed your life with every need you have
And down below, forever, oh so sad
The song "Undertaker" by Tarja is a hauntingly beautiful song that speaks of death and the afterlife. The first verse begins with the phrase "Bring out your dead", which immediately sets the tone of the song. It's as if the singer is calling out to the world or the audience, telling them to bring their dead to her so that she can bury them all. The following lines don't offer comfort for those who have passed away, as they speak of a world where the dead are hidden away, dressed in silk and buried in shallow graves. The singer describes their names as silent, and that they are swallowed by the earth, written in dust and killed by their own fame. It is as if the singer is showing how death is a great leveller, and that our lives and our fame are ultimately meaningless in the face of it.
The second verse shifts the focus away from the dead and towards the living. The singer asks how they died, as if inviting the listener to reflect on their own mortality. She speaks of the "Original sin" and how it is gone in thin air, implying that death is the ultimate consequence of our actions. The lines "No one recalls/All that is left/Nameless farewell" speak of how death can be so final, and that despite our efforts to remember those who have passed away, they will ultimately be forgotten. The line "Welcome to hell" further adds to the sense of finality and foreboding that surrounds the song.
As a whole, "Undertaker" is a powerful piece that speaks to our deepest fears and anxieties about death. It is a reminder of our own mortality and how ultimately, we will all be buried and forgotten. The lyrics are delivered by Tarja in her signature operatic style, which adds to the sense of grandeur and drama that the song evokes.
Line by Line Meaning
Bring out your dead
Requesting the listener to bring their deceased loved ones.
I'll bury them all
Assuring that they will personally take care of burying the deceased.
Leave them with me
Asking to trust them with the bodies of the deceased.
Dress them in silk
Requesting for the deceased to be clothed in a luxurious and comfortable fabric.
Black as the night
Describing the color of the silk to be a deep black.
Where no one can see
Ensuring that the location of the burial will be kept private.
Paint them with dirt
Metaphorically stating that they will be covered with earth.
Shallow their graves
Implies that the graves will not be deep or large.
Silent their names
No mention of the deceased's name.
Swallowed by earth
Describing the sense of the deceased's body to be consumed by the earth.
Written in dust
Implies that the memory of the deceased will fade away like dust.
Killing the fame
Assuming that the deceased was once famous or renown and they don't want their legacy to be remembered.
How did they die?
Asking for the cause of the death.
Oh the despair
Expressing sorrow and hopelessness.
So many lost
Referring to the frequency of death.
Original sin
Religious reference to Adam and Eve's disobedience in the Garden of Eden.
Gone in thin air
The loss of someone can be abrupt and unexplainable.
That is the cost
Expressing that death is an inevitable and unfortunate reality.
No one recalls
Implying that the deceased will not be remembered.
All that is left
The only thing that remains is their body.
Nameless farewell
The deceased's name is not taken after their passing.
Minding the fall
Taking care of the last moments of the fall of the deceased.
Cover the theft
Hiding the truth about death and what it takes from those who are left behind.
Welcome to hell
Metaphorically portraying the emotions that come with the agony of death as hellish.
Meet your maker, ring your bells in vain
Referring to the moment of death, when people realize their time is up and nothing can save them.
Undertaker, I am why you came
Acknowledging that the undertaker's purpose is to take care of the deceased.
Feed your life with every need you have
Emphasizing the importance of living life to the fullest.
And down below, forever, oh how sad
A somber indication of the afterlife.
Covered with thorns
The pain and grief that people experience after losing someone.
Knocking the wood
Describing the sound of the coffin lid being nailed shut.
Scratching the lid
Life trying to escape from its inevitable end.
Legends are born
Belief that legends or myths are created and continue even after a person's death.
Without fine jewels
The loss or presence of material goods does not define a person.
Here I forbid
They will not let something happen, even to the deceased.
Walk amongst you
The deceased will always be present in the memory of those left behind.
Sing to your sweet
Emphasizing the importance of cherishing memories of the deceased.
Dark lullabies
Sad or melancholic songs that help people cope with grief.
Giving you rest
Offering peace to the ones grieving.
Tainting your dreams
The pain of loss affects people even in their sleep or thoughts.
Cover your eyes
Describing the action of crying.
And down below, forever, oh so sad
Sorrowful reference to the afterlife.
Lyrics © Budde Music Publishing GmbH, Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Written by: MATTIAS JOHAN LINDBLOM, OERVARSSON, TARJA SOILE SUSANNA TURUNEN
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Ligeia Noire
@Carlos JJ Tarja wanted to leave and she let everyone in the band know, what is so wrong with that?
You are not disclosing any secrets.
She hinted at it many times and Tuomas kept saying everything was fine in interviews, when he knew damn well she wanted to come clean and make it public.
Nightwish were the ones wanting to keep it private, to do it their own way and profit from it.
Had she left on her own accord and in a polite manner, we all know they wouldn't have made so much cash with DPP or EOAE....
She wanted to be honest with the fans and go her own way, like many singers did but they could not have her just leave and risk the band's future, got to have the last word, right?
When Anneke left, The Gathering did not become world-famous and on all magazine covers, did they?
They should have talked to Tuomas and Ewo first!
Read their own book, it is there for all to see.....the tensions were terrible, you see it on the documentary, but they kept the kettle boiling until things got out of control, every time she wanted to have a meeting and talk to them, Tuomas ignored it, like talking to a brick wall... you end up exploding.... like in that infamous airplane ride to or from playing in Toronto, where Tuomas went to her seat and lashed at her and Tarja was so mad, she let it all out, the infamous words ''I do not need Nightwish anymore'', of course her words were plastered everywhere, they made sure of that, even if she spoke by being provoked but no one will ever know what Tuomas said to her first, that made her so mad...
This is such an old conversation and people still only see one side of the story.... The moment she wanted to talk to them and told them she wanted to leave they should have listened and let her go, have a meeting and go their own separate ways.
No, let us just keep touring, do all the concerts, say in interviews all is fine, cannot loose any money and, meanwhile, Tarja will be singing and walking around not knowing what is awaiting for her.
Then, 15 years later say you handled it bad and you were immature, but you still do not reissue Once with all the bonus tracks like Tarja wants, or have all the old albums on spotify and even kick out another singer and claim she was fine with it, even if she says she was fired for being pregnant and not wanting to be replaced. But she is also lying, because everyone lies but Tuomas.
Meanwhile. Tarja collaborates with hundreds of artists, has the same musicians for ages but no one can stand working with her, she is just such a Diva....
Not even going to the part where they played in dumps in North america, where she had nowhere to dress, or proper food to eat and being a diabetic but she is just stuck up for not wanting to play night over night like that...
Gotta spin the story your own way, they sure are better than CNN at marketing, will give them that, it surely made them rich.
xxxx
LYRICS 🤘
Bring out your dead
I'll bury them all
Leave them with me
Dress them in silk
Black as the night
Where no one can see
Paint them with dirt
Shallow their graves
Silent their names
Swallowed by earth
Written in dust
Killing the fame
How did they die?
Oh, the despair
So many lost
Original sin
Gone in thin air
That is the cost
No one recalls
All that is left
Nameless farewell
Minding the fall
Cover the theft
Welcome to hell
Meet your maker
Ring your bells in vain
Undertaker, I am why you came
Feed your life with every need you have
And down below, forever
Oh, how sad
Covered in thorns
Knocking the wood
Scratching the lid
Legends are born
Without fine jewels
Here I forbid
Walk amongst you
Sing to you sweet dark lullabies
Giving you rest
Tainting your dreams
Cover your eyes
Meet your maker
Ring your bells in vain
Undertaker, I am why you came
Feed your life with every need you have
And down below, forever
Meet your maker
Ring your bells in vain
Undertaker, I am why you came
Feed your life, I care for every need you have
And down below, forever
Oh, so sad
Alessand282
En un mundo en que la música va en decadencia, existe aún Tarja que nos recuerda qué es tener talento puro! Esta mujer es inigualable!!
Elvira Garofalo
Tatja es espectacular!!
U. Martin
Este es el mejor tiempo para la musica. Hay tanta variedad para todos gracias al Internet. Este sonido de Tarja no existia en ninguna decada pasada por ejemplo.
Erick do Carmo Lopes
A alegria dessa mulher no palco é contagiante !!
Calvin Ray
Tarja RULES!!! Her intense voice is crystal clear and beautiful!!
L CB
@Grzegorz Obuchowski You seem to know nothing about musicality.
ESLWGPG
@Grzegorz Obuchowski her solo work has already surpassed anything she ever did with Nightwish many times over at this point
Khalil Qura
@Grzegorz Obuchowski she don't need them at all.... We are happy to listen to her pure art 🥰
Grzegorz Obuchowski
But , her voice without dynamic music of nightwish is so sad, is not complited
Josie Wolff
Para mi la mejor vocalista de Nightwish; hermosa y talentosa intérprete