The Gothic Archies is the Gothic rock-bubblegum pop band of celebrated song… Read Full Bio ↴The Gothic Archies is the Gothic rock-bubblegum pop band of celebrated songwriter Stephin Merritt, also of The Magnetic Fields, The 6ths, and Future Bible Heroes. Merritt is the only member although he hopes to acquire more soon.

What makes this band different from The Magnetic Fields is that any glimmer of hope is absolutely extinguished.

Discography:
- The New Despair - EP - (Merge, November 1997)
- The Tragic Treasury: Songs from A Series of Unfortunate Events - LP - (Nonesuch, October 2006)

The Tragic Treasury... is a collection of songs originally released as music for the audio book version of Lemony Snicket's "A Series of Unfortunate Events". There are thirteen songs corresponding to the 13 volumes in the series, plus two bonus tracks.
The Gothic Archies briefly toured to promote the album featuring Merritt on ukulele and Daniel Handler as Lemony Snicket on accordion.

The Gothic Archies have also produced music for the audio book of Neil Gaiman's "Coraline".

http://www.houseoftomorrow.com

This Abyss
The Gothic Archies Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

This abyss, this lightless void
This abyss of world destroyed
This abyss, all deep, all wide
This abyss of being denied

Even in the darkest forest
Fireflies are flickering
But not in this abyss of black increase

This abyss, without surcease

Even in the deepest ocean
There's a little moonlight
But not in this abyss of night unbound
This abyss, without a sound

Even in your bedroom shadows
There is something moving

But not in this abyss, this all-below
This abyss, this death, this "no"

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of The Gothic Archies' song "This Abyss" paint a picture of utter desolation and hopelessness. The "abyss" referred to is a lightless void, a world destroyed, a being denied - a place of black increase, night unbound, and death. In contrast to the darkness and emptiness of this abyss, the lyrics mention the flickering fireflies in the darkest forest, the little moonlight in the deepest ocean, and even the movement in the shadows of one's own bedroom. However, none of these things exist in the abyss - it is a place of absolute nothingness.

The repetition of the phrase "this abyss" throughout the song emphasizes just how all-encompassing and all-consuming this place is. It is not simply a physical void, but a spiritual one as well. The abyss is a representation of a complete absence of hope, beauty, and life. The bleakness of the lyrics is made even more haunting by the dreamlike quality of the melody and the delicate instrumentation.

Overall, "This Abyss" is a haunting and bleak song that touches on themes of hopelessness and despair. The lyrics create a vivid picture of a world without light or life, and the delicate melody adds to the overall haunting quality of the song.

Line by Line Meaning

This abyss, this lightless void
This void, this emptiness devoid of light

This abyss of world destroyed
This void of destruction caused to the world

This abyss, all deep, all wide
This void which is vast and profound

This abyss of being denied
This void of being rejected or refused

Even in the darkest forest
Even in the forest with no light

Fireflies are flickering
Small insects emitting sparkles of light

But not in this abyss of black increase
But not in this void of total darkness

This abyss, without surcease
This void, continuous and never-ending

Even in the deepest ocean
Even underwater in the depths

There's a little moonlight
There is still a faint amount of light

But not in this abyss of night unbound
But not in this void which is completely dark