Vampire Rodents' last recodings were made in 1997 when Vahnke was working on a follow-up to Gravity's Rim. Legal issues with Fifth Colvmn Records unexpectedly halted activity and the project was put on hiatus. After over a decade of inactivity, Daniel Vahnke officially announced his musical retirement and the project's abandonment in 2009. In 2016, Vahnke established an official youtube page titled Rodentia Productions and began issuing unreleased material.
Major discography:
War Music (1990)
Premonition (1992)
Lullaby Land (1993)
Clockseed (1995)
Gravity's Rim (1996)
Mummified
Vampire Rodents Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Asleep in the garden
It's not a sad thing
My eyes are still
Slowly sinking
I strain to care
Bored of thinking
Envy his leisure
Hemorrhage in pleasure
Why paint the rags for public display?
The crowd moves on but the colors stay
Mummified
Eternal sleep
Outlive gods
Souls to keep
Mummified
Chambered breath
Satisfied
Alive in death
Rotting in bliss
No lovers to miss
Memory vacuum
Jackal's kiss
Happy with nothing
And no more touching
Heaven's polluted and hell is freezing
Practice makes perfect and hardens the mold
I'll still be laughing when you're growing old
The lyrics of Vampire Rodents' song 'Mummified' paint a surrealistic picture of the singer's mental state. The song opens with dream-like visuals of terrible dreams that the singer has never seen before, suggesting a state of drowsiness or delirium. The next line 'Asleep in the garden' adds to the mysterious nature of the lyrics. The garden could symbolize a state of peacefulness or tranquility, but it's hard to determine if that's the case here.
The following lyrics 'It's not a sad thing, my eyes are still, slowly sinking' could refer to a sense of resignation or acceptance of one's fate. The phrase 'slowly sinking' possibly indicates the singer's gradual decline into a mental abyss. In the next line, 'I strain to care, bored of thinking,' the singer expresses an inability to feel emotions, implying that they might be struggling with mental illness.
The second verse of the song adds more layers to the lyrics. The metaphor 'Brush the teeth of a swaddled corpse' could mean the singer is treating the lifeless body as though it were himself. The line 'Envy his leisure' emphasizes his dissatisfaction with his own existence, while 'Hemorrhage in pleasure' could refer to his self-destructive behavior. The mention of 'paint the rags for public display' alludes to the way people tend to present themselves in society, masking their true selves. The final line 'The crowd moves on but the colors stay' suggests that the singer is not interested in the superficial aspect of life.
Overall, the song 'Mummified' by Vampire Rodents is a deeply introspective piece of art that delves into the complexities of the human psyche.
Line by Line Meaning
Terrible dreams I've never seen
I have experienced nightmares that are beyond human imagination.
Asleep in the garden
I am in a state of tranquility and blissful sleep in the midst of nature.
It's not a sad thing
There is no grief or sorrow in my current state.
My eyes are still
I do not have any movement or activity in my eyes.
Slowly sinking
I am descending into an eternal slumber.
I strain to care
I attempt to be concerned or interested in my surroundings, but I am unable to do so.
Bored of thinking
I am no longer amused or stimulated by any thoughts or ideas.
Brush the teeth of a swaddled corpse
I am indulging in the morbid act of cleaning the teeth of a dead body wrapped in cloth.
Envy his leisure
I am jealous of the corpse's ease and freedom from the struggles of life.
Hemorrhage in pleasure
I am bleeding out euphoric sensations and emotions.
Why paint the rags for public display?
What is the point of adorning the cloth of the deceased for the sake of public exhibition?
The crowd moves on but the colors stay
People eventually forget the dead and move on with their lives, but the decorative fabrics remain and are unchanged.
Mummified
I am preserved in a state of embalmed death.
Eternal sleep
I am in an endless, peaceful slumber.
Outlive gods
I will persist beyond the existence of any deity or religion.
Souls to keep
I have the capability to consume souls and preserve them indefinitely.
Chambered breath
My respiration is limited and restricted by the embalming process.
Satisfied
I am content with my current state of being.
Alive in death
I am ironically alive and active in my death-like state.
Rotting in bliss
I am decaying and deteriorating in a state of happiness.
No lovers to miss
I do not have any affectionate partners that will mourn my passing.
Memory vacuum
I have no cognitive capacity or memories retained in death.
Jackal's kiss
I have received the symbol of the underworld, the jackal's kiss, representing decay and death.
Happy with nothing
I am pleased and fulfilled with the absence of any material possessions or social connections.
And no more touching
I have no physical sensation or gratification in my current state.
Heaven's polluted and hell is freezing
The afterlife has lost its purity and truth, with heaven corrupted and hell no longer serving its intended purpose.
Practice makes perfect and hardens the mold
I have honed my skills and abilities to the point where they have become a permanent part of my character and identity.
I'll still be laughing when you're growing old
I will persist beyond the typical lifespan of humans and will find amusement and satisfaction in outlasting them.
Contributed by Jason O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.