The band split up in 1997, after releasing only one full-length album, Written in Waters, with the British label Misanthropy Records. Ved Buens Ende rehearsed for a new album in 2006 (never released), but split up again in 2007, because, as stated in their Myspace, Vikotnic and Czral realized they had grown apart musically. Much of the material intended for this release ultimately appeared on Virus' The Black Flux.
Carl-Michael Eide also founded Virus in 2000. This band is considered a continuation of his previous work with Buens Ende because of similar musical elements and an avant-garde form of unusual experimentation, although the band has its own characteristic sound.
The band reunited a second time in 2019.
I Sang For The Swans
Ved Buens Ende Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To return with the wisdom of the kings...
Let me dream. (Let the jewels gleam.)
Let the fallen hear:
"It never rains around here."
The sand smothered on my chest...
Was music choir...
It will never leave...
The choir will never leave.
Sing for the lurker.
Sing for the one with horns.
We pity the feathers,
We devour the wing...
I sang for the swans.
I raped her on her throne.
Let the fallen...
Let the fallen hear.
"It never rains around here."
The sane, with its beautiful voices...
A choir. Leave... leave the misery of the swans.
The swans, smothered on our chests,
Was music... choir...
The lyrics of Ved Buens Ende's song "I Sang For The Swans" are layered with metaphors and obscure imagery, making it open to multiple interpretations. The opening lines, "Went away with my fathers, to gather the fallen. To return with the wisdom of the kings," gives an impression of journey towards knowledge, with fathers representing ancestors who have knowledge and fallen representing people who failed to acquire wisdom. Letting the jewels gleam may mean basking in the glory of this knowledge. The next line, "Let the fallen hear: 'It never rains around here,'" is enigmatic and could be interpreted as an assurance to those who have failed that there is hope, or it could be a statement of the artist's perception of life.
The following lines, "The sand smothered on my chest... Was music choir... It will never leave... the scar... The choir will never leave," metaphorically represent the painful experiences in life that leave scars but become a constant reminder of learned lessons. The next lines also touch upon this theme of darkness and fear, as the singer asks to "sing for the lurker" and "the one with horns," representing human's primal fears. The line, "We pity the feathers, We devour the wing," displays a dual nature of humans, both empathetic and predatory, which could be viewed as a reflection on humanity.
Overall, the song presents a surrealist imagery that eschews any concrete narrative, instead of relying on grandiose and surreal imagery, leaving the meaning and interpretation of the lyrics to the listener's interpretation.
Line by Line Meaning
went away with my fathers, to gather the fallen.
I followed my ancestors to collect the dead ones who fell before us.
To return with the wisdom of the kings...
After our mission, we came back with the knowledge of the royal ones.
Let me dream. (Let the jewels gleam.)
Allow me to fantasize. (Allow the valuable things to shine.)
Let the fallen hear: "It never rains around here."
Let the deceased know that in this place, it never rains.
The sand smothered on my chest... Was music choir... It will never leave... ...the scar... The choir will never leave.
The grains of sand covering me were a symphony...and it will always remain in my memory...the chorale will never leave.
Sing for the lurker.
Sing for the one who hides in the shadows.
Sing for the one with horns.
Sing for the being with protrusions.
We pity the feathers, We devour the wing...
We empathize with feathers, but we consume the wings.
I sang for the swans.
I vocalized in honor of the majestic waterfowl.
I raped her on her throne.
I forced myself upon her while she was seated in her domain.
Let the fallen...
Allow the lifeless...
Let the fallen hear. "It never rains around here."
Let the deceased know that in this place, it never rains.
The sane, with its beautiful voices... A choir. Leave... leave the misery of the swans.
The sane with its lovely harmonies... A chorale that eases... abandon the anguish of the waterfowl.
The swans, smothered on our chests, Was music... choir...
The waterfowl, pressed against our torsos, were singing... melodious harmonies...
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
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