Gatekeeper
Within Lyrics


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The shadows of the night
Are unleashed again
Where their greed begins
The end is near
A morbid hunger for blood
Lies in their cold black eyes
They've come to take ouur lifes away
One by one they died
A massacre that took all night
They had no chance, it was no fight
You can't kil what has been killed before
They died...

With shadows on its tale
He steppedThrough the portal
Locked the door and ate the key




With his life they took their way to freedom
And be became the final keeper of the key

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of Within Temptation's song "Gatekeeper" portray a dark and disturbing story of a group of shadows or creatures that are on a rampage of bloodlust. The verses describe how they come out at night with cold black eyes, hungry for blood and willing to take lives away. The imagery used in the lyrics is vivid and disturbing, as we can imagine these creatures attacking and killing people without mercy.


The chorus describes the aftermath of the attack, using the phrase "One by one they died" to highlight the horror of it all. The lyrics suggest that the people who were attacked had no chance to defend themselves, as the creatures were too powerful and had been killing before. The chorus also implies that the end is near and that these shadows are unstoppable in their quest for destruction.


The final verse offers a glimmer of hope, as the gatekeeper steps through a portal and locks the door behind him. By eating the key, he becomes the final keeper of the gate and prevents these creatures from causing more destruction. The lyrics imply that sacrifice is necessary to protect the greater good and that sometimes, one person can make a difference.


Overall, "Gatekeeper" is a haunting and thought-provoking song that explores themes of sacrifice, power, and destruction. Within Temptation's use of vivid imagery and evocative lyrics creates a powerful and lasting impression on the listener.


Line by Line Meaning

The shadows of the night
The dark, ominous aura of the night has arrived.


Are unleashed again
The eerie presence of the night has been set free once again.


Where their greed begins
The point at which their covetousness commences.


The end is near
The conclusion of something is in the vicinity.


A morbid hunger for blood
An unhealthy craving for blood, resulting from a disturbed mind.


Lies in their cold black eyes
Their black eyes, devoid of warmth, hold a wicked form of desire.


They've come to take our lives away
They have arrived with the intention of taking our lives.


One by one they died
Each person was killed off individually.


A massacre that took all night
A gruesome event resulting in numerous deaths and lasting the duration of the night.


They had no chance, it was no fight
The people were helpless against their attackers and there was no chance of a fair battle.


You can't kill what has been killed before
Once something has been killed, it cannot be killed again.


They died...
They met their fatal end.


With shadows on its tail
Something dark and mysterious was following closely behind.


He stepped through the portal
He walked through the entrance to another world or dimension.


Locked the door and ate the key
He sealed the entryway and consumed the lock mechanism.


With his life they took their way to freedom
They were able to escape to freedom by taking the keeper's life.


And he became the final keeper of the key
He, the last one to guard the key, gained possession of it once more.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: ROBERT WESTERHOLT, SHARON J. DEN ADEL

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

@BigBossCP

Oh GOD, I also like this song! I'm not goth or anything like that, but for some reason, I love these songs; I just find them to be cool and the lyrics are kind of creepy and dark poetry-like, which I LOVE! My favorite part is from 4:53-6:05, but I especially love it from 5:31 and on because Sharon's voice is SO HIGH and AMAZING! I ALWAYS get goosebumps when I hear that part!

@kiotocitystories

Yeah it's one of my favourite songs but my favourite actually is "Jillian" cuz it puts me in a good mood. The other is "The Promise", and the third is "Hand of Sorrow", then "Candles" and finally "Gatekeeper". But this song is really epic (talking about the sound), but the lyrics are a bit morbid. And Sharons voice is sublime when she sings "One by one they died...." and the rest of the lyrics...lol XD

@BloodyBay

Songs like this remind me just why symphonic metal is, IMHO, the most compelling, most talent-demanding and overall best of all the metal subgenres. :-) I like this song, but even this pales compared to The Truth Beneath the Rose, which is still my favorite of all Within Temptation's works. Someone on YouTube actually did a masterful job of setting Beauty and the Beast clips to that song, and the result is incredibly impressive.

@CityOfAngels72

One of my favourite songs by them!! What a beautiful classic!

@Griefshire16

This song is so awesome!!!! Its so beautiful!!

@veerleswerts2021

I love them! Zeven keer live gezien, zalig
Nu spijtig genoeg wat te soft

@kiotocitystories

This song is so awesome My Fave from Enter ^.^ Even though is a little bit morbid, but for me it's ok

@Singing_angel15

kiotocitystories SAME

@martijnv6032

People are killing themselves.

@darthmeow1370

@@martijnv6032 In the song? No, they face a horrific undead evil they cannot destroy and are slaughtered. But in the end, one finds a way to stop them by sealing the evil away at the cost of his own life. They don't survive the battle, but through their sacrifice they save countless other lives.

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