After the release of their debut album Enter in 1997, the band became prominent in the Dutch underground scene. It was not until 2001 that they became known to the general public, with the single "Ice Queen" from their second album Mother Earth, which reached No. 2 on the Dutch charts. This was followed by the band winning the Conamus Exportprijs, a Dutch music award, four years in a row, and a fifth in 2016. Their next albums The Silent Force (2004) and The Heart of Everything (2007) debuted at No. 1 on the Dutch charts and expanded their international recognition. In 2008, they released Black Symphony, a live album recorded with the Metropole Orchestra. This was followed in 2009 by An Acoustic Night at the Theatre, another live album, this time with acoustic renditions of the songs.
The band's fifth studio album, The Unforgiving, was released in March 2011 and was one part of a transmedia effort, alongside both a comic book series and a series of short films that together encompass a story. The album saw the band increasingly venturing on new musical territories outside symphonic metal. Their sixth studio album, Hydra, was released in early 2014 in Japan, Europe, and the United States. The album advanced the band's exploration of new musical genres and features guest appearances from various artists: Finnish singer Tarja Turunen, who appears in the lead single "Paradise (What About Us?)"; Howard Jones, former vocalist of American metalcore band Killswitch Engage; Dave Pirner, lead vocalist of American alternative rock band Soul Asylum; and American rapper Xzibit. The band had extensive airplay on BBC Radio 2 in the United Kingdom with one of the songs from the album, "Whole World Is Watching" featuring Pirner.
Their latest studio album, Resist, was released in February 2019 and incorporates influences from other musical styles such as industrial and EDM. By 2016, the band had already sold more than 3.5 million albums worldwide.
Full Wikipedia article: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Within_Temptation
Studio albums
Enter (1997)
Mother Earth (2000)
The Silent Force (2004)
The Heart of Everything (2007)
The Unforgiving (2011)
Hydra (2014)
Resist (2019)
Bleed Out (2023)
Dog Days
Within Temptation Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Hold onto this life
Running to what's wrong or right
Seems to be a thin line
Fighting for a wasted love
Fighting to survive
Oh won't you please forget
Won't you please forget
These are the dog days
These are the dog days
They'll never go away
These are the dog days
These are the dog days
They'll never go away
1, 2, 3, 4
What are you waiting for?
1, 2, 3, 4
What are you waiting for?
These are the dog days
These are the dog days
Waking in the dead of night
Hold onto this life
Running to what's wrong or right
Seems to be a thin line
Fighting for a wasted love
Fighting to survive
Oh won't you please forget
Won't you please forget
These are the dog days
These are the dog days
They'll never go away
These are the dog days
These are the dog days
They'll never go away
1, 2, 3, 4
What are you waiting for?
1, 2, 3, 4
What are you waiting for?
These are the dog days
These are the dog days
Embracing the heart
To find the loss
Running down a path that
I think i need to know
When you've think you've won
You're still losing after all
These are the dog days
These are the dog days
These are the dog days
These are the dog days
They'll never go away
These are the dog days
These are the dog days
They'll never go away
1, 2, 3, 4
What are you waiting for?
1, 2, 3, 4
What are you waiting for?
These are the dog days
These are the dog days
Within Temptation's song "Dog Days" is a track that speaks about the challenging times that one may face in life, especially in love. The lyrics start by expressing the feeling of being lost at night and the desperation to hold onto life, which can be interpreted as a struggle to keep going through trying times. The song moves on to describe the challenge of determining what is right or wrong when there seems to be a thin line between the two, leading to fighting for a wasted love and fighting to survive. The repeated lyrics of "These are the dog days. They'll never go away" indicate how these struggles are ongoing and that one may feel trapped in them.
The chorus of the song repeats the phrase "1, 2, 3, 4, what are you waiting for? These are the dog days" in a somewhat upbeat and optimistic tone. This repetition may be a call to action, indicating that even in the darkest of times, one should keep going and not wait for something to happen. The song ends on a note of embracing the heart to find the loss and running down a path that one believes they need to know, even if it leads to a loss.
Overall, "Dog Days" is a powerful track that speaks to the inner struggles that people face during tough times, encouraging them to keep fighting and not give up.
Line by Line Meaning
Waking in the dead of night
Starting the day feeling lost and confused, struggling to come to terms with reality.
Hold onto this life
Grasping onto hope and holding onto moments that make life worth living.
Running to what's wrong or right
Trying to find the right direction in life, while facing the possibility of choosing the wrong path or making mistakes.
Seems to be a thin line
The difference between making progress and falling behind or giving into temptation can be very small and subtle.
Fighting for a wasted love
Holding onto a relationship that is doomed to fail, even if it seems worth fighting for in the moment.
Fighting to survive
Struggling to keep going through difficult situations and trying to make it to the other side.
Oh won't you please forget
Begging for the pain to stop and to be able to move on from past hurts.
These are the dog days
Referring to a difficult time period that seems to never end, full of hardships and struggles.
They'll never go away
Realizing that the struggles of life will always be present and cannot be completely eliminated.
1, 2, 3, 4
An energetic and urgent call to action.
What are you waiting for?
Questioning why someone is hesitating or holding back from taking action or making decisions.
Embracing the heart
Listening to one's inner voice and following their true desires in life.
To find the loss
Searching for something that has been lost, whether it be a tangible object or an intangible feeling or emotion.
Running down a path that I think I need to know
Taking risks and following a certain path in life even if it is uncertain or unknown, in the hopes of finding fulfillment and meaning.
When you've think you've won, You're still losing after all
Realizing that success can be fleeting and temporary, and that even when someone thinks they have achieved their goals, they may still find themselves unfulfilled and struggling.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Downtown Music Publishing
Written by: SHARON DEN ADEL, ROBERT WESTERHOLT, MARTINUS J. E. MARTIJN SPIERENBURG
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind