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)
Hand of Sorrow
Within Temptation Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
To watch you, to shield you or kill on demand
The choice he'd made he could not comprehend
His blood a grim secret they had to command
He's torn between his honor and the true love of his life
He prayed for both but was denied
Was it worth the ones we loved and had to leave behind?
So many years have past, who are the noble and the wise?
Will all our sins be justified?
The curse of his powers tormented his life
Obeying the crown was a sinister price
His soul was tortured by love and by pain
He surely would flee but the oath made him stay
He's torn between his honor and the true love of his life
He prayed for both but was denied
So many dreams were broken and so much was sacrificed
Was it worth the ones we loved and had to leave behind?
So many years have past, who are the noble and the wise?
Will all our sins be justified?
Please forgive me for the sorrow, for leaving you in fear
For the dreams we had to silence, that's all they'll ever be
Still I'll be the hand that serves you
Though you'll not see that it is me
So many dreams were broken and so much was sacrificed
Was it worth the ones we loved and had to leave behind?
So many years have past, who are the noble and the wise?
Will all our sins be justified?
The lyrics of Within Temptation's song Hand of Sorrow tell the tragic story of a child who grows up to become a powerful and trusted individual, responsible for protecting and serving others. However, as the song progresses, it becomes apparent that this "Hand" is also torn between conflicting emotions - a deep love for someone he cannot be with and a sense of duty that he cannot forsake. The burden of his responsibilities and the torment of his feelings leave him in a state of perpetual conflict, and he is forced to make difficult choices that have far-reaching consequences.
The song speaks to themes of sacrifice, duty, and love, and raises questions about the morality of those wielding power. The lyrics also suggest a sense of regret about the past, as the "Hand" looks back with sadness at the dreams that were broken and the sacrifices that were made. The repetition of the lines "So many dreams were broken and so much was sacrificed" throughout the song underscores the weight of these losses and the consequences of the choices that were made.
Overall, the lyrics of Hand of Sorrow are powerful and poignant, telling a story of love and sacrifice that is both tragic and deeply moving.
Line by Line Meaning
The child without a name grew up to be the hand
A child, who was nameless, grew up to become a person with great power and responsibility.
To watch you, to shield you or kill on demand
This person's duty was to protect or attack, based on orders given to him.
The choice he'd made he could not comprehend
The choices he was forced to make left him feeling confused and uncertain.
His blood a grim secret they had to command
His family had a dark secret or hold over him that forced him to act in certain ways.
He's torn between his honor and the true love of his life
He is caught between his duty and his love, both of which are of utmost importance to him.
He prayed for both but was denied
Despite his efforts, he could not fulfill both his duty and his love.
So many dreams were broken and so much was sacrificed
Many hopes and aspirations were crushed, and a lot of sacrifices were made.
Was it worth the ones we loved and had to leave behind?
Was it worth losing the people we cared about and were forced to abandon?
So many years have past, who are the noble and the wise?
After many years, who is deemed heroic or wise in their actions and decisions?
Will all our sins be justified?
In the end, will any of the wrongdoings be justified?
The curse of his powers tormented his life
Although he had great power, it was also a heavy burden that brought him suffering.
Obeying the crown was a sinister price
Following orders from the people in power came with a dark consequence.
His soul was tortured by love and by pain
His internal struggle between his love and pain caused him great distress.
He surely would flee but the oath made him stay
He wanted to leave his duties behind, but his commitment prevented him from doing so.
Please forgive me for the sorrow, for leaving you in fear
Please forgive me for the pain and fear I caused you.
For the dreams we had to silence, that's all they'll ever be
We had to silence our hopes and dreams, and they will never be realized.
Still I'll be the hand that serves you
Even though it may not be apparent, he will continue to protect and serve the ones he loves.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Universal Music Publishing Group, THE ROYALTY NETWORK INC., Peermusic Publishing
Written by: MARTIJN SPIERENBURG, SHARON DEN ADEL, ROBERT WESTERHOLT
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind