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)
I Don't Wanna
Within Temptation Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
And I need to know why.
Seek the truth through lies to be my guide.
I'm in a world of doubt and trust, can't deny
I lost my way here in this quest, can't lie.
I can't believe what's happening,
I don't know what to say.
I don't wanna live this way, it haunts my mind,
And I just need to get it straight, stop wasting time,
And I don't wanna live in fear, but I can't change what's wrong,
But I know, won't be living in a lie.
Oh, I'll be hanging on the cross
When I put the nails in.
It's time to choose a road that we believe in.
You say you understand it all, try and smile;
If only I could see it's true somehow.
I can't believe what's happening,
I don't know what to say.
And what I wouldn't give to change our fate...
I don't wanna live this way, it haunts my mind,
And I just need to get it straight, stop wasting time,
And I don't wanna live in fear, but I can change what's wrong,
But I know, won't be living in a lie.
And I've tried so hard to hold on,
But I keep on falling.
And no matter how hard I run,
I just keep returning,
And I'm back to where I started from.
I don't wanna live this way, it haunts my mind
And I just need to get it straight, stop wasting time.
I don't wanna live this way, it haunts my mind,
And I just need to get it straight, stop wasting time,
And I don't wanna live in fear, but I can change what's wrong,
But I know, won't be living in a lie.
The lyrics to Within Temptation's song "I Don't Wanna" explore the inner turmoil of the singer who is struggling to come to terms with their current situation. The singer is lost in a world of doubt and trust and is seeking the truth through lies as their guide. They feel as if they are on a road of broken dreams and have lost their way in their quest to find a sense of purpose. However, there is a sense of urgency as they realize they need to get their life straight and stop wasting time before it's too late.
The lyrics depict a struggle between wanting to live in the truth and facing the reality of their situation, while also not wanting to live in fear and denial. The singer acknowledges that they cannot change what is wrong but they can make a conscious decision to not live in a lie. The lyrics also feature religious imagery, with the mention of hanging on a cross and putting the nails in, hinting at a deeper struggle with faith and belief.
Overall, the lyrics to "I Don't Wanna" deal with the universal themes of self-discovery and the search for truth, while touching on the darker aspects of human nature such as fear and denial.
Line by Line Meaning
I'm on a road of broken dreams
I'm lost and I feel like I have a lot of failures in my past.
And I need to know why.
I need to understand why things haven't worked out for me so I can move forward.
Seek the truth through lies to be my guide.
I'm willing to go through the deception and falsehoods to find the truth that will guide me.
I'm in a world of doubt and trust, can't deny
I don't know who to trust or what to believe, even though I want to.
I lost my way here in this quest, can't lie.
I've strayed from my intended path and now I feel lost and alone.
I can't believe what's happening,
I'm surprised and shocked by the events taking place.
I don't know what to say.
I'm at a loss for words and unsure how to react or respond.
I can't believe I'd live to see this day.
I never thought I'd experience something like this.
I don't wanna live this way, it haunts my mind,
I don't want to continue living this life that brings me pain and suffering.
And I just need to get it straight, stop wasting time,
I need to figure out how to fix my situation and not waste any more time.
And I don't wanna live in fear, but I can't change what's wrong,
I'm scared of what might happen, but I know I can't change the past.
But I know, won't be living in a lie.
Even though I'll face hard truths, I won't live in denial.
Oh, I'll be hanging on the cross
I'll be crucified for my beliefs and choices.
When I put the nails in.
I'll have to take responsibility for the consequences of my actions.
It's time to choose a road that we believe in.
We have to choose the path we truly believe is right, even if it's difficult.
You say you understand it all, try and smile;
You're pretending everything is okay even though deep down you know it's not.
If only I could see it's true somehow.
If only I could have some kind of proof or evidence that what you're saying is true.
And what I wouldn't give to change our fate...
I desperately want to change the outcome of our situation.
And I've tried so hard to hold on,
I've done everything in my power to keep going.
But I keep on falling.
But I keep failing and falling short of my goals.
And no matter how hard I run,
No matter how much effort I put in, it never seems to be enough.
I just keep returning,
I keep ending up back where I started.
And I'm back to where I started from.
I'm trapped in a cycle of failure and despair.
Contributed by Julia B. Suggest a correction in the comments below.