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)
Jane Doe (Album V...
Within Temptation Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Was this the only way?
I couldn't let you stay?
Run away, hide away
The secrets in your mind
Sacrificed just her life
For a higher love
No matter how many stones you put inside
She'll always keeps on floating in your mind
With every turn of your head you see her face again
Until the end, over and over again
Why, you just won't leave my mind?
Was this the only way?
I couldn't let you stay?
Told the truth she laughed at you
Something snapped inside
She had to go or they would know
All you tried to hide
The sins of your life are now catching up with you
You can't stay ahead. There's nothing you can do
With every turn of your head you see her face again
Until the end, over and over again
Why, you just won't leave my mind?
Was this the only way?
I couldn't let you stay?
Why, you just won't leave my mind?
Was this the only way?
I couldn't let you stay?
Why, you just won't leave my mind?
Was this the only way?
I couldn't let you stay?
The song "Jane Doe" by Within Temptation tells the haunting tale of a person who cannot shake the memory of someone they had to sacrifice for a higher love or greater purpose. The lyrics suggest that the person had to make a difficult decision to let this individual go, but the memory of their face and the weight of their absence never leaves their mind. The song's title refers to a legal name given to unidentified or anonymous individuals, which could suggest that the person they had to sacrifice was much more than just a passing acquaintance, but someone whose identity and existence may never be known or acknowledged.
The lyrics also suggest that this person had something to hide, something that the individual they sacrificed knew or witnessed, and therefore had to be eliminated. The guilt of the decision weighs heavily on the person's mind, as the memory of the individual they sacrificed continues to haunt them. The repetition of the chorus, "Why, you just won't leave my mind? Was this the only way? I couldn't let you stay?" emphasizes the pained regret that this person carries with them.
Overall, "Jane Doe" is a reflection on the cost of making difficult decisions in the pursuit of higher goals, and the lingering guilt and pain that can result from those actions.
Line by Line Meaning
Why, you just won't leave my mind?
The person is haunted by the memories of another, and can't seem to get them out of their head.
Was this the only way?
The person is questioning if the situation could have turned out differently, if there was any other path they could have taken.
I couldn't let you stay?
The person had to make a tough decision to let someone go, and is still grappling with the aftermath of that choice.
Run away, hide away
The person is struggling to deal with the consequences of their actions and wants to escape it all.
The secrets in your mind
The person is holding on to secrets that are causing them pain and anguish.
Sacrificed just her life
Someone else had to pay the price for the person's mistakes, and they are feeling the weight of that loss.
For a higher love
The person's actions were done in the name of love, but the price was too high.
No matter how many stones you put inside
The person is trying to bury their guilt and shame, but it keeps resurfacing.
She'll always keeps on floating in your mind
The person can't escape the memory of the one they lost.
With every turn of your head you see her face again
The person is haunted by the image of the one they let go.
Told the truth she laughed at you
The person tried to come clean about their actions, but it wasn't taken seriously.
Something snapped inside
The person reached their breaking point and could no longer hold on to their secrets.
She had to go or they would know
The person had to let go of the one they loved or risk being exposed for their mistakes.
All you tried to hide
The person was trying to cover up their actions, but eventually the truth came out.
The sins of your life are now catching up with you
The person is finally facing the consequences of their past actions.
You can't stay ahead. There's nothing you can do
The person is realizing that they can't outrun their mistakes, and must face up to them.
Why, you just won't leave my mind?
Repeating the same line shows that the memory of the one they lost is stuck in the person's head and they can't shake it.
Was this the only way?
The person is still struggling to come to terms with the tough decision they had to make.
I couldn't let you stay?
The person is grappling with the aftermath of their decision and trying to justify it to themselves.
Contributed by Xavier O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.