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)
Never Ending Story
Within Temptation Lyrics
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And fallen in the end
Kingdoms have risen
Then buried by sand
The earth is our mother
She gives and she takes
She puts us to sleep and
In her light we'll awake
There's no endless fame
But everything we do
It's never in vain
We're part of a story
Part of a tale
We're all on this journey
No one's to stay
Where is it going
What is the way
Forests and deserts
Rivers, blue seas
Mountains and valleys
Nothing here stays
While we think we witness
We're part of the scene
This never-ending story
Where will it lead to
The earth is our mother
She gives and she takes
But she is also a part
A part of the tale
We're part of a story
Part of a tale
We're all on this journey
No one's to stay
Where is it going
What is the way
We're part of a story
Part of a tale
Sometimes beautiful
Sometimes insane
No one remembers how it began
We're part of a story
Part of a tale
We're all on this journey
No one's to stay
Where is it going
What is the way
We're part of a story
Part of a tale
Sometimes beautiful
Sometimes insane
No one remembers how it began
The lyrics of "Never Ending Story" by Within Temptation express a deep reflection on the fleeting nature of human life in contrast with the enduring story of the earth. The song acknowledges the transience of human existence - armies have come and gone, kingdoms have risen and fallen, and everything we do will eventually fade into obscurity. However, the lyrics also suggest that our lives are not in vain and that we are part of a larger narrative that is not limited to our individual experiences.
The dominant themes of the song are mortality and impermanence, yet it also conveys a sense of hope and continuity. The song evokes the earth as a "mother" figure that gives and takes, and reminds us that while we are insignificant in the grand scheme of things, we are still part of a story that is much bigger than ourselves. The question posed at the end of the song - "No one remembers how it began" - emphasizes the idea that we are simply part of a much larger, ongoing story that stretches back into time immemorial.
Overall, "Never Ending Story" is a reflective and introspective song that encourages listeners to ponder the fleeting nature of human life and our interconnectedness with the earth.
Line by Line Meaning
Armies have conquered
Many armies have conquered throughout history
And fallen in the end
But in the end, they all fell and lost
Kingdoms have risen
Many kingdoms have risen to power
Then buried by sand
Only to eventually be forgotten and buried by the sands of time
The earth is our mother
We are connected to the Earth, it is our source of life
She gives and she takes
The Earth both provides and takes away
She puts us to sleep and
The Earth is a resting place for our mortal bodies
In her light we'll awake
But we will one day be resurrected when the Earth is renewed
We'll all be forgotten
No matter our accomplishments, eventually we will be forgotten
There's no endless fame
Fame is temporary and fleeting
But everything we do
But our actions still have purpose and meaning
It's never in vain
Nothing we do is ever completely useless
We're part of a story
We are all part of a larger narrative
Part of a tale
Our lives are like a chapter in a book
We're all on this journey
We are all on a journey through life
No one's to stay
No one stays in this world forever
Where is it going
We don't know where life will take us
What is the way
We don't know what path we should take
Forests and deserts
We are surrounded by natural wonders
Rivers, blue seas
Such as rivers and oceans
Mountains and valleys
And mountain ranges and valleys
Nothing here stays
But nothing in this world lasts forever
While we think we witness
While we believe we are merely observing
We're part of the scene
We are actually part of the story happening around us
This never-ending story
The story of life goes on forever
Where will it lead to
We don't know where the journey of life will take us
But she is also a part
The Earth is also a character in the story
Sometimes beautiful
Life can be full of beauty
Sometimes insane
But it can also be crazy and unpredictable
No one remembers how it began
No one can remember the beginning of the story of life
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: OSCAR C. HOLLEMAN, RENE J. MERKELBACH, SHARON J. DEN ADEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind