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)
Tell Me Why
Within Temptation Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Nothing could take my mind off how to make them pay
Killing myself for nothing and the pain won't go away
Losing myself to madness and the game's been played
If I could turn the hands of time, I would
But here I am
I'm living with the ghosts of yesterday
Tell me why am I still trying to hold on
I've got to tear it down, to let it go
I'm too tired to keep on trying,
But I'm spellbound till the end.
Knowing that there's no closure
For my wars inside.
I've buried the good and evil,
Only memories left behind
I am the one still standing
I will live to tell
If I could turn the hands of time, I would
But here I am, here I am
Tell me, why am I still here when it's all gone
I'm living with the ghosts of yesterday
Tell me why am I still trying to hold on
I've got to tear it down, to let it go
Tell me why I'm wasting away
Tell me how to break my own chains
'Cause I'm losing after all
How can I escape this grim fate
Tell me how to face one more day
'Cause I'm wasting away
It's all gone silent
I'm searching for fire
Nothing to fight for
Alone
Tell me why am I still here when it's all gone
Whoa, living with the ghosts of yesterday
Tell me, why am I still here when it's all gone
I'm living with the ghosts of yesterday (yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone, yesterday)
Tell me why am I still trying to hold on
I've got to tear it down, to let it go
The song Tell Me Why by Within Temptation is a powerful expression of a person who has suffered great pain and is struggling to move on from it. The lyrics depict the singer as someone who has been consumed by rage and has been unable to find peace. She has been trying to seek revenge, but it has only caused her more pain. The lyrics convey her frustration and desperation to escape from the cycle of pain and suffering. She wants to turn back time and change everything that has happened, but she realizes that it is impossible.
The chorus of the song, "Tell me why am I still here when it's all gone, I'm living with the ghosts of yesterday," conveys her feelings of being stuck in the past, unable to move on. She is haunted by the memories of the pain she has suffered and unable to escape them. She knows that she needs to let go and tear down everything that is holding her back, but she does not know how to do it.
Overall, the song is a powerful message about the struggle to let go of pain and suffering and move on with life. It is a message of hope that even in the darkest moments, there is a way out.
Line by Line Meaning
I've been losing myself in anger, so much broken by the rage
I have been completely consumed by my anger and it has left me shattered and broken.
Nothing could take my mind off how to make them pay
All I can think about is how to get revenge against those who have wronged me.
Killing myself for nothing and the pain won't go away
I am hurting myself for no reason and the pain I feel is not disappearing.
Losing myself to madness and the game's been played
I am slowly losing my sanity and it feels like I am trapped in a hopeless game.
If I could turn the hands of time, I would
But here I am
If I had the power to go back in time, I would change things. However, I am still stuck in the present.
Tell me, why am I still here when it's all gone
I'm living with the ghosts of yesterday
Why am I still alive when everything I had is gone? I am haunted by memories of the past.
Tell me why am I still trying to hold on
I've got to tear it down, to let it go
Why am I still holding onto something that is causing me so much pain? I need to let go of it completely.
I'm too tired to keep on trying,
But I'm spellbound till the end.
I am exhausted and feel like giving up, but at the same time, I'm unable to stop fighting until the very end.
Knowing that there's no closure
For my wars inside.
I am aware that there can never truly be an end to the battles that are raging within me.
I've buried the good and evil,
Only memories left behind
I have suppressed both the good and bad parts of me and only the memories of them remain.
I am the one still standing
I will live to tell
I am the survivor and will continue to live to tell the story of my struggles.
Tell me why I'm wasting away
Tell me how to break my own chains
Why am I allowing myself to deteriorate? I need to know how to free myself from my own self-destructive behaviors.
'Cause I'm losing after all
How can I escape this grim fate
Tell me how to face one more day
'Cause I'm wasting away
Despite my efforts, I am still losing. I need to know how to avoid this awful destiny and face each day with a renewed sense of strength.
It's all gone silent
I'm searching for fire
Nothing to fight for
Alone
Everything around me is quiet and there is no longer anything to fight for. I am alone in my struggles.
Whoa, living with the ghosts of yesterday
Tell me, why am I still here when it's all gone
I'm living with the ghosts of yesterday (yesterday's gone, yesterday's gone, yesterday)
I am still living in the past and can't seem to move on from it. I keep asking myself why I am still here when everything I had is gone.
Tell me why am I still trying to hold on
I've got to tear it down, to let it go
Why am I still holding onto something that is causing me so much pain? I need to let go of it completely.
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: DANIEL GIBSON, ROBERT WESTERHOLT, SHARON DEN ADEL
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind