Within Temptation is a Dutch rock band founded in April 1996 by vocalist Sh… Read Full Bio ↴Within Temptation is a Dutch rock band founded in April 1996 by vocalist Sharon den Adel and guitarist Robert Westerholt. The band went through numerous style changes, blending various genres throughout its career. Their debut album Enter and early singles were in vein of gothic metal. From Mother Earth (2000) album onwards, the band shifted to symphonic metal genre, which brought Within Temptation to popularity. Their recent albums, starting with The Unforgiving (2011), lean towards alternative rock and synth rock . In an interview, den Adel described her band's style as symphonic rock with various influences. In another interview, den Adel stated that "We consider ourselves more an atmospheric melodic symphonic metal/rock band... In my opinion, we are not a gothic band but we have gothic elements".

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)

Within templation-Running Up That Hill
Within Temptation Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

It doesn't hurt me.
Do you want to feel how it feels?
Do you want to know that it doesn't hurt me?
Do you want to hear about the deal that I'm making?
You, it's you and me.

And if I only could,
I'd make a deal with God,

And I'd get him to swap our places,
Be running up that road,
Be running up that hill,
Be running up that building.
If I only could, oh...

You don't want to hurt me,
But see how deep the bullet lies.
Unaware I'm tearing you asunder.
Ooh, there is thunder in our hearts.

Is there so much hate for the ones we love?
Tell me, we both matter, don't we?
You, it's you and me.
It's you and me won't be unhappy.

And if I only could,
I'd make a deal with God,
And I'd get him to swap our places,
Be running up that road,
Be running up that hill,
Be running up that building,
Say, if I only could, oh...

You,
It's you and me,
It's you and me won't be unhappy.

"see'mon, baby, see'mon darling,
Let me steal this moment from you now.
see'mon, angel, see'mon, see'mon, darling,
Let's exchange the experience, oh..."

And if I only could,
I'd make a deal with God,
And I'd get him to swap our places,
Be running up that road,
Be running up that hill,
With no problems.

And if I only could,
I'd make a deal with God,
And I'd get him to swap our places,
Be running up that road,
Be running up that hill,
With no problems.

And if I only could,
I'd make a deal with God,
And I'd get him to swap our places,
Be running up that road,

Be running up that hill,
With no problems.

Overall Meaning

The lyrics of this song speak to the desire to break free from the burdens and pain of everyday life. The singer questions if the other person can understand that what they do doesn't hurt her, but rather the pain in her heart comes from within. The deal the singer mentions refers to making a deal with God to change places with the other person, to trade their burdens for her own, to run up that hill or that building without any problems. The Thunder that is mentioned is likely a metaphor for the intense emotions that are felt and the deep conflict that exists within the relationship.

The chorus is a repetition of the singer's desire to make a deal with God, to switch places with the other person, and to run up the hill or building with seemingly effortless ease. This desire to escape from the reality of life is common to many people, and the lyrics capture this feeling perfectly. The line "Is there so much hate for the ones we love?" is particularly poignant, pointing to the conflicts we experience with those who are closest to us.

Line by Line Meaning

It doesn't hurt me.
I am not affected by the situation.

Do you want to feel how it feels?
Can you empathize and understand my feelings?

Do you want to know that it doesn't hurt me?
Do you want to understand that I am okay?

Do you want to hear about the deal that I'm making?
Would you like to know what bargain I want to strike?

You, it's you and me.
We are in this together.

And if I only could, I'd make a deal with God, And I'd get him to swap our places, Be running up that road, Be running up that hill, Be running up that building. If I only could, oh...
I would do anything to switch places with someone else and leave my troubles behind.

You don't want to hurt me, But see how deep the bullet lies. Unaware I'm tearing you asunder. Ooh, there is thunder in our hearts.
You don't mean to harm me, but the situation is causing damage to both of us.

Is there so much hate for the ones we love? Tell me, we both matter, don't we? You, it's you and me. It's you and me won't be unhappy.
Why do we sometimes have negative feelings towards those we care about? We matter to each other and won't let it bring us down.

"see'mon, baby, see'mon darling, Let me steal this moment from you now. see'mon, angel, see'mon, see'mon, darling, Let's exchange the experience, oh..."
Let's take this opportunity to connect with each other and share our feelings.

And if I only could, I'd make a deal with God, And I'd get him to swap our places, Be running up that road, Be running up that hill, With no problems.
I want to escape my troubles and obstacles and feel free.

Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: KATE BUSH

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind

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