WOODS OF YPRES LYRICS

1. The Northern Cold

Mine was that of a quiet love deep and true.

I'm at home in the North, when I'm alone in the Northern Cold
And I belong in the North, when I'm at home in the Northern Cold

If you seek understanding, I will try to explain to you
The origins of my madness, and my strength in solitude
Seldom seen, seldom spoken
My heart was my compass, and it was broken
Mine was that of a quiet love, deep and true.

I'm at home in the North, when I'm alone in the Northern Cold
And I belong in the North, when I'm at home in the Northern Cold

If you seek understanding, I will show you what we have known
The long ride on the road to nowhere
The cold walks in the woods alone
In my ocean, the water was frozen
And I could see my reflection, within the ice
Mine was that of a quiet love, deep and true.

I'm at home in the North, when I'm alone in the Northern Cold
And I belong in the North, when I'm at home in the Northern Cold
Years later I am still obsessed (with the North)
Years later still restless and depressed (from the Northern Cold)
Years later I still drown in passion for my sorrows
Years later I'm alone, and I'm at home in the Northern Cold

My blues are so dark they are black. The roots are buried, so deep in the past.
See my roots, for they are true. Feel my blues, for they are real.

The feel of cold, the black of night, the white of snow,
Walking home, the smell of smoke, these are the memories of my youth.

2. Iron Grudge

We dug this hole for ourselves, but we'll gladly bury you instead
After having sacrificed yourselves, by standing in our way

I can hold the Iron Grudge, like a fist!
I can hold the Iron Grudge, for as long as I live

Can you feel the hatred, from your fellow man?
Can you see his ignorance? Unfortunately I can.

There's nothing more to say. There's nothing to discuss.
Enough words have already been heard. Enough deeds, been done.
You are not a mystery to us. We know exactly who you are.
And for as long as you might live, you are dead to us.
We dug this hole for ourselves, but we'll gladly bury you instead
After having sacrificed yourselves, by standing in our way

I can hold the Iron Grudge, like a fist!
I can hold the Iron Grudge, for as long as I live

Can you feel the envy, from you fellow man?
Can you see his ignorance? Unfortunately I can.

There's nothing more to say. There's nothing to discuss.
For I can see the fear in your eyes as you try to act tough
And as we rise up from the muck, we are filled with disgust (even more)
To realize that you ever thought, you were in the same league as us
We dug this hole for ourselves, but we'll gladly bury you instead
After having sacrificed yourselves, by standing in our way

I can hold the Iron Grudge, like a fist!
I can hold the Iron Grudge, and never lose my grip

I'm not your stepping-stone, I'm not your fucking crutch.
And for as long as you might live, I can hold the Iron Grudge!

I can hold the Iron Grudge!
Long live the Iron Grudge!

So go ahead and waste your time, it will keep you further behind!
Suffer!

3. Your Ontario Town Is A Burial Ground

Ever since I was born in a northern town
I've been digging myself out
From a time when I hadn't seen
Anything worth remembering

I would aspire to better life
To feast my eyes and expand my mind
I'd lie awake, I could not wait
To leave this place behind

Your Ontario town is just a burial ground
For old friends
Your Ontario town is just a burial ground

Inspired by hopelessness
From where my discontent once began
I miss the nature and the wilderness
But not the people there

As old stores will close their doors
Other ones may change their names
But old friends still live their lives
Where I would have died of shame
Your Ontario town is just a burial ground
For old friends
Your Ontario town is just a burial ground

You say that you grew up
You say that you tried
I think you took the easy way out
I say you gave up
I say you died

You'll say that you're content
You'll say there's no regrets
But I think you took the easy way out
For if you're not dreaming anymore
You're already dead

What a shame for those who chose
To be wasted in the north
What a shame to know nothing more
Than the town where you were born
Your Ontario town is just a burial ground
For old friends
Your Ontario town is just a burial ground

Kick over the stone that bares your name
I spit on the snow that covers your grave

4. Through Chaos And Solitude I Came...

Ripping down the valley of asphalt
Through a brainstorm of snow and ice
Where dynamite blasted the Canadian Shield, I ride
Highways 17 and 69

I understand the relation
Of black metal and modern life
How a cold winter scene
Can inspire distortion and screams

I am equal parts blood and ice
I am just as much man as tree
Through chaos and solitude I came
To become this black metal being

Each day I could see the changes
Each day I became more extreme
I understood how the sight of nature
Could inspire the sound of machines
I am equal parts blood and ice
I am just as much man as tree
Through chaos and solitude I came
To become this black metal being

I've traveled over dynamic earth at night
On highways 17 and 69
For the beauty of nature can lift my spirits
Even in the dead of winter.

Modern life can drive us to scream for the trees...(in harmony)
For those of us who can't find peace, at least we can have a release.

I understand the translation
Universal in human behaviour
A common expression and interpretation
Of Black Metal and modern life

Focused and strong
Without distraction, I look within
No one to talk me out of what I believe
Without reaction, I proceed.

I was on my own and alone to decide
Black metal was all that mattered, at the time
I found faith inspired by nature
And I was defined.
I am equal parts blood and ice
I am just as much man as tree
Through chaos and solitude I came
To become this black metal being

On this northern highway, under the starry sky
Mine was a cold, nocturnal, winter ride

And in the distance...
A stranger flashed his lights...

5. Years Of Silence (And The Private Joke)

We stood in the sand we stared at the stars
What good is any of it now?
These were the moments in our lives
That invoked years of silence
And after all that we had done
We had become...(the private joke).

We knew the risks and we were willing to take them
And so we went through with it, and it would forever change us
We were those who felt they were desperate to live
We were those who'd let their hearts, beat themselves to death
We stood in the sand we stared at the stars
What good is any of it now?
These were the moments in our lives
That invoked years of silence
And after all that we had done
We had become...(the private joke).

We couldn't go back to the way it was before
We would go our separate ways and never tell anyone
But what good are memories with no one to stand beside you?
What good are memories if those you made them with despise you?
We stood in the sand we stared at the stars
What good is any of it now?
These were the moments in our lives
That invoked years of silence
And after all that we had done
We had become...(the private joke).

6. Distractions Of Living Alone

When I come home at the end of the day, everything is just where I left it...
No one has called, nothing has changed, everything is just how I left it...

I haven't spoken a word in days, except for cursing the noise in the hall...
I haven't spoken a word in days, to anyone else at all...

And so, as I go, I'll leave my body for you...
And so, as I go, don't feel sorry for me
For life is the sacrifice, before you die
And so as I go, I'll leave my body for you...to...see...

A bed all alone in the bedroom
A vacant space where a table should be
Some posters on the walls
The bathroom mirror covered in spit

I have made such desperate attempts to make this a nice place to live...
And I have failed, for I have tried to fill this dead empty space with a life!

All this time on my hands,
And I have no where to go,
Haunted by the distractions of living alone

I hope you'd be the first one to find me
After I'd concluded the past behind me
So hold your hands, over your mouth
And run to tell the others...

7. Deepest Roots: Belief That All Is Lost

Have you ever wondered what the world would be like without you?
If you murdered your dreams and we buried you
The thought that was the bitter seed, the subterranean trajectory
That was thrust deep within the earth, and grew into a twisted tree

The origins of modern sadness, to obsess over life and death
While life is short and growth is slow, patience is the task at hand
While the wait for happiness, can be agony
An eternity in death, can be much more easily achieved

It's the truth in true despair, deepest roots, darkest blues
The belief that all is lost, and that nothing can be done

How sad life can be when those, who once-wanted, don't want anymore
And when those who already have it, can't see it, for what it's worth
The frustration that as soon as you think that it is all just meaningless
You are proven wrong again, when you find meaning at the end...

8. Darkest Blues: Relief That Nothing Can Be Done

Shallow within the earth, buried deep beneath the snow
You would remain forever young while the rest of us grow old
We would act upon our guilt, a northern burial was your wish
We would obey and fulfill, for your importance is strengthened by your early death

It's the truth in true despair, deepest roots, darkest blues
The belief that all is lost, and that nothing can be done

Forever frozen, never to decompose, your body would be preserved
While we all live, and struggle on, and inherit, the life that you deserved
Your youthful looks remembered, your dignity retained
While there would be no relief for us, and we'd look worse everyday
It's the truth in true despair, deepest roots, darkest blues
The belief that all is lost, and that nothing can be done

In our minds and in our hearts, in frames, you image will hang
On the walls of grieving homes and other places you would never go again

Imagine the things they would say about you, as if they really knew
How your death was premature, but your life was overdue.

You have already spent your better years taking your time for granted
It will be yours in the end, but at what price
To have wasted, your entire life
Wishing it all away...Death is a Tease!

To venture into the thought of despair and pull yourself back together again,
Knowing you had once stood on the edge and almost dove in.
Everything had driven me there, another lesson, best learned young:
When you want it, you can't have it, when you don't want it, it's done.

For all our guilt, for all our lies, for all we care, we'd gather together to say goodbye
As if the dead can't see the living, they would volunteer to twist the truth
For the comfort of each other and say "He was a good friend of mine."
Make the choice, to stay alive! Existence is your only hope to fight!
Not for the love of life or the fear of death, but to save the lies from the breath...

...of the ones around you, who would speak and cry,
And the ones around you who would fake and lie,
Who would say that they knew you and that you would be missed,
As a storm of admiration buries you again.

9. The Thrill Of The Struggle

The fire still burns, when you are gone. Life in the North goes on without you.
My fire will burn, with you or not. My passion will overcome.

Year's end, coming home, and what do you have to show for yourself?
I amount to nothing more, than what they understand.
Feel the sense of confusion, for your wins you cannot explain.
See the lack of comprehension, over the ground you worked so hard to gain.

The fire still burns, when you are gone.
My fire will burn, with you or not.

We live for the thrill of the struggle.
We live for the love of our sorrows.

I fight the fight I can never win, but I fight the fight for the fight itself.
And so I am rich with failure? Brutal north, bring me down again.

I guess these are the risks you take, when you've been gone for so many years.
Would they even look up from their tables, if suddenly you appeared?
The fire still burns, when you are gone.
My fire will burn, with you or not.

We live for the thrill of the struggle.
We live for the love of our sorrows.
Brutal north bring me down.
Brutal north bring me down again.
I stood at the foot of the mill again, like a metaphor of northern time.
I watched them burn off the excess, flames to the sky
The fire still burns, when your are gone
My fire will burn, with you or not

So many small losses, for one giant gain
Quiet victories spent alone, along the way
Now I wander the streets as out of place as the day I left
No better off. Nothing has changed. These are the risks we take...I guess?
Brutal north bring me down.
Brutal north bring me down again.

10. December In Windsor

Trying hard to enjoy the night, to make the best of my time
And I would kill to know what it's like to feel tonight
With each cold sip of life, which helps to numb the pain
Each touch of the glass to my lips, helps ease the strain.

It's been so long, it's been so much
Though I would shudder at your sight
I would still shatter at your touch

For I feel like ice this evening, walking down the stairs/stares
Hidding my face into the basement, as if anyone cares.
That oh I'm out tonight. I'm out to try to live tonight.
For tomorrow it may seem as though I never did.
It's been so long, it's been so much
Though I would shudder at your sight
I would still shatter at your touch

I remember December in Windsor, 2002
I remember feeling much older, than twenty-two

The season was cold, and I was alone, developing tastes for poisons.
This was my old haunt, and it haunted me still.

11. Trillium: The Third Of Three Winters 2004-2007

[Instrumental]

12. Song Of Redemption

I am not, that good anymore, and maybe I never was,
But I'll play my heart out for you, one more time.
For in my old age, all I can do is play for you a song from my youth.

So let me share my gift, with you once more,
Just like we had in the past, so many times before.

My hands may shake, my muscles are weak,
I'm not strong as I used to be.
But still I will play for you, and leave you with a song,
For when you have music you're never alone.

Let me share my gift, with you once more
Just like we had in the past, so many times before
The song of redemption is all that I am,
For in the end, the music is all that I have.

And though it feels incomplete, the deadline has come for me.
I must present to you, My 'masterpiece'...
For time is short in my condition, the song of redemption
Will be the final composition, from this tired musician.

Please give me your attention and I will remedy, this silent tension
And I hope that you will remember,
I hope the memories will leave a lasting impression
Of me, when I'm gone. Gone. After I am gone.

I don't need to concentrate, I can close my eyes.
And though you'll hear this song but once,
I've rehearsed it, a thousand times.

But what will you say, after I'm done?
After I've attempted to play the song of redemption.
And what will you say, after I'm gone?
After I've attempted to play the song of redemption.

13. End Of Tradition

It's never too late to admit that you were wrong, when the journey has made you wise enough to know the time has come, to end the tradition.

We came this far, to admit that we were wrong and the time we wasted, has made us who we are.

Though the recovery has just begun, it will one day be complete,
For we are forever in transition, blazing paths of radical change.

With our interest in good intentions, satisfied.
We leave with peace even though we failed, knowing at least we tried.

Lessons learned, perspective earned, clear sight on the highway drive at night.
A bigger picture is on the horizon, and the view is easy on the eyes.

It was what it was but it will be no more.
From now on we are only going forward (without you).
For no more will we invest our time.
Repairing unions or rekindling old fires.

The highway was once the only thing between us, but it is all that connects us now.
Sever all ties! Cut your losses and run!
One thing we have learned, from the cycle of repetition,
Patterns of negative thought always bring you back to the same old places.

No more will we waste our time, with those who have lost touch
No more will we reach out to them, or let them come to us
Let the void of your presence, be the voice that speaks in your turn
Let the ashes of the past be sifted by those who let it burn.

No more will we gather, on occasion in the same place
No more will we continue to recognize a common faith
No more will we travel, long distances to maintain our bond
No more will we unite as one, this is the end of tradition.

At the opposite ends of a void, the highways divide us forevermore!

14. To Lock Eyes With A Wild Beast

For those who think they are brave
Because they've never been afraid.
Who judge those enduring consequences,
When they have always been saved.

To all those ignorant fucks who've always suckled from the teat:
I hope, one day, you'll meet your fate
Locking eyes with the 'wild beast'.

For those who think they have all the answers,
Though they've never been tested.
Who are defiant to the rules of the world,
Though they've never had to face it, themselves.
To all those ignorant fucks who've always suckled from the teat:
I hope, one day, you'll meet your fate
Locking eyes with the 'wild beast'.

Not to be taken by your fellow man, not to be taken by your own hand,
Not having succumbed to disease, but having faced the wild beast.

For after only one glance of the beast, in the blink of an eye,
The young dawn, that was your life, has suddenly turned into midnight.

As if it fell from the sky, your jaw drops in awe.
Piss your self in fear. No clever language will save you here

As you slowly quicken the pace, as you try to slip away,
Just as you think you will be okay...
You realize you've become the chase...Run!

Let her take you down. Let her take you in her mouth.
The moonlight reflecting in her eyes,
The moonlight is shinning off her cold, sharp claws.

Let her tear you limb from limb, let nature take its course.
Let her kill and devour, kill and devour and kill some more.

Memories are flashing before your eyes of old friends & dead relatives.
With hallucinations induced from being eaten alive.

Where no one could hear you scream, where no one could see you cry,
An unlikely fate in present day, man and beast, face to face.

You went looking for thrills and adventure, they came looking for you as well.
You wanted nature? Nature wanted you as well.

At the scene of the mauling, black cloth and blood in the snow.
Surrounded by a crowd of trees you will be, but cold bones in the spring.

15. Mistakes Artists Make (The Dream Is Dead)

Rejection from ourselves, will only lead to reflection in the peace and quiet
The sooner we quit trying to find the sound, the sooner we'll find ourselves instead.

Suffering the pains taken, dwelling in the pain of creation.
For the artist's mistakes, stare him in the face for years after, they are made.

To love music more than life itself, is such a waste, of life, and love, and hell.
Modern desires to create euphoric misery we make for ourselves.

For modern music is self-indulgent, we have always done it for ourselves.
For it is not a matter of life and death, but life only and itself.

To live is to light a torch and carry it as far as you can go,
Before the winds blow so hard, the flame goes out
As you fall crashing down, to the snow.
Knowing at least that when you fail,
Someone could relight that torch
And carry it the rest of the way, someday,
In honor of you and who you were to them

It's never too late to admit you were wrong. It's never to late to admit what you need.
...Beautiful to have come, beautiful to see, but also beautiful to leave.

To anyone who ever said: "You'll never work in this town again!"...
There is nothing more you can take from us now. This is the end...'my friend'.

The dream is dead!!! (The dream is dead!)
The scene is dead!!! (The scene is dead!)
The dream is dead!!! (Long live the dream!)
The dream is dead!







WOODS OF YPRES LYRICS