One of my favorites, so brilliant and so incredibly performed. It truly shows the depth of Tuomas, and the incredible ability of his bandmates to convey emotion. So glad that you finally got to it. One of the very few times you will see Emppu play and not smile. He knows how serioous this is. And how humble is Floor's "thank you" at the end?
This performance is just insanely good, no one else other than Nightwish can deliver this particular kind of joy...and i love that you acknowledged Emppu's guitar playing. For me, he's pretty much the perfect guitarist, chugs out rhythm perfectly, and when it's solo time he always delivers exactly what the song needs. I put his right up with the very best of the best.
Nice to see you again, Red! This is an old song of the band, from the 3rd studio album "Wishmaster (2000), brought back to the stage in the "Decades" world tour (2018), a jubilee tour, in which the setlist was composed of songs from their entire career for 2 decades until then. It was obviously a concerted effort by all the band members for the vocal and instrumental rearrangement of some songs released - many of them - almost 2 decades ago and not performed since then. You noted this aspect very well of chiseling the performance. Regarding the theme of the song, which describes the inner tumult of a child that can manifest himself to the outside world only through music, it is obviously about Tuomas Holopainen, autobiographical. I was struck by the feeling of deep loneliness, which culminated in the final line "And you... I wish I didn't feel for you anymore..." The higher the peak, the deeper the abyss. And the perspective on the entire creation poured into the world through Nightwish: the outcry of a child in loneliness.
I saw the Decades tour live, when it came through St. Louis. Lots of deep cut songs from their early years. Floor was wearing the same costume. The FitBit I was wearing at the time mistakenly recorded a half hour bicycle ride during the concert, apparently from pumping my legs in my seat so much.
My favourite song in this version is this, no matter how many times I listen to it, it gives me teary eyes but Queen Floor usually does that, they all are the GOATs, and every song is a masterpiece, great reaction as always, any Nightwish songs, any era will bring me here, the new stuff is excellent too, keep rocking and stay safe....
One of my favorites. The mother of all Nightwish songs. This is a very emotional and personal song for Tuomas. The small child's voice represents Tuomas inner child speaking. When asked what this song was about "Tuomas has said about this song, that it's about if he were to die tomorrow, what would he want to say to everyone that he loves, and that love him..." Notice the small boy on the screen reaching out to the flying swans on the screen. He is reaching out to implore them to take him with to the other side. In archaeological excavations done in Karelia, a child was found and its body was laying upon a wing of a swan. In Finnish mythology and folklore, the swan was the divine messenger between the living and the dead. When a swan dropped its head below the surface, people of old times believed that it was communicating to the spirit world. Killing swans was a terrible crime because it was as bad as murdering a human. Punishments for killing swans were severe, the usual penalty was death. Swan song often symbolizes an artist´s last performance but for a long time all across the world all the way to the 17th century it was believed that swans only sang when they died. A beautiful song filled with sadness from an unfulfilled destiny. Here are the spoken words from Dead Boy's Poem. "If you read this line Remember not the hand that wrote it Remember only the verse Songmaker's cry, the one without tears For I've given this its strength And it has become my only strength Comforting home, mother's lap, chance for immortality Where being wanted became a thrill I never knew The sweet piano writing down my life" "Teach me passion, for I fear it's gone Show me love, hold the lorn So much more I wanted to give to the ones who love me I'm sorry Time will tell, this bitter farewell I live no more to shame, nor me, nor you And you I wish I didn't feel for you anymore" A lonely soul An ocean soul Tuomas is/was the lonely soul, and an ocean soul is one that is so deep that it is endless, just like the waters of the oceans.
Tuomas Holopainen is far deeper read than we might guess, remember he has several pseudonyms for himself, he says he is a man with a boy's heart, a grown-up Peter Pan, and you will see that directly in places, even when he uses boy narrators sometimes in place of himself, as here. Digging into his lyrics is almost a second bite of the cherry. He will also use poet, dreamer, writer/song writer, boy (one with a pure heart) or ocean soul - Tuomas has an affinity for the ocean, he wanted to become a marine biologist. Tuomas knows his stuff, he has incorporated two appropriate lines of Shakespeare almost verbatim: Sonnet 71 - (That is implied in context and starts "No longer mourn for me when I am dead") and has the line, "Nay, if you read this line, remember not the hand that writ it" This is the first of four sonnets in which the poet (Tuomas therefore) addresses his own death and its effect on the beloved, he here urges the beloved to forget him once he is gone. Sonnet 72 - "And live no more to shame nor me nor you." Sonnet 72 continues from 71 and explains that the beloved can defend loving the poet only by speaking falsely, by giving the poet more credit than he deserves. The beloved is urged instead to forget the poet once he is dead. Red, I disagree with you about Emppu, that is no look of satisfaction at all I think, he knows full well what this song means, the only occasion you see a very serious Emppu.
Red I like the honest reactions you do that is what makes you the best reactor ❤❤❤ #nightwish #reaction #floorgasm #redheadedneighbor #bestreactor #redsarmy #beautifulfuncountrygirl #heartofgoldwithmetalinhersoul #bestbadjokes #36K
Background things Swan on the screen: In Finnish mythology and folklore, the swan was the divine messenger between the living and the dead. Tuonelan Joutsen (Swan of Tuonela) carries the dead to afterlife. Tuomas composed this when he was 22 years old. This from their book, timeline year 2000: ------------------------ Besides the choir, the album featured some other guest artists, Ike Vil of Babylon Whores contributed some deranged self-inspection for 'The Kinslayer', and 'Dead Boy's Poem' featured a child's voice. "I had an idea of a song with a young boy reciting a poem", Tuomas says. "The trouble was that no Finnish 12-year-old could pronounce English so that it sounded right, so I had to find a native speaker to do it. My mother's sister, actress Miitta Sorvali, knew (the English-Finnish director and writer) Neil Hardwick well, and my mom remembered that Neil had a son called Sam. I called him and asked him to do the poem, and Sam agreed right away. It was just funny that when I talked to this 15-year-old boy, he seemed like such a citizen of the world and was actually familiar with our band, too. Sam said he'd be free to record the poem anytime; I'd just have to give him a call. He even knew where Finnvox was and promised to meet us there." The professionalism of young Sam Hardwick made a deep impression on Tuomas. "When he arrived at the studio, I had to ask him to wait for ten minutes or so, and he just pulled a book from his pocket and sat down to read", Tuomas says. "I gave him the poem, and he read it through a few times. We did some editing, and Sam just sat down on the studio floor and read his book, after which I asked him to read the poem a couple of more times." "When I started talking about his reward, he wouldn't hear anything about it. He just said "It's okay, it was fun". I insisted on giving him at least a couple of hundred marks, and then he left. A very puzzling young man, but a real pro and a very nice person. He later did the beginning of 'Bless the Child', too, and once again, everything worked like a charm. 'Dead Boy's Poem' continues to be a sort of a signature song for Nightwish, and after 'Wishmaster' came out, the song was voted on our web site as the best Nightwish song ever. There's certainly something about it that defines us, and - for me at least - the poem is the absolute high point of the song. So Sam Hardwick made a big contribution to our music." For Tuomas, 'Dead Boys Poem' is a deeply personal song. "The idea for that song came to me when I was thinking that if I die tomorrow, what kind of a message do I want to leave behind", Tuomas explains. "That song is all about apologizing, about saying thank you to those who deserve it - and likewise telling those who deserve it to fu*k off. It's kind of a testament. I had to make a song like that, just in case I happened to die tomorrow. A Finnish man rarely thanks anyone, or says he's sorry, but for me at least, it was possible through music." "I still live at my mom and dad's, who are the best people in the world, but I've never been able to tell them what I think about them", Tuomas confesses. "Maybe if they listen to the song and read the lyrics, they'll understand that it's partly about them, too. It's also about my best friends and Nightwish, the band that has come to be a significant - if not the most significant - part of myself in the course of years. My band mates are really important to me, but it's hard for me as a Finnish man to show my feelings. I'd rather write a song like 'Dead Boy's Poem' and ask them to listen to the words, because I just can't say it out loud. It's such a personal song, and I think it has the best lyrics I've ever been able to write. Musically, it's really good, too, definetely the best song on 'Wishmaster' - maybe the best Nightwish song ever." It had not gone unnoticed by Tarja (1st lead singer) that Tuomas expressed his feelings through music. "The melodic power of music - and the fact that music can be beautiful even at its heaviest - has always meant an awful lot to Tuomas", Tarja says. "He's able to show all his feelings in his music. I think Tuomas is very brave, because not many people can do the same. He may not look like a macho man, but when it comes to music, It's all or nothing for him."
This is excellent information, sir. I have felt that Nightwish doesn’t make songs or albums - in recent years, they have published portfolios of art where the nature of our existence is the subject matter. This, it would seem, has been disappointing to a number of the members of the community. I’ve seen so many complaints about this masterpiece coming from people who have little or no understanding of what’s going on. If they're here just for Floor or the head bang, then they're most likely going to be disappointed and they’ll find lesser amusements elsewhere. Tuomas, Floor and Nightwish doesn’t need our approval. For some, this has moved past their understanding or inclination to understand. Tuomas is an erudite man with a deep love of this world and for this existence. He is a man hungry for comprehension, for understanding and for love. This existence is awesome if you would only take the time to grasp for understanding. The glittering beauty of mathematics, music as the voice of God, the natural world with its "endless forms most beautiful". It's all there for the beholding. But you have to reach out for it, grasp it, you must have a savage thirst for comprehension as the price of admission. This quote from Richard Dawkins from The Greatest Show on Earth is the perfect expression of what Tuomas is up to: “After sleeping through a hundred million centuries we have finally opened our eyes on a sumptuous planet, sparkling with color, bountiful with life. Within decades we must close our eyes again. Isn’t it a noble, an enlightened way of spending our brief time in the sun, to work at understanding the universe and how we have come to wake up in it?" Even more to the point, this work of art is perhaps the deepest insight into the Finnish genius of Tuomas Holopainen. These two often overlooked lines, Every thought, the music I write Everything a wish for the night. Are the keys to Tuomas' existence and his compulsion, his need to form and conduct Nightwish. Emppu's ravishingly beautiful guitar solo is David Gilmour class in the way it conveys the sadness, the anguish of a soul who has been left behind in a lonely and forsaken world. It's a cry of anguish, reinforced by the funereal march of the music behind and complementing the solo. You'll hear that same sort of expression in David Gilmour's last solo of Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb. I always felt that towards the end, it became the funeral march of a lost and tormented soul. All of the anguish and regret of something glimpsed and lost is distilled and channeled into one extended searing cry. So it is with Emppu's solo, yet it is so deftly and effortlessly woven into this masterpiece of Tuomas' that you don't quite realize what it's doing to you. Note that there is none of Emppu's usual smirking or goofing around in this one. He is dead serious (excuse the pun) and it shows in his expression. So much so that he has to turn away from the audience when he is done. And then there's Floor. Aside from Lanternlight, this is the most emotional performance I have yet seen from her. She feels all of the passion, sorrow, despair, longing and even anger in every note of this epic piece. She becomes the song and then she sings right into your soul and utterly wrecks it. It hits so hard. If this doesn't have tears streaming down your face, then you have no understanding and no soul.
This is a really special song for Nightwish because Tuomas has, in a way, written us an instruction on what we should remember about him if he dies unexpectedly (remember the songs he made, not the person behind them). The seriousness of the subject can also be seen in the fact that none of the band members smile during the song. Not even Emppu after his guitar solo! You can also see the theme on the background screen. There you can see a big bird, which was a creature in Finnish mythology that fetched the souls of the dead and transported them to another world.
It took me a while to find this a good song, but... after numerous listens this had become my absolute favorite Nightwish song. The buildup, the lyrics ("and you... I wish I didn`t feel for you anymore").
It's the empathy in this performance that really shines through. There is a reverence that simply takes your breath away. Floor is astonishing. Tuomas said "This is the most personal song I’ve ever written. My testimony for the whole world. With this song I want to apologize to everyone who deserves my apology. It also makes an “I don’t care” statement to them who deserve it. The song is also about what Nightwish means and has meant to me. It’s all, without it I’m dead. I have created it and it has created me. When I pass away, this song’s lyrics are of what I wish to be remembered. An Ocean Soul". Lovely reaction Red. 🤘
I discovered Nightwish in 2018 and when this performance was released I didn't understand the meaning straight away nor the love of this song that other Nightwish fans had for it. I was still in love with everything out of the Wacken concert performance of 2013, I was still in my Nightwish infancy. It wasn't until months later did I begin to comprehend it and understand it. Then, every time I watched it I began to love it more and more, it is now absolutely one of my favourite performances, the lyrics and Floor's performance almost brings me to the point of tears - top tier!
Hi Red, yet again you delivered an Amazing Review of this amazing song, one of my all-time favorites of this Amazing Band of people called Nightwish, and of course your always beautiful happy and smiling face, Lady You Rock, and after 2 listens yes, I got what Tumos was trying to say, which is the song is really all about him, and how he would like to be remembered, when he passes over to the other side. Thank You Lady x
This might be Tuomas' most personal song. He wrote this when he was 22(-ish) just after Nightwish' popularity exploded. The pressure was huge, each new song should be better than the last, it could only go downhill from there. People are assigning him this God-like status that he does not feel worthy of. And how was he ever to find true love in this bizarre situation. The success of the band ended his youth a bit too fast to his liking. Being the captain of this multi million dollar enterprise he had lost his childhood purity, his innocence. The boy Tuomas no longer exists (hence the boy is dead --> dead boy) In many songs dead boy/dead children is a euphemism for adults (mostly the adult verion of himself). In this song Tuomas mourns the loss of his childhood. That is why it written as a eulogy.
Tuomas has said that this is the "mother of all Nightwish songs" - shows how much it made him even as he created Nightwish. Marko on guitar for the start! "Everything I wish for the night...." Nightwish! "Sweet piano writing down my life" - hits me hard as a pianist. Emppu serious face for the solo - because it's Tuomas' self-written eulogy and F.U. to the doubters and nay-sayers!
My no 4 song, joint with Devil andbthe Deep Dark Ocean from the same show (the best show by a big margin in my book). Until he wrote The Poet and the Pendulum, this was Tuomas' most personal song - how he wanted to be remembered. The only song I know in which Emppu doesn't smile. Is there a tear in his eye at the end of his solo? Floor, asked about her guitar hero said "I play in a band with him: that’s Emppu [Vuorinen, Nightwish guitarist]. He is an amazing guitar player, but he doesn’t need to fill every gap in the song with meaningless notes. He really keeps the atmosphere [of the songs]." But it took some work to organise this one: "Dead Boy's Poem' featured a child's voice. "I had an idea of a song with a young boy boy reciting reciting a poem", Tuomas says. "The trouble was that no Finnish so I had to find a 12-year-old could pronounce English so that it sounded right, so I had to find a native speaker to do it. My mother's Sister, actress Miitta Sorvali, knew [the English-Finnish director and writer] Neil Hardwick well, and my mum remembered that Neil had a son called Sam. I called him and asked him to do the poem, and Sam agreed right away. It was just funny that when I talked to this 15-year-old boy he seemed like such a citizen of the worldand was actually familiar with our band too. Sam said he'd be free to record the poem anytime; I'd just have to give him a call. He even knew where Finnvox was and promised to meet us there. The professionalism of young Sam Hardwick made a deep impression on Tuomas. "When he arrived at the studio, had to ask him to wait for ten minutes or so and he just pulled a book from his pocket and sat down to read". Tuomas says, " I gave him the poem, and he read it through a few times. We did some editing and Sam just sat down on the studio floor and read his book, after which I asked him to read the poem a couple of more times."
I`ve heard and watched this concert many many times, When I watch anyone`s reaction to this song I always have a box of Kleenex ready. No other band brings so many emotions to me, I`ve been obsessed with this band for over 15 years and when Floor joined the band I was like WOW this is honestly the best band ever with the exception of Pink Floyd. I see Gabriel told you about the song so I can only say Tuomas is a absolute treasure in everyone of his songs !! Another song from this venue is ``The Carpenter`` that totally warrants your time.
What can one say ....... Yet ANOTHER layer of brilliance from Tuomas and Nightwish ....... And Floor ....... She IS a literal Goddess in the flesh and voice. Her ability to tell the story, and convey the emotion is unparalleled by any other. Then there is her voice ...... just utter perfection in every way. I don't believe ive ever seen a credible negative critique of her vocals, ever...... perfect technique, perfect pitch, absolute mastery of multiple styles, insane breath control, clarity of the lyrics, power, subtlety, ..... She is ..... well, ..... Once in a lifetime. Nightwish is i think the only band ive ever seen who's songs are so completely unpredictable, so completely unique, and so well crafted, while NEVER sounding like they are just Frankenstein'd parts stuck together so they "seem" clever or unusual. Everything works IMPOSSIBLY WELL!
Great reaction. One of my top 6 Nightwish songs. Had to drop it one spot with the release of Laternlight. One of the more personal songs for Tuomas and the fans. An old song written by Tuomas when he was young. Inspired by the question what would you say if you knew you were going to die tomorrow. Tuomas has said this song was a way of thanking all those who deserve his thanks and a piss off to all those who deserve it as well. Tuomas often uses the dead boy as a symbol of the loss of childhood innocence and imagination that we experience as we grow into adulthood. When you hear dead boy or poet in his lyrics he is usually referring to himself. He also has a strong connection to the ocean and sees it as a place of peace and tranquility. A refugee from the modern world. So in this song Tuomas is saying that he no longer lives for himself or his friends but only for the music. He puts all his feelings into the music and his music is what gives his life meaning. He tries to make his life better but can never get back to the innocence of his youth. He wants to be loved but can't connect with people. He asks that they remember his music, not him, after he is gone. Thus a lonely soul, an ocean soul. Note that on the video wall behind the band the boy is holding up his arms to several swans. In Finnish mythology swans are the creatures that guide your soul to the afterlife.
I see that you have already gotten an explanation of what the song means, so I won't repeat that. I just want to add my apprecaition for the way you react to not only Nightwish, but all of the music that you react to. I really like that you notice the small things and, especially with Nightwish, they way they work together. I like the way you call out the musicians when they do something you like, for instance, the feeling evident on Tuomas's face when he was playing this song, and Emppu's excellent work on the guitar. I try and watch the majority of your reactions, but I have to confess that I'm already waiting for the next Nightwish.
Hello Red, Tuomas called "Dead Boy's Poem" the "mother of all Nightwish songs." And if this is the mother, then the child is the eponymous Dead Boy. But even without knowing this, Dead Boy's Poem live touches me to the depths of my soul time and time again. And although I cannot interpret every aspect of this song, it still feels to me as if we are getting a glimpse of Tuomas' deepest soul. The poem tells about the boy who (Tuomas ???) once was, but who he lost while growing up. The growing child who has lost himself and now mourns the loss of innocence. This song could (although I don't know anything about it) be about a now grown up boy who was abused in his early childhood, or at least misunderstood. He never has anyone to talk to, so he puts all his thoughts and feelings on paper in a song. In this way, the song becomes his best friend, and he puts all his strength into it, so that it can give him the strength he needs to get through life. There is a melancholy of a long-forgotten childhood dream, his lost paradise, expressed in the purest poetry imaginable. Tuomas has hinted that he shouldn't make music his profession. Perhaps the disregard for his talent (by his parents? environment?) also plays a role.
Hi Red, greetings from UK May I please recommend a song that I keep thinking of whenever I see your reactions? It is a song called "She Is My Sin" from Wacken 2013 concert 😁 I think that you will love it 😊
I'm really impressed Floor since Ghost Love Score like every one , but when I heard this song it's so fragile and intents and when combine to each member of the band are got bullying during young when Floor hum low-frequency in this song her voice so intents on that time I knew she is not just incredible in high pitch vocal but low tone too
Nightwish is almost entirely the musical vision of Tuomas Holopainen (keyboards) who writes almost all the lyrics... Of course, he accepts contributions from other members of the band but he has the final say... The singers have the task of delivering his lyrics w/ the emotion in them, since all 3 Nightwish female vocalists have a different style and delivery. "Dead boy's poem" was an expression of sadness, I believe from their 3rd album 'Wishmaster' in 2000, originally sung by Tarja Turunen... Tuomas was inspired by sad Finnish poems that he related to... Later, he admitted that making 'Wishmaster' was a chore; he wrote the first 2 Nightwish albums as an aspiring songwriter and musician... but once Nightwish started becoming successful, the music business came in and Tuomas realized he was no longer making music from a place of enthusiasm - it was more of a task at hand to make his living... He felt like he had "lost his innocence" as an artist/ songwriter. Success of 'Wishmaster' did not make Tuomas any happier by 2001... the crowds were bigger... the adulation was more intense... album sales were going up worldwide... but the haters and naysayers were also growing in number and they were getting to him. He wrote their 4th album 'Century Child' (2002) from a dark place in himself... He was ready to end the band and did not tour much on that record. A lot of the lyrics on that record were about hopelessness and the frustrations in his life. Thankfully, Tuomas was able to rejuvenate himself creatively and returned in 2004 w/ the album 'Once' ...
Tarja 's version for me is perfect. When she looks upward as "the dead boy" is talking I tear up. She conveys each emotion not only with her amazing vocals but with her face and body. The song is beautiful and so is Tarja's live version on From wishes to Eternity dvd
Been waiting for you to do Dead Boy's, first time I heard it I stopped in my tracks. It reaches out and grabs ya. Anytime Marko pulls out the double neck you know you're in for a treat. To me, this is one of their very best. It always gets me, these guys play exactly what the song needs - and to perfection. This whole concert is worth watching. Several songs you haven't heard before.
The always so happy and smiling Emppu almost looks like he's close to tears as he turns away from the camera ❤
I think this is the only solo without a smile.
One of my favorites, so brilliant and so incredibly performed. It truly shows the depth of Tuomas, and the incredible ability of his bandmates to convey emotion. So glad that you finally got to it. One of the very few times you will see Emppu play and not smile. He knows how serioous this is. And how humble is Floor's "thank you" at the end?
This performance is just insanely good, no one else other than Nightwish can deliver this particular kind of joy...and i love that you acknowledged Emppu's guitar playing. For me, he's pretty much the perfect guitarist, chugs out rhythm perfectly, and when it's solo time he always delivers exactly what the song needs. I put his right up with the very best of the best.
Nice to see you again, Red! This is an old song of the band, from the 3rd studio album "Wishmaster (2000), brought back to the stage in the "Decades" world tour (2018), a jubilee tour, in which the setlist was composed of songs from their entire career for 2 decades until then. It was obviously a concerted effort by all the band members for the vocal and instrumental rearrangement of some songs released - many of them - almost 2 decades ago and not performed since then. You noted this aspect very well of chiseling the performance.
Regarding the theme of the song, which describes the inner tumult of a child that can manifest himself to the outside world only through music, it is obviously about Tuomas Holopainen, autobiographical. I was struck by the feeling of deep loneliness, which culminated in the final line "And you... I wish I didn't feel for you anymore..." The higher the peak, the deeper the abyss. And the perspective on the entire creation poured into the world through Nightwish: the outcry of a child in loneliness.
I saw the Decades tour live, when it came through St. Louis. Lots of deep cut songs from their early years. Floor was wearing the same costume. The FitBit I was wearing at the time mistakenly recorded a half hour bicycle ride during the concert, apparently from pumping my legs in my seat so much.
Very well described. Thank you
My favourite song in this version is this, no matter how many times I listen to it, it gives me teary eyes but Queen Floor usually does that, they all are the GOATs, and every song is a masterpiece, great reaction as always, any Nightwish songs, any era will bring me here, the new stuff is excellent too, keep rocking and stay safe....
One of my favorites. The mother of all Nightwish songs.
This is a very emotional and personal song for Tuomas. The small child's voice represents Tuomas inner child speaking.
When asked what this song was about "Tuomas has said about this song, that it's about if he were to die tomorrow, what would he want to say to everyone that he loves, and that love him..."
Notice the small boy on the screen reaching out to the flying swans on the screen. He is reaching out to implore them to take him with to the other side.
In archaeological excavations done in Karelia, a child was found and its body was laying upon a wing of a swan. In Finnish mythology and folklore, the swan was the divine messenger between the living and the dead. When a swan dropped its head below the surface, people of old times believed that it was communicating to the spirit world.
Killing swans was a terrible crime because it was as bad as murdering a human. Punishments for killing swans were severe, the usual penalty was death.
Swan song often symbolizes an artist´s last performance but for a long time all across the world all the way to the 17th century it was believed that swans only sang when they died.
A beautiful song filled with sadness from an unfulfilled destiny.
Here are the spoken words from Dead Boy's Poem.
"If you read this line
Remember not the hand that wrote it
Remember only the verse
Songmaker's cry, the one without tears
For I've given this its strength
And it has become my only strength
Comforting home, mother's lap, chance for immortality
Where being wanted became a thrill I never knew
The sweet piano writing down my life"
"Teach me passion, for I fear it's gone
Show me love, hold the lorn
So much more I wanted to give to the ones who love me
I'm sorry
Time will tell, this bitter farewell
I live no more to shame, nor me, nor you
And you I wish I didn't feel for you anymore"
A lonely soul
An ocean soul
Tuomas is/was the lonely soul, and an ocean soul is one that is so deep that it is endless, just like the waters of the oceans.
Tuomas Holopainen is far deeper read than we might guess, remember he has several pseudonyms for himself, he says he is a man with a boy's heart, a grown-up Peter Pan, and you will see that directly in places, even when he uses boy narrators sometimes in place of himself, as here.
Digging into his lyrics is almost a second bite of the cherry. He will also use poet, dreamer, writer/song writer, boy (one with a pure heart) or ocean soul - Tuomas has an affinity for the ocean, he wanted to become a marine biologist.
Tuomas knows his stuff, he has incorporated two appropriate lines of Shakespeare almost verbatim:
Sonnet 71 - (That is implied in context and starts "No longer mourn for me when I am dead") and has the line,
"Nay, if you read this line, remember not the hand that writ it"
This is the first of four sonnets in which the poet (Tuomas therefore) addresses his own death and its effect on the beloved, he here urges the beloved to forget him once he is gone.
Sonnet 72 - "And live no more to shame nor me nor you."
Sonnet 72 continues from 71 and explains that the beloved can defend loving the poet only by speaking falsely, by giving the poet more credit than he deserves.
The beloved is urged instead to forget the poet once he is dead.
Red, I disagree with you about Emppu, that is no look of satisfaction at all I think, he knows full well what this song means, the only occasion you see a very serious Emppu.
One of my favorite versions Floors beautiful and powerful vocals are stunning. Great reaction thank you.
Floor really is a Goddess, I love this woman, the greatest singer in the world, and beautiful
If I was religous I would believe she is the second coming of the Christ.
Red I like the honest reactions you do that is what makes you the best reactor ❤❤❤ #nightwish #reaction #floorgasm #redheadedneighbor #bestreactor #redsarmy #beautifulfuncountrygirl #heartofgoldwithmetalinhersoul #bestbadjokes #36K
Background things
Swan on the screen: In Finnish mythology and folklore, the swan was the divine messenger between the living and the dead. Tuonelan Joutsen (Swan of Tuonela) carries the dead to afterlife.
Tuomas composed this when he was 22 years old. This from their book, timeline year 2000:
------------------------
Besides the choir, the album featured some other guest artists, Ike Vil of Babylon Whores contributed some deranged self-inspection for 'The Kinslayer', and 'Dead Boy's Poem' featured a child's voice. "I had an idea of a song with a young boy reciting a poem", Tuomas says. "The trouble was that no Finnish 12-year-old could pronounce English so that it sounded right, so I had to find a native speaker to do it. My mother's sister, actress Miitta Sorvali, knew (the English-Finnish director and writer) Neil Hardwick well, and my mom remembered that Neil had a son called Sam. I called him and asked him to do the poem, and Sam agreed right away. It was just funny that when I talked to this 15-year-old boy, he seemed like such a citizen of the world and was actually familiar with our band, too. Sam said he'd be free to record the poem anytime; I'd just have to give him a call. He even knew where Finnvox was and promised to meet us there."
The professionalism of young Sam Hardwick made a deep impression on Tuomas. "When he arrived at the studio, I had to ask him to wait for ten minutes or so, and he just pulled a book from his pocket and sat down to read", Tuomas says. "I gave him the poem, and he read it through a few times. We did some editing, and Sam just sat down on the studio floor and read his book, after which I asked him to read the poem a couple of more times."
"When I started talking about his reward, he wouldn't hear anything about it. He just said "It's okay, it was fun". I insisted on giving him at least a couple of hundred marks, and then he left. A very puzzling young man, but a real pro and a very nice person. He later did the beginning of 'Bless the Child', too, and once again, everything worked like a charm. 'Dead Boy's Poem' continues to be a sort of a signature song for Nightwish, and after 'Wishmaster' came out, the song was voted on our web site as the best Nightwish song ever. There's certainly something about it that defines us, and - for me at least - the poem is the absolute high point of the song. So Sam Hardwick made a big contribution to our music."
For Tuomas, 'Dead Boys Poem' is a deeply personal song. "The idea for that song came to me when I was thinking that if I die tomorrow, what kind of a message do I want to leave behind", Tuomas explains. "That song is all about apologizing, about saying thank you to those who deserve it - and likewise telling those who deserve it to fu*k off. It's kind of a testament. I had to make a song like that, just in case I happened to die tomorrow. A Finnish man rarely thanks anyone, or says he's sorry, but for me at least, it was possible through music."
"I still live at my mom and dad's, who are the best people in the world, but I've never been able to tell them what I think about them", Tuomas confesses. "Maybe if they listen to the song and read the lyrics, they'll understand that it's partly about them, too. It's also about my best friends and Nightwish, the band that has come to be a significant - if not the most significant - part of myself in the course of years. My band mates are really important to me, but it's hard for me as a Finnish man to show my feelings. I'd rather write a song like 'Dead Boy's Poem' and ask them to listen to the words, because I just can't say it out loud. It's such a personal song, and I think it has the best lyrics I've ever been able to write. Musically, it's really good, too, definetely the best song on 'Wishmaster' - maybe the best Nightwish song ever."
It had not gone unnoticed by Tarja (1st lead singer) that Tuomas expressed his feelings through music. "The melodic power of music - and the fact that music can be beautiful even at its heaviest - has always meant an awful lot to Tuomas", Tarja says. "He's able to show all his feelings in his music. I think Tuomas is very brave, because not many people can do the same. He may not look like a macho man, but when it comes to music, It's all or nothing for him."
This is excellent information, sir. I have felt that Nightwish doesn’t make songs or albums - in recent years, they have published portfolios of art where the nature of our existence is the subject matter. This, it would seem, has been disappointing to a number of the members of the community. I’ve seen so many complaints about this masterpiece coming from people who have little or no understanding of what’s going on. If they're here just for Floor or the head bang, then they're most likely going to be disappointed and they’ll find lesser amusements elsewhere. Tuomas, Floor and Nightwish doesn’t need our approval. For some, this has moved past their understanding or inclination to understand.
Tuomas is an erudite man with a deep love of this world and for this existence. He is a man hungry for comprehension, for understanding and for love. This existence is awesome if you would only take the time to grasp for understanding. The glittering beauty of mathematics, music as the voice of God, the natural world with its "endless forms most beautiful". It's all there for the beholding. But you have to reach out for it, grasp it, you must have a savage thirst for comprehension as the price of admission.
This quote from Richard Dawkins from The Greatest Show on Earth is the perfect expression of what Tuomas is up to: “After sleeping through a hundred million centuries we have finally opened our eyes on a sumptuous planet, sparkling with color, bountiful with life. Within decades we must close our eyes again. Isn’t it a noble, an enlightened way of spending our brief time in the sun, to work at understanding the universe and how we have come to wake up in it?"
Even more to the point, this work of art is perhaps the deepest insight into the Finnish genius of Tuomas Holopainen. These two often overlooked lines,
Every thought, the music I write
Everything a wish for the night.
Are the keys to Tuomas' existence and his compulsion, his need to form and conduct Nightwish.
Emppu's ravishingly beautiful guitar solo is David Gilmour class in the way it conveys the sadness, the anguish of a soul who has been left behind in a lonely and forsaken world. It's a cry of anguish, reinforced by the funereal march of the music behind and complementing the solo. You'll hear that same sort of expression in David Gilmour's last solo of Pink Floyd's Comfortably Numb. I always felt that towards the end, it became the funeral march of a lost and tormented soul. All of the anguish and regret of something glimpsed and lost is distilled and channeled into one extended searing cry. So it is with Emppu's solo, yet it is so deftly and effortlessly woven into this masterpiece of Tuomas' that you don't quite realize what it's doing to you. Note that there is none of Emppu's usual smirking or goofing around in this one. He is dead serious (excuse the pun) and it shows in his expression. So much so that he has to turn away from the audience when he is done.
And then there's Floor. Aside from Lanternlight, this is the most emotional performance I have yet seen from her. She feels all of the passion, sorrow, despair, longing and even anger in every note of this epic piece. She becomes the song and then she sings right into your soul and utterly wrecks it. It hits so hard. If this doesn't have tears streaming down your face, then you have no understanding and no soul.
This is a really special song for Nightwish because Tuomas has, in a way, written us an instruction on what we should remember about him if he dies unexpectedly (remember the songs he made, not the person behind them).
The seriousness of the subject can also be seen in the fact that none of the band members smile during the song. Not even Emppu after his guitar solo!
You can also see the theme on the background screen. There you can see a big bird, which was a creature in Finnish mythology that fetched the souls of the dead and transported them to another world.
This^^^^^^
It took me a while to find this a good song, but... after numerous listens this had become my absolute favorite Nightwish song. The buildup, the lyrics ("and you... I wish I didn`t feel for you anymore").
It's the empathy in this performance that really shines through. There is a reverence that simply takes your breath away. Floor is astonishing.
Tuomas said "This is the most personal song I’ve ever written. My testimony for the whole world. With this song I want to apologize to everyone who deserves my apology. It also makes an “I don’t care” statement to them who deserve it. The song is also about what Nightwish means and has meant to me. It’s all, without it I’m dead. I have created it and it has created me. When I pass away, this song’s lyrics are of what I wish to be remembered. An Ocean Soul". Lovely reaction Red. 🤘
I *think* this is my favourite Nightwish song, particularly this version.
oh yes! This is the one!!!!!
Basically Tuomas’ musical epitaph.
I discovered Nightwish in 2018 and when this performance was released I didn't understand the meaning straight away nor the love of this song that other Nightwish fans had for it. I was still in love with everything out of the Wacken concert performance of 2013, I was still in my Nightwish infancy. It wasn't until months later did I begin to comprehend it and understand it. Then, every time I watched it I began to love it more and more, it is now absolutely one of my favourite performances, the lyrics and Floor's performance almost brings me to the point of tears - top tier!
my favorite song.
This is a very personal song to Tuomas .... and he wrote it . Greetings from NWA Sweden
That is what is coming out, when Tuomas Holopainen is thinking about what will happen, when he dies tomorrow. One of the best Nightwish songs ever.
Hi Red, yet again you delivered an Amazing Review of this amazing song, one of my all-time favorites of this Amazing Band of people called Nightwish, and of course your always beautiful happy and smiling face, Lady You Rock, and after 2 listens yes, I got what Tumos was trying to say, which is the song is really all about him, and how he would like to be remembered, when he passes over to the other side. Thank You Lady x
This might be Tuomas' most personal song. He wrote this when he was 22(-ish) just after Nightwish' popularity exploded. The pressure was huge, each new song should be better than the last, it could only go downhill from there. People are assigning him this God-like status that he does not feel worthy of. And how was he ever to find true love in this bizarre situation. The success of the band ended his youth a bit too fast to his liking. Being the captain of this multi million dollar enterprise he had lost his childhood purity, his innocence. The boy Tuomas no longer exists (hence the boy is dead --> dead boy) In many songs dead boy/dead children is a euphemism for adults (mostly the adult verion of himself). In this song Tuomas mourns the loss of his childhood. That is why it written as a eulogy.
Tuomas has said that this is the "mother of all Nightwish songs" - shows how much it made him even as he created Nightwish. Marko on guitar for the start! "Everything I wish for the night...." Nightwish! "Sweet piano writing down my life" - hits me hard as a pianist. Emppu serious face for the solo - because it's Tuomas' self-written eulogy and F.U. to the doubters and nay-sayers!
That song is just magical. Never get enough of it :)
This song and Lantern Light are my two favorite Nightwish songs.
I concur, regarding emotional songs
nice Redhead, your eye/ear for the musical details in this masterpiece, I 💜that also....and ''Gethsemane'' is one of
my favorites with Floor...
Love your command 🤟🤟🤟🤟
My no 4 song, joint with Devil andbthe Deep Dark Ocean from the same show (the best show by a big margin in my book).
Until he wrote The Poet and the Pendulum, this was Tuomas' most personal song - how he wanted to be remembered.
The only song I know in which Emppu doesn't smile. Is there a tear in his eye at the end of his solo?
Floor, asked about her guitar hero said
"I play in a band with him: that’s Emppu [Vuorinen, Nightwish guitarist]. He is an amazing guitar player, but he doesn’t need to fill every gap in the song with meaningless notes. He really keeps the atmosphere [of the songs]."
But it took some work to organise this one:
"Dead Boy's Poem' featured a child's voice. "I had an idea of a song with a young boy boy reciting reciting a poem", Tuomas says. "The trouble was that no Finnish so I had to find a 12-year-old could pronounce English so that it sounded right, so I had to find a native speaker to do it. My mother's Sister, actress Miitta Sorvali, knew [the English-Finnish director and writer] Neil Hardwick well, and my mum remembered that Neil had a son called Sam. I called him and asked him to do the poem, and Sam agreed right away.
It was just funny that when I talked to this 15-year-old boy he seemed like such a citizen of the worldand was actually familiar with our band too. Sam said he'd be free to record the poem anytime; I'd just have to give him a call.
He even knew where Finnvox was and promised to meet us there. The professionalism of young Sam Hardwick made a deep impression on Tuomas.
"When he arrived at the studio, had to ask him to wait for ten minutes or so and he just pulled a book from his pocket and sat down to read".
Tuomas says, " I gave him the poem, and he read it through a few times. We did some editing and Sam just sat down on the studio floor and read his book, after which I asked him to read the poem a couple of more times."
I`ve heard and watched this concert many many times, When I watch anyone`s reaction to this song I always have a box of Kleenex ready. No other band brings so many emotions to me, I`ve been obsessed with this band for over 15 years and when Floor joined the band I was like WOW this is honestly the best band ever with the exception of Pink Floyd. I see Gabriel told you about the song so I can only say Tuomas is a absolute treasure in everyone of his songs !! Another song from this venue is ``The Carpenter`` that totally warrants your time.
Thanks for sharing your reaction to this beautiful "last will & testament" of Tuomas.
If nightwish ever does a greatest hit set it would be 24hrs long one of my top 5 maybe probably hard to say they all are amazing
What can one say ....... Yet ANOTHER layer of brilliance from Tuomas and Nightwish ....... And Floor ....... She IS a literal Goddess in the flesh and voice. Her ability to tell the story, and convey the emotion is unparalleled by any other. Then there is her voice ...... just utter perfection in every way. I don't believe ive ever seen a credible negative critique of her vocals, ever...... perfect technique, perfect pitch, absolute mastery of multiple styles, insane breath control, clarity of the lyrics, power, subtlety, ..... She is ..... well, ..... Once in a lifetime. Nightwish is i think the only band ive ever seen who's songs are so completely unpredictable, so completely unique, and so well crafted, while NEVER sounding like they are just Frankenstein'd parts stuck together so they "seem" clever or unusual. Everything works IMPOSSIBLY WELL!
When i first heard this song i thought it was about a boy who's lost his life but later i found out it's about Tuomas still an amazing emotional song
Great reaction to one of the most pivotal Nightwish songs, one with such emotion and gentle melancholy 🤘
so full of emotions , i love this song. ❤
It's a song / story and performance that hits you - deep
Emppu can make that guitar sing and weep! He is a master!🎸🤘
A lot of their songs take you on a journey. Wait until you get to The Greatest Show On Earth. 😁
Great reaction. One of my top 6 Nightwish songs. Had to drop it one spot with the release of Laternlight. One of the more personal songs for Tuomas and the fans. An old song written by Tuomas when he was young. Inspired by the question what would you say if you knew you were going to die tomorrow. Tuomas has said this song was a way of thanking all those who deserve his thanks and a piss off to all those who deserve it as well. Tuomas often uses the dead boy as a symbol of the loss of childhood innocence and imagination that we experience as we grow into adulthood. When you hear dead boy or poet in his lyrics he is usually referring to himself. He also has a strong connection to the ocean and sees it as a place of peace and tranquility. A refugee from the modern world.
So in this song Tuomas is saying that he no longer lives for himself or his friends but only for the music. He puts all his feelings into the music and his music is what gives his life meaning. He tries to make his life better but can never get back to the innocence of his youth. He wants to be loved but can't connect with people. He asks that they remember his music, not him, after he is gone. Thus a lonely soul, an ocean soul. Note that on the video wall behind the band the boy is holding up his arms to several swans. In Finnish mythology swans are the creatures that guide your soul to the afterlife.
HORNS! Is there any sound more majestic than a French Horn? A: Yes, Floor.
❤❤❤❤❤
I see that you have already gotten an explanation of what the song means, so I won't repeat that. I just want to add my apprecaition for the way you react to not only Nightwish, but all of the music that you react to. I really like that you notice the small things and, especially with Nightwish, they way they work together. I like the way you call out the musicians when they do something you like, for instance, the feeling evident on Tuomas's face when he was playing this song, and Emppu's excellent work on the guitar. I try and watch the majority of your reactions, but I have to confess that I'm already waiting for the next Nightwish.
So many Floorgasms, so little time. 🤷♂
When you look in a dictionary under 'woman', there is a picture of Floor......
Ahhhhhh. As I said, you have been missed. love this song
❤🤘❤
Hello Red, Tuomas called "Dead Boy's Poem" the "mother of all Nightwish songs." And if this is the mother, then the child is the eponymous Dead Boy. But even without knowing this, Dead Boy's Poem live touches me to the depths of my soul time and time again. And although I cannot interpret every aspect of this song, it still feels to me as if we are getting a glimpse of Tuomas' deepest soul. The poem tells about the boy who (Tuomas ???) once was, but who he lost while growing up. The growing child who has lost himself and now mourns the loss of innocence. This song could (although I don't know anything about it) be about a now grown up boy who was abused in his early childhood, or at least misunderstood. He never has anyone to talk to, so he puts all his thoughts and feelings on paper in a song. In this way, the song becomes his best friend, and he puts all his strength into it, so that it can give him the strength he needs to get through life. There is a melancholy of a long-forgotten childhood dream, his lost paradise, expressed in the purest poetry imaginable. Tuomas has hinted that he shouldn't make music his profession. Perhaps the disregard for his talent (by his parents? environment?) also plays a role.
Hi Red, greetings from UK
May I please recommend a song that I keep thinking of whenever I see your reactions?
It is a song called "She Is My Sin" from Wacken 2013 concert 😁 I think that you will love it 😊
I'm really impressed Floor since Ghost Love Score like every one , but when I heard this song it's so fragile and intents and when combine to each member of the band are got bullying during young when Floor hum low-frequency in this song her voice so intents on that time I knew she is not just incredible in high pitch vocal but low tone too
My Goddes Mamma Floor
🤗's
Nightwish is almost entirely the musical vision of Tuomas Holopainen (keyboards) who writes almost all the lyrics... Of course, he accepts contributions from other members of the band but he has the final say... The singers have the task of delivering his lyrics w/ the emotion in them, since all 3 Nightwish female vocalists have a different style and delivery.
"Dead boy's poem" was an expression of sadness, I believe from their 3rd album 'Wishmaster' in 2000, originally sung by Tarja Turunen... Tuomas was inspired by sad Finnish poems that he related to... Later, he admitted that making 'Wishmaster' was a chore; he wrote the first 2 Nightwish albums as an aspiring songwriter and musician... but once Nightwish started becoming successful, the music business came in and Tuomas realized he was no longer making music from a place of enthusiasm - it was more of a task at hand to make his living... He felt like he had "lost his innocence" as an artist/ songwriter.
Success of 'Wishmaster' did not make Tuomas any happier by 2001... the crowds were bigger... the adulation was more intense... album sales were going up worldwide... but the haters and naysayers were also growing in number and they were getting to him.
He wrote their 4th album 'Century Child' (2002) from a dark place in himself... He was ready to end the band and did not tour much on that record. A lot of the lyrics on that record were about hopelessness and the frustrations in his life.
Thankfully, Tuomas was able to rejuvenate himself creatively and returned in 2004 w/ the album 'Once' ...
Next please Dead boy s poem the original with Tarja Turunen from the Wishes to Eternity concert dvd 2000❤
G'day Red how r u mate ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
Tarja 's version for me is perfect. When she looks upward as "the dead boy" is talking I tear up. She conveys each emotion not only with her amazing vocals but with her face and body. The song is beautiful and so is Tarja's live version on From wishes to Eternity dvd
I can tell you like guitar sounds, bet youd like stuff from a couple players....Joe Satriani....or Stevie Vai
Nice slow build up....
Been waiting for you to do Dead Boy's, first time I heard it I stopped in my tracks. It reaches out and grabs ya. Anytime Marko pulls out the double neck you know you're in for a treat. To me, this is one of their very best. It always gets me, these guys play exactly what the song needs - and to perfection. This whole concert is worth watching. Several songs you haven't heard before.