Lyric Discussion: Nightfall in Middle-Earth

[Calan]

So I'm going to try my hand at an actual, productive thread. I'd commented in the last thread on this, and I think it'd be interesting to see what other folk have to say when it specifically comes down to the lyrics of this album. Not specifically book-related, so it's here in N&N for all to enjoy. I figure about a week between my posts of lyrics, but if discussion seems to close I'll certainly move on.

Unfortunately, I'm not a music connoisseur, nor have I my copy of the Sil at hand. I shall have to leave it to others to help tie in the 'historical' links to what happened in the book, and take my point of view as a complete newcomer. Thusly:

Blind Guardian's Nightfall in Middle-Earth retells in part the doom of Morgoth and the fall of the Eldar. Twenty-two tracks and just over an hour of runtime, though half of them are half-minute segue pieces or a few lines of dialogue. I'll include these with the songs that seem to fit best, so there may be two or three tracks up in one post.

So, to begin:

I: War of Wrath

Wind howls. Swords clash. Sounds of battle.

Narration (Sauron):
The field is lost
Everything is lost
The black one has fallen from the sky
And the towers in ruins lie
The enemy is within, everywhere
And with him the light, soon they will be here
Go now, my lord, while there is time
There are places below

(Morgoth):
And you know them too
I release thee, go
My servant you'll be for all time

(Sauron):
As you command, my King

(Morgoth):
I had a part in everything
Twice I destroyed the light and twice I failed
I left ruin behind me when I returned
But I also carried ruin with me
She, the mistress of her own lust

Morgoth is besieged, his designs failed, the enemy within - who? The Elves? The Valar? And who is she? On a purely technical note, I adore the voices here; it's a way of speaking I have since borrowed for my own villainous characters.

II: Into the Storm
Give it to me
I must have it
Precious treasure
I deserve it

bridge:
Where can I run
How can I hide
The Silmarils
Gems of treelight
Their life belongs to me
Oh it's sweet how the
Darkness is floating around

chorus:
We are following
The will of the one
Through the dark age
And into the storm
And we are following
The will of the one
Through the dark age
And into the storm
Follow me...

Black heart show me
What you hold in your hand
I still hunger for more
Release me
From my pain
Give it to me
How I need it
How I need it
How I need it

bridge

chorus

I did my part
Now it's your turn
And remember
What you've promised

bridge

chorus

Ah, but who is speaking here - Morgoth, or Sauron? The last verse seems to indicate a bargain between the two, the theft of the Silmarils? This is a fast-paced piece, even frantic at times; suggesting the thought of flight and escape, e.g. Where can I run, how can I hide....

And to close:

III: Lammoth

A distant scream, and a whispering wind. That is all.

Might this be Feanor, discovering the loss of his crafted gems?