Shit happens sometimes, don't worry there will be enough of "us". 😃

A song that dives not only lyrically but also in the composition deeply into the functioning of a full-blown depression. In this case, in Tuoma's mind. Just as depression causes extreme mood swings, the chapters of this song are also very different in mood. Just as abrupt changes of music. Here you go through all stages of depression up to suicide. From grief, to love, to anger to peace of mind in the thought of putting an end to his life and then doing it. Tuomas himself said that so that he didn't have to take life in real life, he did it on stage in a song. An absolute masterpiece. So well coordinated that it takes exactly 3 minutes for the pendulum to fall and kill Tuomas, as announced by the boy's voice ("3 minutes counting"). On the Pacific question. I don't know if the part really allens to the following event, but I think so. The band had a few days off between concerts and everyone was on the beach together. All except Tarja. She once again did her own thing with her husband. I think that was the moment that broke the camel's back and that was the moment when the band finally decided to end that. This song has not been played for a long time and will never be played again. Unfortunately. Tuomas is over it and overjoyed with Floor. But he also said that if Floor decides to leave the band one day, then Nightwish is no more. That would also be the end from his side.

Doesn't matter. Watched it again.

You guys sound like you may be among the few who are interested enough to maybe enjoy reading my personal analysis of these Poet & the Pendulum lyrics. A lot of other viewers get sick of seeing me copy and paste this, but it's only for you not for them. So have a look thru if you so fancy. ---> Poe's "The Pit & the Pendulum" is the overall metaphor. But the song isn't a musical rendition of Poe's story. Rather, it uses Poe's story as a metaphor (or maybe allegory... not sure what the more correct word is there) for telling a much different story... about Tuomas himself and the history of Nightwish. I sometimes cut & paste this analysis of the lyrics that I pieced together and re-edited many, many times over the years, but I save it only for reactors who appear to appreciate the song deeply enough that they might enjoy reading my thoughts. So it's for you, not for others who have seen it before ad nauseum! LOL! It overflows KZfaq's character limit so look for about three or four continuation panes below: START. PART 1: THE “CLIFF NOTES” VERSION OF POET & THE PENDULUM My Analysis of the Lyrics [Legal Disclaimer: This is, in no way, purporting to be a biography of the band; has, in no way, ever been stated explicitly in public by the band; has, in no way, been verified or authorized by the band. It is merely my personal, rational analysis based on stitching together publicly available information to try to better understand the mind and heart of the composer when he wrote this---a very fascinating quest in this case!] As an overview, I assume all immediately recognize the allusion to Edgar Allan Poe's "The Pit & The Pendulum" wherein the victim is strapped unto a stone altar and must lay watching the ever-so-slowly descending pendulum blade, forcing him to contemplate for hours the agonizing death to come when the blade eventually starts cutting him in half. With Poe in mind as the overall metaphor, notice that the song begins with the whispered, "The end" and ends with the whispered, "The beginning." Tuomas told us in lyrics of a previous song written years before this that he felt like he "needed to die in order to feel alive." The metaphorical suicide in this song carried out that plan. The suicide (both literal and career suicide) is introduced at the beginning as "the end." After that is over, the rebirth of his spirit, his romance, his creativity, and his career is given us at the end as "the beginning." A pretty clever poetic device in my humble opinion! "Movement I: White Lands of Empathica" This part is like an "Executive Summary" or the "Frontmatter" of the book he is about to present us. The ghostly, ethereal intro is provided by, I'm told, a choir boy soprano contracted from a children’s choir company in London. It gives us a succinct summary of the whole song: "The songwriter's dead. The blade fell upon him; Taking him to the white lands; Of Empathica; Of Innocence." The White Lands of Empathica is a mythical land in the Dark Tower fantasy series, and I conclude he is using it as somewhat analogous to an afterlife destination in "End World." "Movement II: Home" This part lays out his living hell in the normal "home" world before his abrupt transition to End World when the descending pendulum blade strikes him. "The dreamer and the wine; Poet without a rhyme. A widowed writer torn apart by chains of hell." Tuomas is clearly both the poet and the dreamer. He is a fan of wine. Whenever you see Empuu slugging a Corona on stage, Tuomas is sipping from a bottle of wine behind his keyboards. He is without a rhyme because poetry comes from the heart, and his heart is currently dead. He views himself as being "widowed" in that his angel has had her "angel wings burnt to dust" by dismissal from the band. The chains of hell tearing him apart were the opposing requirements of his heart and head: the desire to keep her in the band and continue wallowing in his pain versus the harsh business decision required to end the problem and give both careers a new start, both Tarja's and Nightwish's. "One last perfect verse; Is still the same old song. Oh Christ how I hate what I have become!" Tuomas is telling us here that the one chain of hell tugging his heart to maintain the status quo has driven him to keep trying to write "that one perfect verse" that will get through to her and "fix" the situation, making the problem go away; even though the other chain of hell tugging his head tells him this is hopeless and futile. He has told us this same thing in lyrics from previous songs written years ago also such as in "Nemo" ("This line the last endeavor to find the missing life line!") and "Dead Boy's Poem" ("Walk within my poetry. This dying music: my loveletter to nobody.") The continued futile attempts seem, to him, as "still the same old song" in that he keeps trying to say the same thing expecting a different result. He hates that circumstances have driven him to become this person. "Take me home. Get away, run away, fly away! Lead me astray to dreamer's hideaway! I cannot cry 'cause the shoulder cries more; I cannot die, I, a whore for the cold world!" Tuomas often refers to himself as the dreamer, the introvert, the escapist. This chorus is revealing his inner escapist telling him to run from the problem that he might hideaway from it rather than face it. He has no shoulder left to cry on. He is finding no more joy in pursuing his passion of writing and performing music for "the cold world" who cares nothing for his sorrows and pain. They only want him for his music. This makes him tantamount to a whore, selling his mind and body to that cold world without joy in return. "Forgive me: I have but two faces. One for the world; One for God; Save me!" He asks for forgiveness for this. His whore face he presents to the cold world. He tells us about this face again on the next album in "Song of Myself" ("All that great heart lying still; In silent suffering; Smiling like a clown until the show has come to an end. What's left for encore; Is the same old Dead Boy's song; Sung in silence") When the "show has come to an end" he has his other face only for God. Note that he is not religious in real life, and that is well known, but the metaphor which the rest of the world understands is appropriate and meaningful nonetheless. "My home was there and then; Those meadows of heaven. Adventure-filled days; One with every smiling face." He is imagining here his anticipation of the death to come at the hand of the pendulum blade. One second he is home in the normal world. The next second he is in the meadows of heaven; apparently Empathica. "Please, no more words; Thoughts from a severed head. No more praise! Tell me once my heart goes right!" He wants no more words of advice or encouragement from others. His thoughts are as those from a severed head: useless to effect response of the body. His head has been severed from his heart by the "chains of hell" in verse one... or has it been severed by Poe's blade? Or is it both? Or are they both really the same thing? Tuomas is a master of double meaning, and he uses that poetic device often throughout much of Nightwish's lyrics. He wants no more praise for his musical talent from the cold world. He just wants, for once, to be reassured that his heart has made the right decision. Continued in PART 2--->

PART 2 ----->CONTINUED FROM PART 1 ABOVE: "Movement III: The Pacific" This part is the pensive, dreamlike longing for the life of innocence the way it used to be; or perhaps it is the dreamlike transition during the moments of his death as he transitions from Home World to Empathica’s End World. Both would be valid interpretations. Or, again, perhaps they are both the same thing. [As a side note it is also a verse which caused some obvious tension between him and the replacement singer Annette. It is supposed to be sung in the ultra-high octave falsetto similar to the intro to evoke the dreamlike quality. Annette did a beautiful job on this on the studio album "Dark Passion Play" (so he knew she was capable of that range), but seemed to refuse to sing it correctly when live. In some live vid captures you can see him snap his head up from the keyboards and give her the evil stink eye that just seems to scream out, "We talked about this back stage, and you promised to do it right!" But who knows. We can only speculate on that. Floor, of course, sings it to perfection!] "Sparkle my scenery; With turquoise waterfalls; With beauty underneath; The Ever Free. Tuck me in beneath the blue; Beneath the pain, beneath the rain. Goodnight kiss for a child in time; Swaying blade my lullaby." An overriding theme of the band is that of being "Oceansouls." The imagery of peaceful blue water, sirens calling seamen to their watery deaths, the blue mist atmosphere during the orchestral intermezzo of Ghost Love Score, etc., pervades nearly everything. He sees peace and beauty beneath the water...in this case waterfalls...as a place for his inner escapist to hide from the pain. The kiss of death from the approaching blade has become this child's lullaby. Tuomas often makes reference to the innocent heart of the little boy inside throughout many of Nightwish's songs. "On the shore we sat and hoped; Under the same pale moon; Whose guiding light chose you; Chose you all." This verse drops back out of the dreamlike ultra-high octave falsetto to give us more real world thoughts. If one acquires some familiarity with the formation of the band, this simple sentence is pretty unmistakably a reference to that time. The concept for Nightwish was allegedly posed to his founding bandmates (including that first, dismissed singer) over a night time campfire in the Finnish wilderness during a group camping trip. It was probably on a lakeshore, since Finland is a land of 10,000 lakes, and water imagery plays such a large role in many lyrics. There have also been important references to swimming "in places no one has seen before" under the midnight full moon, such as in the touching poem at the end of "Song of Myself." He is telling, probably not us but the other band members ...including the absent singer should she ever hear this verse..., that they sat on that lakeshore and hoped for success as Nightwish, all together under the same pale moon. The guiding light of the moon chose them ALL (a pointed jab at the dismissed singer, I believe) to be in this experimental project together. The spoken word verse, "I'm afraid. I'm so afraid; Of being raped again, and again, and again! I know I will die alone. But loved," alarms some listeners with its darkness, particularly because it seems to be spoken in a female voice, although I’m told it is spoken by the choir boy again...don't know for sure. But either way, this represents Tuomas's last thoughts as he lays with only three minutes remaining before the pendulum blade first begins to strike his torso, "raping" him again and again and again as it swings. He knows he is going to die alone in this pit of sadness beneath the pendulum, but he also knows his family loves him. "You live long enough to hear the sound of guns, long enough to find yourself screaming every night, long enough to see your friends betray you." Not sure about the "guns" reference. It likely refers to the cruel shots fired by the news tabloids---a very big thing in Finland when it comes to covering metal bands. He found himself screaming (crying?) every night, both from the pain he lived before the "death" and the pain from the cruel things being written in the press. The reference to seeing your friends betray you is pretty certainly another jab at the singer, as he plainly describes in the infamous Open Letter the dismissal in terms of her being a very old and dear friend who chose to betray him. Keeping the art of double meanings in mind, it also likely refers to seeing many of his friends betray him afterward by siding with the cruel press. "For years I've been strapped unto this altar. Now I only have 3 minutes and counting. I just wish the tide would catch me first and give me a death I always longed for." He is telling us that, unlike Poe's character who was strapped to the stone altar for hours, he saw this pendulum blade approaching for years. If we map the whole history of Nightwish lyrics on to the timing of events in real life (to the extent that they are publicly known) we can see this shift that suggests when he knew everything had started to go south. We see the transition from romantically hopeful youth to morose impending doom and sadness as we study lyrics from “Angels Fall First” up to “Once,” and then the anger catharsis of “Dark Passion Play” followed by the final installment of the saga: the denouement and reflection of “Imaginaerum.” To what might the "3 minute" statement be referring? I believe the first strike of the pendulum blade was the moment when he handed over the envelope containing the Open Letter to Tarja or her manager or whoever was the physical courier. It was at that point that it became too late to recall the act. Torpedo in the water! I surmise, based on this, it was about 3 minutes from the ending of the last song at the "End of An Era" concert (during which he made her sing about the impending "burning of her angel wings to dust") to the time he handed off the letter. And this was the final agonizing 3 minutes where he knew the decision was final. The opening verse of that last song even includes the ominous warning, "This night will hurt you like never before!" which she had to sing about herself. CONTINUED IN PART 3---->

So glad it was recorded!

In the last part she almost breaks. You can see tears in her eyes. It must be hard for all of them. You can see them joining Tuomas at the end.

Great info! Thanks for being here and supporting us on this journey!

Tuomas has said recently that he's been able to move past those feelings, even when playing this song. It's now just a part of his past. However the song overall is still a part of that past that he doesn't want to keep dredging up. Further, with the departure of Marco, whose vocals are an important element to the 4th part, I don't know if they'll ever play it again live.

And everybody blame Tuomas even though they all wanted it. What happened then would be cancel culture today. I'm happy Tuomas get over it and is happy now ❤️

And at the end, just before Floor says Thank You, she is looking over at Tuomas, as is Kai. They are tight!

@@helky8 they have been over it for ages or else there would be no Nightwish. It was a crisis and it wasn't handled right. Whatever the bands' feelings towards Tarja; it was a dick move. And I think that record-company might have whispered words in Tuomas' ear when they realised tarja was going to do her own thing and eventually leave. She might draw fans away and they scapegoated her. To blast her like that. So publicly. It was so heartless. I had little pity for Tuomas bleeding heart, after that stunt. Keep it professional and indoors. Don't fuck up eachothers hustle. Look at Floor today; she is a member of Nightwish and has her own career. Something they didn't want for Tarja. Oh well. That was then. They have all moved on.

Ha ha .... Good got you Jeff!! I like that. Thanks for being here and supporting our little channel. More soon!

No....... no don't. I'm British for gods sake. We cannot deal with emotion.

@@TheThamesmen Then just join... it's allmost inevitable.

Everytime my boyfriend walks into the room and I'm listening to Poet and the pendulum, he asks me if I have a box or 2 of kleenex's since he knows the tears and snot will be running down my face 😆

I agree ! Be well

Ahhh. Makes sense.

Mike..... Its great. Once your ear has tuned its amazing

@@weshwn1083 , it’s his first time hearing them, why shouldn’t he sat to the reactors, he isn’t talking to everyone!

Cool - will do

Thank you so much. We were all so young there. I miss the wheel of fortune.

Just called George. The wheel is coming back due to you!!

@@TheThamesmen Hahaha, looking forward to that! 🎡

Are they even so far that...? I believe they might...

Stay Dry UK! Thanks for being here and supporting our little channel. More soon!

Our pleasure. Thank you for being here

Thanks Ward. I'm so happy you came along! Be well

Indeed, there is something like a pride among the feelings when watching reactors enjoying similar feelings i had watching those works for first (and many more) time...

This is not the end of our journey. Just a point we wanted to experience as heard so much about it!

@@TheThamesmen For sure! You guys are deep enough down the Nightwish rabbit hole to tackle the Poet and the Pendulum. I’ve seen a reactor who did this song as his first and it was cringy to watch from someone who knew nothing about the band, their history and their dynamics - the performance is too deep for that and deserves more respect. And at least a minimum of background is helpful - especially to understand why certain interactions occur between band members and the deeper meaning behind those interactions (ie. it may appear that Emppu is being his usual goofy self, but……). Anyways, Enjoy!

@Mika Lampinen Vantaa they've done Shudder already

@Mika Lampinen Vantaa i think this song has helped many people overcoming difficult times in their lives, it's a masterpiece. Glad you are ok now. Have you checked out their Shudder video...if not do so it's great.

@Mika Lampinen Vantaa I was a big fan during Tarjas period, she is a wonderful singer. I kind of listen less on Anettes time and yes came back with Floor.

Thanks Tim for this - Thanks for being here and supporting our little channel. More soon!

Well said.

while Kai is an absolute beast on the drums, i feel Jukka is slightly better (maybe not in technical ability but he really "feels" the music. both of them have impeccable timing!

@@mushymarlin- Completely agree...Jukka has "Swag" while Kai is a more a "Function Over Fashion" ...both rock out! Appreciate the reply 👊

Well said. Thanks for being here. We have just started on this journey too

Thnaks for comment on Pacific. It did feel very specific event or place driven moment

@@TheThamesmen When you do the Wacken concert you have to pay attention to the version. Here on youtube there are several recordings, but the speed is not right. Either too slow or too fast. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/bLF4Z9ml1cqyaJc.html With subtitles and the right tempo

@@TomTomson81 a sub has shared some content with us and we are told right versions. Just need to work out how to handle such a big project!

@@TheThamesmen There should be no copyright problems. Label and band are very youtube friendly. Even at the complete concert

@@TheThamesmen the "Mother & Father " part is referring to his actual parents,who where pivotal in helping to pull him out of his depression and restore his confidence & that he had so much more to give

Truly amazing. thanks for being here

Hello and thank you for an amazing band!

If you’ve seen Annette perform it, you can understand why they retired it in 2009…. But so glad they immortalized it at Wembley with Floor. She doesn’t just sing the song, she fills it with emotion!

@@northof4912 I imagine it was written before Annette joining, pretty sure they started recording the Dark Passion Play album in 2006, with Marko doing temporary vocals.

I can imagine it went like "Hey Floor, what do you make of this song?" - "Let me show you" - "Ok, we are totally going to bring it back!"

@@RenThraysk They did start recording in 2006, the Reach version of Amaranth is so passionate.

@@RenThraysk It was written before Annette joined and I have my theory, with absolutely nothing to back it up, that Tuomas may have written it with the hopes a certain Dutch singer may one day be available to sing it……. because it sure was not written for Annette’s skill set….

Great lyrics when you can have many interpretations and allow you to from your own views

@@TheThamesmen If it wasn’t abundantly clear why we have dubbed Thomas the Metal Mozart, it should be crystal clear now. His lyrics are as deep as that Pacific Ocean you will be obsessed by now. Great reaction. Gents. Thanks for the shoutout again.

@@TheIpadfanatic thanks for your help. We appreciate it

@@TheThamesmen “In for a penny, in for a pound” as my Mother always says. You had me at Hello.

Tuomas...

Thanks so much for sharing

Thank you for joining us. Yes I know Big Sur and I have done my best thinking sitting on rocks watching the ocean so I do get that.

Next time. Be well.

Thanks for watching!

Thank you

Thanks for the info!!! Thanks for being here and supporting our little channel. More soon!

Our pleasure!

Thanks for being here and supporting our little channel. More soon!

Glad you enjoyed it!

Someone’s channeling Tank!

Hello Finland. Thank you for your support most appreciated

It really is a masterpiece

Thanks for being here and supporting our little channel. More soon!

Thanks. Be well.

Thnaks for being here and joining in

Thank you too!

When you how important this song is to everyone and so did take some time reading up on it before hand. We’re glad we did though we are still discussing it now amongst ourselves as there is much to unfold

Looking forward to it so much. Thanks for being here and supporting our little channel. More soon!

Ahhhh. Thanks for being here and supporting our little channel. More soon!

Thanks for being here and be well

Thank you for being with us

Our pleasure!

Thank you for the kind words. We just try to express what we think and what we here. We know we’re not always right!

It was heavy !!

I read it. Very restrained x

I hope so too!

Totally agree! Counting down…..

She really puts the icing on the cake at the end. Just an amazing performance

We are not worthy!

Thanks Dave South africa. Thanks for being here and supporting us on this journey!

Thanks for being here and supporting our little channel. More soon!

I also don't think they should...... considering!

Ah!! Too much history!

Still; not sure what this means.

Our pleasure! Be well and have an amazing weekend

@@TheThamesmen Greetings from Vienna (Sausage...). You should also go to Buenos Aires 2018....

@@BigzampanoXXL might fine sausage!

Well that makes sense of the final part. Thank you for sharing

Chasing birds..... see you there and we are thick! I waved to myself in the mirror today , as I thought I recognized him

Thank you for being here thank you for the suggestion’s most appreciated

Thank you. Take care. You’re kind.

Ahhh finally someone explains why!!! Thank you!! We have more NW soon!

Marcel... You're too kind. Have a fab weekend

We are still talking about it now! Thank you for the kind words and joining us on our journey. It is a wild ride

Glad you enjoyed it!

YEY!@!

Thank you. And we really enjoyed it too

Thank you very much!

Thanks so much!!

Pete….Helene here. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and emotions with us. It gave me even more insight into this song, and allowed me to have even more empathy for the feelings that Tuomas (and others who are in the midst of deep depression) was struggling with. I sincerely hope that life is good for you now, and that you have found some semblance of peace in your soul. Thank you again for sharing.

Hi Pete. My wife suffers from depression and my heart bleeds for anyone with poor mental health. Seeing the pain she goes through I wish you,. my wife, anyone..... anyone with poor health all the love in the world!!

We love watching and learning from these videos. It is a journey that we are having a lot of fun and emotion with

Right - Great info. Thanks for being here and supporting us on this journey!

@@TheThamesmen Absolutely! I’ll be seeing you at the show, if it ever arrives! I look a bit more tame than my photo, so don’t worry 😉

Not something they tell you in the Bible weirdly

Thanks for being here

Good excuse but I’m not buying it!😀

Yup sure is!

Thank you. What an amazing track

Thank you for watching and being part of our reaction

That is one hell of a track to start with! We are so glad we found the band and I’ve had this journey

@@TheThamesmen I’m glad you found them too! I really do enjoy your channel. Your doing a great job!

And our love back. It was an excellent and emotional experience all round

Hi Andrew. Thanks for being here we really appreciate the support

Be well.

Thanks for this and be well

They were the days.

I agree those would’ve been amazing shows to go back to

Glad you enjoyed it

Still not enough!!

@@TheThamesmen ⛄👍

Thank you we appreciate your thoughts. With you how important this song was to everyone and so we did take our time to read up and consider it before we did the video. Apologies on our pronunciations even when we’ve been told multiple times we still get it wrong!

@@TheThamesmen Don't be too hard on yourselves XD It's tough to remember everything.

This one was tough....Thanks for being here and supporting our little channel. More soon!

It really is astounding all round. So glad we got to it

Can't wait!

You're right. At the height of his depression, Tuomas did go home. And were it not for his mother, he might really have killed himself. The words at the end were spoken to him by his mother.

@@martine3293 I thought so , thank you for letting me know !!

I can understand why! Thanks for being here and supporting us on this journey!

I’m in Marin. They have a show here? Dam. Is it sold out? Thanks akex.

@@TheThamesmen there may be a few more tickets available. You should check. May 18, 2022 with Beast in Black as the band playing with them. Then they have the two LA shows.