The Decemberists - The Mariner's Revenge Song
Not only is this an epic story, but the music perfectly matches it.
Not only is this an epic story, but the music perfectly matches it.
Songs that are also stories
- Thread starter Professor James
- Start date
Recommended Videos
Carach Angren has a couple of good albums with a shared story that they tell, but I decided to share a song that has a well contained story. (the lyrics are on the videos description if you need help understanding the vocals )
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-CI6R77TSQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-CI6R77TSQ
A lot of what Tenacious D got up to amounted to that, more or less.
One that sticks with me (in a rather depressing way) Is Micheal Jackson's 'little suzie' First half is choral chanting, but the second half... Yeah... >_<
Eminem has a few too. (some already mentioned), but 'toy soldiers' is another one, sort of...
A special mention perhaps to a song you can find in nearly any beginning music book.
- house of the rising sun.
That shows at least this stuff goes back a long way...
One that sticks with me (in a rather depressing way) Is Micheal Jackson's 'little suzie' First half is choral chanting, but the second half... Yeah... >_<
Eminem has a few too. (some already mentioned), but 'toy soldiers' is another one, sort of...
A special mention perhaps to a song you can find in nearly any beginning music book.
- house of the rising sun.
That shows at least this stuff goes back a long way...
Well there is always "Because I got high" by Afroman. A song about as simple in structure as a nursery rhyme.
There's also "Die Mauer" by Ebba Grön, but only people speaking Swedish care about that one. (Retells the story of someone separated from his loved one by the Berlin wall, and his attempts to reunite leading to him being shot)
I've got a ton more but they're all in Swedish, which makes me wonder whether it is that songs as stories are not uncommon as much as they don't get broadcast. (Since presumably songs as stories probably is just as common in other languages but I have a harder time thinking of them).
There's also "Die Mauer" by Ebba Grön, but only people speaking Swedish care about that one. (Retells the story of someone separated from his loved one by the Berlin wall, and his attempts to reunite leading to him being shot)
I've got a ton more but they're all in Swedish, which makes me wonder whether it is that songs as stories are not uncommon as much as they don't get broadcast. (Since presumably songs as stories probably is just as common in other languages but I have a harder time thinking of them).
FFS. Spoiler tags people. Not every one's browser can load that amount of embedded video's in a second or 2.
While I hardly listen to them these days, Fear Factory's 'Obsolete' tells a story spread throughout the whole album.
Maybe time that I give that disc a spin again...
While I hardly listen to them these days, Fear Factory's 'Obsolete' tells a story spread throughout the whole album.
Maybe time that I give that disc a spin again...
History lesson!
User-Maat-Re
[Lyrics by Karl Sanders, Music by Karl Sanders and Dallas Toler-Wade]
O Seti, Great One, My Father.
I Hath Finished for Thee Thy Temple at Abydos.
And Made Known the Lineage of the Blessed.
Those Who Came Before.
I Hath Exalted Mine Ancestors.
I Hath Honoured with the Blood and Sweat of Many.
The Legacy of Thy Conquests.
T Hath Glorified Thy Temple of Set in Avaris.
In Karnak, Hath I Raised the Great Hall.
In Thebes, Sublime Monuments, Grand Pylons, Obelisks
And Colossal Statues Are Inscribed With My Name.
By Divine Right I Hath Usurped the Monuments of My Predecessors.
I Hath Created Imposing Rock Hewn Temples.
Monumental Colossi in Mine Own Image.
Like as unto the Images of Amun, Re, Ptah.
I Hath Caused to Rise a Formidable Legacy Carved in Stone.
In the Mountain of Meha.
Intended to Endure a Million Years.
In the Violence of Sekhem.
I am Become Montu,
God of War in the Two Lands.
I Hath Suppressed the Rebellious.
I Hath Driven Back Chaos and Disorder.
The Conquered Chiefs of All Foreign Lands are Beneath My Sandals.
I Hath Emblazoned My Countless Victories in Immortality.
Carved in Rocks as Living Images of the Ritual Massacre of Mine Enemies.
I am User-Maat-Re Setepene-re,
Sovereign of Sovereigns,
Beloved of Amun,
Chosen of Re,
I Hath Made Manifest the Grandeur of My Empire.
To be Worthy of Thy Legacy.
O Seti, Great One.
User-Maat-Re, Thou Hast Done Nothing.
User-Maat-Re, Thou Hast Done Nothing.
[Guitar solo]
User-Maat-Re, Thou Hast Done Nothing.
User-Maat-Re, Thou Hast Done Nothing.
Nothing.
Nothing.
This is all from the lyrics inside the album cover, no proper way to listen to an album but to sit in the dark and read the music
User-Maat-Re
[Lyrics by Karl Sanders, Music by Karl Sanders and Dallas Toler-Wade]
O Seti, Great One, My Father.
I Hath Finished for Thee Thy Temple at Abydos.
And Made Known the Lineage of the Blessed.
Those Who Came Before.
I Hath Exalted Mine Ancestors.
I Hath Honoured with the Blood and Sweat of Many.
The Legacy of Thy Conquests.
T Hath Glorified Thy Temple of Set in Avaris.
In Karnak, Hath I Raised the Great Hall.
In Thebes, Sublime Monuments, Grand Pylons, Obelisks
And Colossal Statues Are Inscribed With My Name.
By Divine Right I Hath Usurped the Monuments of My Predecessors.
I Hath Created Imposing Rock Hewn Temples.
Monumental Colossi in Mine Own Image.
Like as unto the Images of Amun, Re, Ptah.
I Hath Caused to Rise a Formidable Legacy Carved in Stone.
In the Mountain of Meha.
Intended to Endure a Million Years.
In the Violence of Sekhem.
I am Become Montu,
God of War in the Two Lands.
I Hath Suppressed the Rebellious.
I Hath Driven Back Chaos and Disorder.
The Conquered Chiefs of All Foreign Lands are Beneath My Sandals.
I Hath Emblazoned My Countless Victories in Immortality.
Carved in Rocks as Living Images of the Ritual Massacre of Mine Enemies.
I am User-Maat-Re Setepene-re,
Sovereign of Sovereigns,
Beloved of Amun,
Chosen of Re,
I Hath Made Manifest the Grandeur of My Empire.
To be Worthy of Thy Legacy.
O Seti, Great One.
User-Maat-Re, Thou Hast Done Nothing.
User-Maat-Re, Thou Hast Done Nothing.
[Guitar solo]
User-Maat-Re, Thou Hast Done Nothing.
User-Maat-Re, Thou Hast Done Nothing.
Nothing.
Nothing.
User-Maat-Re Setep-en-Re was the throne name of Ramesses II, and means "The Justice of Re is Powerful, Chosen of Re". He is often referred to as "Ramesses the great", because so many of his cultural contributions were measured on the grandest of scales.
Ramesses II had the longest reign of any Pharaoh in New Kingdom Egypt. He celebrated an amazing 14 Sed Festivals, and also managed to father more than 90 children. He constructed more temples, colossal statues and obelisks than any other New Kingdom Pharaoh, and established a magnificent new capital city at Pi-Ramesse in the delta.
When Ramesses ascended to the throne at the age of 25, he was determined to follow in the footsteps of his father, Seti I. (Seti had embarked on an ambitious policy of renewal in an attempt to return to the great days of the 18th Dynasty when Egypt's wealth and empire had been at its peak. Seti destroyed many monuments of earlier kings, was worshipped as a god during his long life, and built sanctuaries in his own honor.)
Ramesses modeled himself on two successful 18th Dynasty kings: Thutmose III, the famous New Kingdom "Warrior Pharaoh", who had been largely responsible for the creation of the new Egyptian empire, and Amenhotep III, ruler of Egypt at the height of its prosperity.
Amenhotep III was the first Pharaoh to operate according to the "big is beautiful" policy - enormous temples and colossal statues were constructed at his bidding. Amenhotep III's monuments were also famous for the beauty of their delicate raised-relief decoration. Ramesses surpassed Amenhotep III in sheer number of temples and monuments he erected, but quality was often sacrificed in the name of quantity and speed. Unlike Amenhotep III's raised-relief decorations, Ramesses' builders crafted cruder, sunken-relief carvings.
In the "grandest" of ironies, Ramesses II was not always careful about keeping to the truth. Although the Battle of Kadesh against the Hittites in Year 5 was declared a stalemate, Ramesses publicized it as a great victory! His highly exaggerated account of this battle was featured on no less than eight temples.
After what would be the longest reign in the New Kingdom, Ramesses II died at the extreme old age of 90. He outlived many of his children, many of whom held important administrative positions in Egypt. Of his many wives, Nefertari is best-known, not least through her magnificent tomb.
I have often wondered what drove Ramesses to go to such megalominiacal length to accomplish so much in his lifetime - to be Pharaoh par excellence on the grandest possible scale. I like to think that it has something to do with a son's desire to live up to his father's and predecessors' legacy. Of course, with Ramesses, this was caried to lengths never equaled before or since. When I wrote the lyrics to this song, I envisioned a man hearing voices in his head. For each accomplishment he would hear his father's voice telling him, "you have done nothing", which in turn drives the man's obsession to live up to his father's seemingly impossible expectations.
Musically, this was an interesting collaboration between Dallas and me. I had been working on the song, and one night when Dallas and I were getting together to play guitar, I showed him what I had, and he immediately came up with several guitar riffs that fit perfectly together with the material I had already composed.
Ironically, some fans on the Nile web forum have been clamoring for another "Unas Slayer of the Gods" or "To Dream of Ur" epic. I had blatantly refused, saying that we had no intention of repeating any epic-length songs for the mere sake of having epic-length songs - we would write whatever we wanted, and that was that. So, when Dallas and I timed this new song (new riffs worked in, acoustic intro, guitar solos, breakdowns, "outro", et cetera), it came out to be in the eight-and-a-half minute range. I realized I was going to have to eat my words since we had unintentionally written another monumental Nile song. Little could I guess that there were two more unwritten, even longer epic Nile songs to follow on this album?
Ramesses II had the longest reign of any Pharaoh in New Kingdom Egypt. He celebrated an amazing 14 Sed Festivals, and also managed to father more than 90 children. He constructed more temples, colossal statues and obelisks than any other New Kingdom Pharaoh, and established a magnificent new capital city at Pi-Ramesse in the delta.
When Ramesses ascended to the throne at the age of 25, he was determined to follow in the footsteps of his father, Seti I. (Seti had embarked on an ambitious policy of renewal in an attempt to return to the great days of the 18th Dynasty when Egypt's wealth and empire had been at its peak. Seti destroyed many monuments of earlier kings, was worshipped as a god during his long life, and built sanctuaries in his own honor.)
Ramesses modeled himself on two successful 18th Dynasty kings: Thutmose III, the famous New Kingdom "Warrior Pharaoh", who had been largely responsible for the creation of the new Egyptian empire, and Amenhotep III, ruler of Egypt at the height of its prosperity.
Amenhotep III was the first Pharaoh to operate according to the "big is beautiful" policy - enormous temples and colossal statues were constructed at his bidding. Amenhotep III's monuments were also famous for the beauty of their delicate raised-relief decoration. Ramesses surpassed Amenhotep III in sheer number of temples and monuments he erected, but quality was often sacrificed in the name of quantity and speed. Unlike Amenhotep III's raised-relief decorations, Ramesses' builders crafted cruder, sunken-relief carvings.
In the "grandest" of ironies, Ramesses II was not always careful about keeping to the truth. Although the Battle of Kadesh against the Hittites in Year 5 was declared a stalemate, Ramesses publicized it as a great victory! His highly exaggerated account of this battle was featured on no less than eight temples.
After what would be the longest reign in the New Kingdom, Ramesses II died at the extreme old age of 90. He outlived many of his children, many of whom held important administrative positions in Egypt. Of his many wives, Nefertari is best-known, not least through her magnificent tomb.
I have often wondered what drove Ramesses to go to such megalominiacal length to accomplish so much in his lifetime - to be Pharaoh par excellence on the grandest possible scale. I like to think that it has something to do with a son's desire to live up to his father's and predecessors' legacy. Of course, with Ramesses, this was caried to lengths never equaled before or since. When I wrote the lyrics to this song, I envisioned a man hearing voices in his head. For each accomplishment he would hear his father's voice telling him, "you have done nothing", which in turn drives the man's obsession to live up to his father's seemingly impossible expectations.
Musically, this was an interesting collaboration between Dallas and me. I had been working on the song, and one night when Dallas and I were getting together to play guitar, I showed him what I had, and he immediately came up with several guitar riffs that fit perfectly together with the material I had already composed.
Ironically, some fans on the Nile web forum have been clamoring for another "Unas Slayer of the Gods" or "To Dream of Ur" epic. I had blatantly refused, saying that we had no intention of repeating any epic-length songs for the mere sake of having epic-length songs - we would write whatever we wanted, and that was that. So, when Dallas and I timed this new song (new riffs worked in, acoustic intro, guitar solos, breakdowns, "outro", et cetera), it came out to be in the eight-and-a-half minute range. I realized I was going to have to eat my words since we had unintentionally written another monumental Nile song. Little could I guess that there were two more unwritten, even longer epic Nile songs to follow on this album?
This is all from the lyrics inside the album cover, no proper way to listen to an album but to sit in the dark and read the music
Absolutely everything by Coheed and Cambria.
All of their albums are telling a massive story. Of course, it's more like they're based on events that happen in the story itself, so it's hard to interpret the story behind it.
Still very good though.
All of their albums are telling a massive story. Of course, it's more like they're based on events that happen in the story itself, so it's hard to interpret the story behind it.
Still very good though.
It's a story from beginning to end. Each song is like a vignette/scene.
Kendrick's To Pimp A Butterfly does kind of a similar thing in that every song is a concept, but they eventually connect cohesively together from one to another by a poem progressing at the beginning or ending of each song that comes to a finish in Mortal Man.
Section80 also has a similar thing in that Tammy's Song and Keisha's Song are stories.
There's also Don't Die by Killer Mike
I guess this would count? Mostly I just want to post Monster Magnet though... haha...
Certainly not an epic or anything, but I like it
Certainly not an epic or anything, but I like it
Earlier (on page one) I gushed about Cradle of Filth and how I loved albums like Cruelty and the Beast, Damnation and a Day, etc. Then I found out about Hammer of the Witch and was sidetracked in an incredible way. I completely forgot about Helloween who released Keeper of the Seven Keys, a fantasy epic about The Lord of Evil wrecking havoc across the planet. The only way to stop The Lord of Evil is to assemble the titular keys and throw them into various seas. After that, Helloween eventually released two more Keeper of the Seven Keys albums, the third one taking place in the far future and revolving around The Lord of Evil mentally dominating a child from beyond the grave. I freaking love Helloween, they remind me of Iron Maiden but I can listen to all of their albums all the way through without wanting to skip any of the songs.
I've got a huge collection of these, here's just a few
One Last Battle - A pilot in space fights a war against alien invaders, while remembering what he left on Earth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82zga7e_GSA
Jennan - The last survivor of a Wizard circle chases down the one who betrayed them
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvD3xF48dY4
Space Hero - A recruiting song for would-be Heroes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWNekdKdIUA
Tin Soldier - Ender, from Ender's Game reflects on how he got where he is
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQXEoOTFmlc
History of Ealdormere (two parts) - The history of a fictional nation part of the SCA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs9hFbcLzqs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSPGyvI6cok
Blue Sunny Day - A vampire misses the daylight, and those who live in it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNuTEUUUZ4k
Cost of the Crown - A queen sings of the burdens of rulership
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUjayqeu8SA
Pilot's Eyes - A spaceship pilot, rendered blind and useless, faces one last challenge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zxi3SClJGw
Least of My Kind - A dying werewolf mocks his killer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgCdDkmh5bo
Trial of Lancelot - The knights of King Arthur's court give their judgement of Lancelot's affair, done for love
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JJ-RSyhLpo
Mechanical Girl - A brilliant inventor creates a mechanical daughter, just as the king is looking for a new bride
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWt9pCPx8w8
Ballad of Barry Allen - The Flash explains what it is like to be him
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odU1bHaYNDQ
Joan - Joan of Arc faces the world, and declares that it will remember her on her terms
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfOeANDsXbA
Pride of Chanur - Aliens discover a human stowaway, and start a war over him
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nUi3DaWzGI
Queen and the Soldier - A soldier comes to see the queen he has been fighting for, to ask her why
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I_7M_JeSoc
The Face Within - Others discuss the stoic weaponsmaster, whether he is cruel or kind
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4XkP-wT3xI
Her Father's Eyes - A queen mourns the fact that her husband's betrayal has strained her relationship with her daughter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbMBMSuKYUU
The Sun Is Also A Warrior - A mortal man summons an ancient god to put an end to war
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq4SSlsZ_p0
The Day It Fell Apart - A hospital manager must break the rules to save lives during a calamity
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4y802_Ot-k
Sunhawks - A princess runs away to lead a mercenary company
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oat0uGx7MMs
One Last Battle - A pilot in space fights a war against alien invaders, while remembering what he left on Earth
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=82zga7e_GSA
Jennan - The last survivor of a Wizard circle chases down the one who betrayed them
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvD3xF48dY4
Space Hero - A recruiting song for would-be Heroes
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JWNekdKdIUA
Tin Soldier - Ender, from Ender's Game reflects on how he got where he is
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dQXEoOTFmlc
History of Ealdormere (two parts) - The history of a fictional nation part of the SCA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs9hFbcLzqs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VSPGyvI6cok
Blue Sunny Day - A vampire misses the daylight, and those who live in it
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNuTEUUUZ4k
Cost of the Crown - A queen sings of the burdens of rulership
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MUjayqeu8SA
Pilot's Eyes - A spaceship pilot, rendered blind and useless, faces one last challenge
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4zxi3SClJGw
Least of My Kind - A dying werewolf mocks his killer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgCdDkmh5bo
Trial of Lancelot - The knights of King Arthur's court give their judgement of Lancelot's affair, done for love
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-JJ-RSyhLpo
Mechanical Girl - A brilliant inventor creates a mechanical daughter, just as the king is looking for a new bride
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWt9pCPx8w8
Ballad of Barry Allen - The Flash explains what it is like to be him
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odU1bHaYNDQ
Joan - Joan of Arc faces the world, and declares that it will remember her on her terms
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfOeANDsXbA
Pride of Chanur - Aliens discover a human stowaway, and start a war over him
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1nUi3DaWzGI
Queen and the Soldier - A soldier comes to see the queen he has been fighting for, to ask her why
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-I_7M_JeSoc
The Face Within - Others discuss the stoic weaponsmaster, whether he is cruel or kind
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4XkP-wT3xI
Her Father's Eyes - A queen mourns the fact that her husband's betrayal has strained her relationship with her daughter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbMBMSuKYUU
The Sun Is Also A Warrior - A mortal man summons an ancient god to put an end to war
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pq4SSlsZ_p0
The Day It Fell Apart - A hospital manager must break the rules to save lives during a calamity
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e4y802_Ot-k
Sunhawks - A princess runs away to lead a mercenary company
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oat0uGx7MMs
Don't forget about "To Tame a Land", which is based off Frank Herbert's "Dune", considered by many to be one of the best sci-fi stories ever written.Guffe said:
Also, "Out of the Silent Planet" is based on the film "Forbidden Planet", and "The Wicker Man" is based off the excellent British film of the same name (not the hilariously awful Nicolas Cage one).
The Australian band Hunters and Collectors had a number of them. The one that really sticks out for me is this one:
Victorian politics. A prison warden arrives home from Pentridge where the inmates have been kept in 'lock-down' for the previous twenty-four hours. This state of affairs is a direct result of government cost cutting. The prison system is about to be privatised. A Melbourne daily newspaper is interviewing the warden. He insists on anonymity for fear of losing his job. At the end of each shift he sits in his car in the driveway and waits for the waves of frustration to pass.
How about three complete albums comprised of 29 tracks devoted to telling a tale?
It stared with Celldweller's album:
Which lead to a pair of novels, of which Celldweller wrote these soundtracks for:
I believe a third act is in the works, but I could be wrong.
Well played. I tip my hat to you.
It stared with Celldweller's album:
Which lead to a pair of novels, of which Celldweller wrote these soundtracks for:
I believe a third act is in the works, but I could be wrong.
Damn. This is some hardcore ninja'ing. A lot of the songs you posted were ones I thought of posting when I read the OP.GeneralChaos said:
Well played. I tip my hat to you.