An Empty Dream – Bilingual Lyrics Spanish/English

• By: Tarja Turunen

Lyrics & Translation

Explore the haunting beauty of Tarja Turunen's "An Empty Dream." This symphonic metal piece, with its evocative lyrics and powerful vocals, offers a glimpse into themes of longing and lost connection. Discover how the song evolved from a horror film soundtrack to a personal artistic statement, showcasing Tarja's distinctive style and emotional depth.

[English]

Your scent has returned

A fading memory

A repeating pattern of pain

Why this endless suffering?

As our forgetfulness

This emptiness will pursue you

Cannot be forgiven

Our love, the tears for two

Oh, I wish to touch your heart

Life is just an empty dream

We will never be separated

Take me home forever

...

Through time, I hold the reins

Whispering cruelty

Today you possess my soul

Who is who in this puppetry?

Lost our connection

Feelings I once felt

Crying for purpose

All alone, the death for two

Oh, I wish to touch your heart

Life is just an empty dream

We will never be separated

Take me home forever

...

When I am alive

How long will it last?

Oh, I wish to touch your heart

Life is just an empty dream

We will never be separated

Take me home forever, ever

Oh, I wish to touch your heart

Life is just an empty dream

We will never be separated

(Take me home forever)

...

[Spanish]

Your scent became again

Vanishing memory

Repeating lace of pain

Why this endless misery?

As our oblivion

This void will hunt you

Can't be forgiven

Our love, the tears for two

Oh, I wish to reach your heart

Life is just an empty dream

We will never be apart

Take me home forever

Through time, I'm in control

Whispering cruelty

Today you have my soul

Who is who in this puppetry?

Lost our connection

Feelings I once knew

Crying for meaning

All alone, the death for two

Oh, I wish to reach your heart

Life is just an empty dream

We will never be apart

Take me home forever

When I am alive

How long will it turns

Oh, I wish to reach your heart

Life is just an empty dream

We will never be apart

Take me home forever, ever

Oh, I wish to reach your heart

Life is just an empty dream

We will never be apart

(Take me home forever)

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
scent /sɛnt/ B2	noun - a distinctive smell, especially one that is pleasant
memory /ˈmɛməri/ A2	noun - the faculty by which the mind stores and remembers information
pain /peɪn/ A2	noun - physical suffering or discomfort caused by illness or injury
misery /ˈmɪzəri/ B2	noun - a state or feeling of great distress or discomfort
heart /hɑrt/ A1	noun - the organ in your chest that sends the blood around your body
love /lʌv/ A1	noun - an intense feeling of deep affection
dream /driːm/ A1	noun - a series of thoughts, images, or emotions occurring during sleep
control /kənˈtroʊl/ B1	noun - the power to influence or direct people's behavior or the course of events
connection /kəˈnɛkʃən/ B1	noun - a relationship in which a person, thing, or idea is linked or associated with something else
feelings /ˈfiːlɪŋz/ A2	noun - an emotional state or reaction
alone /əˈloʊn/ A2	adjective - having no one else present
forever /fərˈɛvər/ B1	adverb - for all future time; for always

Key Grammar Structures

• Your scent became again, Vanishing memory

  ➔ Present Participle as Adjective

  ➔ Here, "vanishing" acts as an adjective describing the "memory". It indicates that the memory is in the process of disappearing. This use of the present participle adds a dynamic quality to the description.

• Repeating lace of pain, Why this endless misery?

  ➔ Question with "Why"

  ➔ The question "Why this endless misery?" is a rhetorical question expressing deep emotional distress. Note the inversion is sometimes omitted in informal contexts like song lyrics.

• As our oblivion, This void will hunt you

  ➔ Future Simple with "will"

  ➔ "This void will hunt you" uses the future simple tense to express a prediction or certainty about a future event. "Will" is used to indicate what is going to happen.

• Can't be forgiven, Our love, the tears for two

  ➔ Passive Voice (Implicit Auxiliary)

  ➔ "Can't be forgiven" implies "(It) can't be forgiven". The auxiliary verb "is/are/can" is often omitted in informal contexts for emphasis or stylistic effect. It is the passive voice indicating that something cannot receive forgiveness.

• Oh, I wish to reach your heart

  ➔ "Wish" + Infinitive

  ➔ This expresses a desire or hope to achieve something. "Wish to + infinitive" is a less common, more formal way to express a desire than "want to".

• Life is just an empty dream

  ➔ Simple Present Tense

  ➔ The sentence "Life is just an empty dream" uses the simple present tense to express a general truth or a state of being. It describes a perception of life as being illusory and without substance.

• We will never be apart

  ➔ Future Simple with "will" + Adverb of Frequency (never)

  ➔ This sentence uses the future simple tense to express a strong belief or commitment about the future. The adverb "never" reinforces the certainty that they will not be separated.

• Take me home forever

  ➔ Imperative Sentence

  ➔ "Take me home forever" is an imperative sentence, which is a command or request. The subject (you) is implied. It expresses a longing to be returned to a place of comfort and belonging.

• Today you have my soul

  ➔ Present Simple Tense (for present state)

  ➔ This uses the simple present tense to describe a current situation or state. The subject (you) possesses/controls the speaker's soul at the present time.

• Whispering cruelty

  ➔ Present Participle as a Gerund or Adjective

  ➔ "Whispering cruelty" can be interpreted in two ways. 1. "Whispering" modifies "cruelty" acting as an adjective. 2. It can be an abbreviated phrase like "[There is] whispering cruelty", here "whispering" is a gerund acting as a noun.