Black Stone Wielder – English Lyrics

• By: Candlemass
• Album: Epicus Doomicus Metallicus

Lyrics & Translation

Discover the origins of epic doom metal with 'Black Stone Wielder' by the Swedish masters, Candlemass. The song's clear, theatrical vocals and grand, narrative lyrics offer a fantastic opportunity for English learners to engage with storytelling through music. Its unique take on a well-known biblical tale provides a rich context for exploring vocabulary related to fantasy, mythology, and redemption, all set to some of the most iconic riffs in metal history.

[English]

The rain kept on falling

And darkened the sky

The dawn was to come with the sunrise

Revealing the shadows

That passed through the mist

The torchlight was flickering, the storm

Was chasing them on

...

A procession of dark coats

Followed the star

Foretold to come since ages

In silence they walked on

Crossing the lands

On their way to Bethlehem

To break the chains of the spell

...

Stone, they worshiped the stone

In generation from father to son

A star, a star is to come

To light them way

To the one who is born

...

The leader he knelt there

To greet the newborn

Holding his pendant before him

Teardrops were falling from

His eyes as he said

"Take this stone and use it well, don't do as I did long ago"

Into the sundown he returned

The moon was rising and heaven burned

Like shadows disappeared the men

And the black stone wielders

Were never seen again

Stone, they wielded the stone

In generation from father to son

A star, a star is to come

And light them the way

To the one who is born

Black stone wielder is born

Yeah, yeah, yeah hmm

He's born

They came across the western sea

With powers greater than needed

The wizards commanded the lightning

Every creature knelt in for their will

But they wielded the black stone with evil

And their evil was cast back on them

Condemned to praise god forever

'Til his son was born to deliver

Stone, they wielded the stone

In generation, from father to son

A star, a star is to come

And light them the way to the one who is born

...

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
rain /reɪn/ A1	noun - water that falls from the sky in drops
dark /dɑrk/ A2	adjective - having little or no light
star /stɑr/ A1	noun - a bright point in the night sky
stone /stoʊn/ A2	noun - a hard solid substance found in the ground
wield /wiːld/ B2	verb - to hold and use a weapon or tool
light /laɪt/ A1	noun - the natural agent that stimulates sight and makes things visible
newborn /ˈnjuːbɔrn/ B1	noun - a baby that has just been born
power /ˈpaʊər/ B1	noun - the ability or capacity to do something or act in a particular way
creature /ˈkriːtʃər/ B2	noun - a living being, especially an animal
heaven /ˈhɛvən/ B2	noun - the sky or universe as seen from the earth
storm /stɔrm/ B1	noun - a violent disturbance of the atmosphere with strong winds and usually rain, thunder, lightning, or snow
chase /tʃeɪs/ B1	verb - to run after someone or something in order to catch them
generation /ˌdʒɛnəˈreɪʃən/ B2	noun - all of the people born and living at about the same time
spell /spɛl/ B2	noun - a form of words used as a magical charm or incantation
command /kəˈmænd/ B2	verb - to give an authoritative order
evil /ˈiːvəl/ B2	adjective - profoundly immoral and malevolent

Key Grammar Structures

• The rain kept on falling

  ➔ Past Continuous Tense with "keep on" + gerund

  ➔ "Kept on falling" indicates a continuous action in the past. "Keep on" emphasizes the ongoing nature of the rain.

• Foretold to come since ages

  ➔ Past Participle as Adjective / Reduced Relative Clause

  ➔ "Foretold" is a past participle used as an adjective modifying "to come". It is a shortened version of "that was foretold".

• To break the chains of the spell

  ➔ Infinitive of Purpose

  ➔ The infinitive "to break" expresses the purpose of their journey to Bethlehem.

• Don't do as I did long ago

  ➔ Imperative + "as" Comparison

  ➔ This is an imperative sentence giving a command. "As I did" is a comparative phrase, meaning "in the same way that I did".

• Like shadows disappeared the men

  ➔ Inversion for Emphasis (Adverbial Fronting)

  ➔ Normally, the sentence would be "The men disappeared like shadows". By putting "Like shadows" at the beginning, the disappearance is emphasized.

• With powers greater than needed

  ➔ Comparative Adjective + Reduced Relative Clause

  ➔ "Greater than needed" is a comparative phrase, and it's implied that there's a relative pronoun missing (e.g., "powers that were greater than needed").