Nevermore – English Lyrics

• By: Symphony X
• Album: Underworld

Lyrics & Translation

Key Vocabulary

Vocabulary	Meanings
sky /skaɪ/ A1	noun - the expanse of air over the Earth
lie /laɪ/ A2	noun - a false statement verb - to be in a horizontal position
darkness /ˈdɑːrk.nəs/ B1	noun - the absence of light
venomous /ˈvɛn.ə.məs/ B2	adjective - capable of injecting venom
anguish /ˈæŋ.ɡwɪʃ/ C1	noun - severe mental or physical pain
silence /ˈsaɪ.ləns/ B2	noun - the absence of sound
spirit /ˈspɪr.ɪt/ B1	noun - the non-physical part of a person
flight /flaɪt/ B1	noun - the act of flying
hope /hoʊp/ A2	noun - a feeling of expectation and desire
bloodless /ˈblʌd.ləs/ C2	adjective - lacking blood
cryptic /ˈkrɪp.tɪk/ C1	adjective - having a meaning that is mysterious or obscure
tragedy /ˈtrædʒ.ə.di/ B2	noun - a very sad event or situation
chord /kɔːrd/ B1	noun - a group of notes played together
night /naɪt/ A1	noun - the period of darkness in each twenty-four hours
bird /bɜːrd/ A1	noun - a type of animal that has feathers and wings

Key Grammar Structures

• From the skies 'cross the sea of lies

  ➔ Prepositional Phrase of Direction + Ellipsis

  ➔ The phrase "From the skies" acts as a prepositional phrase indicating direction. The word "across" is shortened to "'cross". The ellipsis implies that a verb of motion, such as "traveling," is omitted for poetic effect. It means "Traveling from the skies across the sea of lies."

• Has brought on the night

  ➔ Present Perfect Tense with a Phrasal Verb

  ➔ "Has brought on" is a phrasal verb meaning to cause something to happen. The present perfect tense ("has brought") indicates that the action has a connection to the present. "The viper's venomous bite" has caused "the night".

• Swept away like a bird of prey

  ➔ Passive Voice with Simile

  ➔ "Swept away" implies being passively moved or taken by a force (passive voice). The phrase "like a bird of prey" is a simile, comparing the speaker's experience to a bird of prey being swept away.

• Now there's hell to pay

  ➔ Idiomatic Expression

  ➔ "There's hell to pay" is an idiomatic expression meaning there will be serious consequences or trouble. It's a common phrase expressing impending retribution.

• Nothing matters anymore

  ➔ Negative Pronoun + Adverb of Time

  ➔ "Nothing" is a negative pronoun, indicating that no thing is important. "Anymore" is an adverb of time, meaning "no longer" or "nowadays" implying a change in state.

• Your silences tells me all I need to know

  ➔ Subject-Verb Agreement (error for poetic license)

  ➔ Grammatically, it should be "Your silences tell me..." because "silences" is plural. However, the singer uses "tells" instead of "tell" for a poetic license, potentially to emphasize the singular message conveyed by the collective silences. This is a violation of standard subject-verb agreement but is common in artistic expression.

• Strike a chord

  ➔ Imperative Verb + Noun Phrase

  ➔ "Strike" is an imperative verb (command), telling someone to do something. "A chord" is the noun phrase, representing a resonating emotional connection or agreement.

• Lost in shadows of what might have been

  ➔ Past Participle as Adjective + Conditional Perfect

  ➔ "Lost" functions as an adjective modifying the implied subject (the speaker). "What might have been" is a conditional perfect clause referring to unrealized possibilities in the past. The entire phrase conveys a sense of regret and unfulfilled potential.