Lyrical Analysis: Soilwork – The Nurturing Glance

Intro:

Soilwork is a Swedish melodic death metal band. Their sinister tunes evoke the likes of Dark Tranquillity and Amorphis. Their melodies are catchy, their guitar hooks are badass, and especially, their lyrics are heavily symbolic. The Nurturing Glance is a prime example. Funny enough, the song title is unique, and never once mentioned in the chorus or verses. What exactly is a “nurturing glance”? Is it when someone looks at you with a facial expression of empathy? Understanding? Something else? Let’s take a deep dive and find out! 

Lyrics:

Luminous deity

Perilous djinn

Sacrificed unity

Servants of sin

False prophets can easily manipulate the average person. I myself am guilty of celebrity obsession, hero worship, idolatry, and blasphemy. I try so hard to be a good person. But at the end of the day, I’m just a stupid, shitty, selfish trashcan of a sinner. Just like everyone else. 

Ominous spiritus

Reaper of souls

Living in all of us

Seizing control

Time is our mortal enemy. Death is our ultimate fate. But in the meantime, our destiny is to fight tooth and nail for our lives. This life is worth living! Even with all the sorrow and suffering! Hell, perhaps because of it!

What if it’s too late to suffer?

What if it’s too late to die?

Many of us have survived failed murder and/or suicide attempts. I’m sorry to dig up old scars, but then again, that ship has already sailed. We already lived, whether we wanted to or not. We have no choice but to carry on with the survivors guilt and post traumatic stress disorder. There isn’t anything to do about it, but to make the best of a bad situation.

These skeletons in our closets are kind of an open secret. We already know each other’s tragic details by watching the news and reading the paper, or perhaps the occasional moment of oversharing on social media, or hinting at it with vagueposts. I may never speak about these horrible events out loud, not even to my therapist. But I can certainly write about it. 

As we rise

Seeking shelter from our sins

We’ll escape

From the universe within.

A mind is like a universe unto itself. This is both a blessing and a curse. I love to introspect and daydream in ephemeral reverie. However, my thoughts can also drive me insane, with their nagging criticism and endless babble. This internal universe can lead one astray, with self-indulgent addiction and arrogance.  

In a time

When the veil is growing thin

We’ll take flight

From the universe within

There is a thin veil between right and wrong, the living and the dead, or love and hate. When we cross this line, perhaps we see another perspective. Why does someone else adore something you abhore, and vice versa?Why does the socially acceptable version of ethics feel so dirty? Why do my favorite people sometimes disgust me, and my enemies intrigue me? 

Eschaton aftermath

Burying trust

Even this psychopath

Learns to adjust.

I suffer from a personality disorder. Therefore, I am a psychopath, in a very literal sense of the word. However, I still try my best to get along in social, personal, professional, and academic pursuits. I resent the ableist narrative that mentally ill and traumatized people are any less capable of of being successful and happy. I also hate it when people use mental illness as a cheap excuse to be shitty. If a lunatic such as myself can learn basic social skills, then do can you. Level up already!

What if it’s too late to suffer?

What if it’s too late to die?

Wallowing in self pity is juvenile and childish. I like to think that I’ve outgrown that nasty habit, at least for the most part. There is also a significant amount of white, straight, and/or male privilege regarding commiserating on first world world problems. Must be nice, but I’m a queer Hispanic woman, so I wouldn’t know. Depressed or not, I still have bills to pay. Nobody else gives a shit, so why should I?

Soilwork also mentions the youthful abandon and reckless nature of pity parties in the lyrics of The Ageless Whisper, as well as This Momentary Bliss. 

As we rise

Seeking shelter from our sins

We’ll escape

From the universe within

The Bible says Judge not, lest ye be judged, and let he without sin cast the first stone. Jung said that the best way to deal with the darkness of others, is acknowledging the darkness within yourself. Nietzsche warned his readers to beware of gazing into the abyss, lest the abyss gaze back, and that those who battle beasts may become beasts themselves. Psychic origami says to write down every nasty, evil, cruel, wicked things your enemies have ever done and said, but to sign your own name at the top of the page. No matter how you look at it, shadow work is an inevitable part of self awareness and objective reflection. 

In a time

When the veil is growing thin

We’ll take flight

From the universe within

I feel so irritated when people act entitled to a certain level of sympathy and performative affection that I don’t even have. I barely even care about my own well being, let alone anyone else’s. It’s so annoying when people want to invalidate my trauma, just so they can bitch about asinine trivium.

Again, I am severely insane, clinically diagnosed by several psychiatrists. If anyone deserves to be electroshocked, lobotomized, and locked up in a straitjacket in a padded room for all eternity, it’s this crazy bitch right here. Don’t flatter yourself by expecting me to take care of you. Even if I wanted to, I am physically incapable. 

As we rise

We’re unwanted pariahs

At the governance doors

It’s the finalization

Of what’s happened before

When you do what you did, you get what you got. Insanity is doing the same thing over and over, but expecting different results. You have to break the self destructive pattern sooner or later… Unless it breaks you first. 

As we rise

Seeking shelter from our sins

We’ll escape

From the universe within

There is a difference between sympathy and empathy. Sympathy is more like caring, whereas empathy is more like understanding. Just because someone cares, doesn’t necessarily mean that they understand, and vice versa. Just because someone understands, doesn’t mean they care. 

Some people think that they are stone cold intellectuals just because they act cynical and detached. Too bad they can’t differentiate stoicism from cynicism. Bitch, please, you aren’t “ObJeCtIvE”; you’re just indifferent because it hasn’t happened to you (yet). 

In a time

When the veil is growing thin

We’ll take flight

From the universe within

This song often refers to “the universe within”, but in a negative context. This internal world is not a fascinating expanse to explore, nor a safe haven for oneself, but a trap that must be escaped. Ruminating on distorted memories of a painful past, or worrying about a dreadful future, can be a living hell. The human mind can torture itself endlessly, especially on a sleepless night of solitude in a dark, cold, lonely room. 

Luminous deity

Perilous djinn

Sacrificed unity

Servants of sin

I want to address a couple of problematic memes I’ve seen making the rounds. 

The first is the quote to the effect of “Just because you have had it worse than others, doesn’t mean you can invalidate their suffering!” Yes, of course I agree that everyone suffers, and everyone is entitled to their feelings. But that obviously goes both ways! Just because you have had it *easier* than others, doesn’t invalidate *their* suffering! That’s hypocritical as hell! If you don’t want your own trauma invalidated, then why are you demanding that everyone who had it worse than you, invalidate their own!?!

Next is the baffling trend of “I’m so sick of being called strong and resilient.” So basically you feel entitled to wallow in performative vulnerability? Fine. Don’t be brave or powerful. Have fun being weak and fragile and frail, while your enemies relentlessly sharpen their blades. And you’ll probably never recover from the emotional damage of that diss, because apparently you intentionally lack resilience. 

All jokes aside, I understand that these memes are well intentioned, and I’ll admit that they have a grain of truth to them. I even agree with them, to some small extent. But it’s all too easy to come across as a tone-deaf excuse for privileged people to wallow in self pity, and commiserate on first world problems. And I still think it’s incredibly sad and creepy that some people seemingly *aspire* to be weak and helpless, as if they desperately desire to be a pathetic burden on themselves and others. Fucking yikes. 

Ominous spiritus

Reaper of souls

Living in all of us

Seizing control

As we rise by

As weird as it seems, considering the morbid nature of this song, the track actually ends on a hopeful note. The “ominous spiritus, reaper of souls, living in all of us” may refer to our mortality, and/or our own self destructive habits. However, “Seizing control” sounds like a triumphant call to arms, a demand for justice at any cost. “As we rise by” implies that we are ascending above the obstacles that once held us back. We’ve hurt enough already. It’s time to heal, however slow and painful the convalescence may be. We owe it to ourselves. And victory shall be ours!

Outro: 

Verkligheten isn’t exactly a concept album, but there are certain themes which pervade throughout. As the title implies, it can be a rude awakening and reality check for brutal truths. (Verkligheten, translated from Swedish to English, means “reality”.) As previously mentioned, The Nurturing Glance and The Ageless Whisper share similar lyrics. And, come to think of it, nearly identical guitar licks in their intros. The album also features Amorphis frontman Tomi Joutsen in the single, Needles and Kin. Dave Sheldon also makes a cameo appearance in You Aquiver. Verkligheten rocks from start to finish, but something about The Nurturing Glance especiallly captured my fancy. The lyrics will continue to enthrall my imagination for the foreseeable future. 

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