The Scarecrow by Avantasia Lyrics Meaning – Unraveling the Mystique of a Symphonic Metal Masterpiece

You can view the lyrics, alternate interprations and sheet music for Avantasia's The Scarecrow at Lyrics.org.

Lyrics

I’m just a loser in the game of love
I’m just an stray boy in the shade
And how I wish to know what love is like
To find someone to contemplate

There’s a voice in a million answers
To the questions I don’t ask
A demon, I’ve got to contain
When I’m walking through the fen
Getting deep into the black
Whispers, I can’t restrain

Don’t give in

Rise to fame, time will come
Make your claim, time has come
For the crow to fly away

So you’re an angel meant to walk down here
And you believe it’s all divine
And you don’t play by all those temporal rules
You watch the world begin to die

Alright, when the lamb’s been torn to pieces
I’ve been crashing from the sky
The fallen to care for the prey
They put a spoke right in your wheel
I’m the one to dare the weak
To push you all over the pain

You give in, oh

Rise to fame, time will come
Make your claim, time has come
For the crow to fly away

I close my eyes
And I see what’s coming my way, oh yeah
He’s got treasure in his eyes
That he’s gonna turn to clay
Hm, I’m a stranger
I’m a changer
And I’m danger, maybe

Fallen Angel, waiting for the prey
The devil has come to take a maimed away
Penetration of the twisted mind
The evil is out for the weak and blind
I can feel it in your voice
Ever so sweet, no
Do I really have a choice?
No no no

Oh, you burn your feet on unholy ground
You roam the barren wicked plains abound
In evil lies and evil speak
Abound in all you evil freaks

When you say it’s all divine
And meant be, yeah
What about your flesh and blood
And defiers like me?

Their evil eyes are looking down on you
And those who don’t are losing sight of you
Facing the rage to chase away
The specter of disgrace and shame

Withered roses dying on the ledge
A withered dreamer standing on the edge
You dream of love, you wake up to pain
You’re better off to join in my game

Then she’ll be better off to cry contrite tears
One day she’ll wonder why
She had to let you disappear, oh dear

(Rise to fame) Your time has come
(Time will come) To take the sun
(Make your claim) You’re drawn to the sound
(Time has come) You’re leaving ground
(Rise to fame) the flight of the crow
(Time will come) Cross the line
(Time has come) Time has come
(Time has come) For the crow to fly away
(Rise to fame) It’s a flight to hell
(Time will come) Can you hear the bell, the devil has come
(Make your claim) To take your soul away
(Time has come) A flight to hell
Alright

I’m a stranger
I’m a changer
And I’m danger
Fallen Angel
Waiting for the prey, ah

Avantasia, the symphonic metal brainchild of Tobias Sammet, delivers a haunting and intricate tale with ‘The Scarecrow.’ This ambitious track weaves a dense narrative fabric that’s as rich musically as it is lyrically. Venturing through love, loss, and the inherent struggle of an inner demon, ‘The Scarecrow’ emerges as a complex piece of storytelling that beckons for deeper exploration.

Beneath the soaring melodies and formidable arrangements, ‘The Scarecrow’ contains emotional depth and a philosophical edge that demands attention. Not just a song, but a saga told through chords and chorus, it’s a piece that speaks to the relentless quest for identity, fame, and understanding in a world shadowed by inherent evil and torment.

A Lyrical Journey Through Inner Turmoil: Understanding ‘The Scarecrow’

The persona in ‘The Scarecrow’ is etched as an archetypical outcast, a figure grappling with the desire to comprehend love from the fringes of emotional experience. The recurring motif of the estranged ‘crow’ reflects a yearning for recognition and belonging, mirroring the sensation many feel when faced with the harsh realities of disenfranchisement and longing.

The ‘demon to contain’ and ‘whispers’ that can’t be restrained, symbolize the internal struggle against darker impulses and the ceaseless noise of doubts and fears that shadow one’s psyche. Tobias Sammet’s haunting vocals carve a vision of an entity battling for control and comprehension in a realm bordered by temptation and vulnerability.

Ascension and Autonomy: The Quest for Rise to Fame

‘Rise to fame ? time will come, make your claim ? time has come’; these potent lines hit like a crescendo of ambition in the song’s narrative. This anthem-like chant serves as both a prophecy and an incantation, heralding the protagonist’s inevitable climb from obscurity towards the blinding lights of fame.

Paradoxically, the ascent to renown is juxtaposed against the cautionary tale that fame is fleeting and sometimes illusory. As the ‘crow’ prepares to fly away, there’s a palpable tension between the aspirations of the individual and the existential dread that such aspirations could be but a mere flight towards an infernal end.

Diving into the Heart of Darkness: The Scarecrow’s Hidden Meaning

Scratching beneath the surface, ‘The Scarecrow’ metamorphoses into an allegory for the individual’s confrontation with the shadow self. The lyrics unfold a journey of self-discovery, challenging listeners to reflect upon their personhood and the darker elements that define human nature.

Each verse peels back a layer of the protagonist’s tortured soul, hinting at a blend of Miltonic fall-from-grace and Faustian bargaining. There resides a profound commentary on the human condition: a perpetual battle to maintain integrity and innocence in a world that seduces with power and temptation.

Unforgettable Lines that Capture the Heart’s Lament

‘You dream of love but you wake up to pain,’ strikes as an unforgettable phrase that encapsulates the song’s essence. It mirrors the fleeting, often bittersweet quest for something pure in a reality marred by suffering and disappointment. Here, Sammet taps into a universal feeling of despair that resonates with anyone who has yearned for love, only to find emptiness.

Moreover, a profound melancholy lingers in the notion that with ‘withered roses dying on the ledge,’ even beauty and hope are transient. The Scarecrow in its poetic splendor, thus, becomes a figure that not just pines for love but also symbolizes the ephemeral nature of desire itself.

Flight of the Crow: The Metaphor of Transcendence and Damnation

The final act of ‘The Scarecrow’ erupts into an apocalyptic scenario where the devil arrives to claim the tainted. This vivid imagery exposes a fatalistic perspective on success and the soul’s journey. The song reaches its zenith as it contemplates whether ascension to greatness is a celestial flight or a descent into hell.

Against the ironclad backdrop of power chords and an arresting orchestral landscape, ‘The Scarecrow’ concludes with an open-ended question about the nature of human ambition. Is the protagonist’s transition an escape from mediocrity, or is it a fall from grace? Avantasia leaves the audience pondering the duality of flight – whether it stands for liberation or condemnation.