Nightwish and Truth

In a wasteland of music dominated by divas, pop stars, obscenities, existentialism, emotionalism, and sexuality, it's hard to find music with lyrical content that actually appeals to the intellect and truthfully stimulates the emotions. Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Shakira, Lil' Wayne, and Kanye West have all left their marks, as pathetic as they may be.

In response to the trend of the modern music industry, some Christians turn to singularly Christian artists to find satisfaction in their musical interests. To be sure, there are some wonderful songs and hymns by Christian artists, but we have to be honest with ourselves and realize that not all music by Christian artists is good music. While Christian artists will avoid the vulgar vocabulary of secular lyricists, they are not immune to producing music that is lacking in not only quality, but truth as well.

Likewise, non-Christian artists have the ability to produce extremely high quality music that has just as much a grasp on truth as a really good song by a Christian. In particular, I have become increasingly aware of a growing Biblical understanding of the human condition in many of the non-Christian bands that I listen to. Accompanying this understanding of humanity as evil and painful is generally an inexpressible longing for innocence, purity, and goodness. While they don't know the means by which they may achieve this, in some ways, I think these non-Christian artists/bands capture a greater understanding of this issue of human depravity than many Christian artists. Thus, I feel it beneficial to take a look at the work of a certain band called Nightwish, and particularly pay attention to their most famous song, "Nemo."

"Nemo" and Human Depravity

Nightwish is a symphonic metal band from Finland. Its composer and lyricist, Tuomas Holopainen, is quite the philosopher artist, using music as the form to communicate his deep musings on the nature of humanity and existence. Even though Holopainen is not a Christian, (or any of the Nightwish band members for that matter), the lyrics in many Nightwish songs point to a rich understanding of humanity that generally stir up feelings of grief, particularly over evil, pain, and lost innocence.

One of Nightwish's best known songs is called "Nemo" from their album, Once. The cover art for this album depicts an angel weeping over an altar with the word "Once," prominently displayed on the front. The symbolism behind this image is quite powerful, because it shows a figure of righteousness mourning the loss or abuse of something good, something beautiful that can never be restored. This image is perfectly encapsulated in the song, "Nemo."

The title of the song itself is important. Nemo is Latin for "nobody, nameless one." The song is sung in first person, almost certainly expressing the feelings of Holopainen through the magical vocals of Tarja Turunen. It opens with the lines, "This is me for forever, one of the lost ones; The one withough a name, without an honest heart as compass."

I find two things immediately profound. First, "Nemo" highlights the importance of names in an eternal context, and second, it accurately identifies the condition of the human heart as a deceitful compass. Dealing with the first point, Scripture places significant emphasis on the importance of names as they relate to eternity. Interestingly, in the Jewish tradition, names were not arbitrary social constructs. Instead, the Jews used names to help link a person to a certain abstract concept or historical event, so that their name inherently stood for something of meaning. Further, we see in Scripture, how God changed the names of certain followers in order that their name would be more consistent with his purpose for their lives. (See Abram/Abraham, Jacob/Israel, Saul/Paul, Simon/Peter, etc.) Additionally, the most important thing in the world is that our name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life (Revelation 21:27). To not have our name in that book would be just as bad as having no name at all; our existence would be worse than meaningless. Lo and behold, Holopainen's lyrics in 'Nemo" link namelessness with hopelessness as he writes that he is forever one of the lost ones without a name.

Regarding the second point about "Nemo's" accurate depiction of the human heart, we read in Jeremiah 17:9 that, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" Further, we read in Ecclesiastes 9:3 that, "yea, also the heart of the sons of men is full of evil, and madness is in their heart while they live, and after that they go to the dead." Christ himself says in Mark 7:21-22 that, "For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness." Looking at these verses, we see a consistent theme decrying the utter depravity which belays the human heart and even sends us to our death as it said in Ecclesiastes 9:3. It is not a reliable compass, and thus Tarja sings, "The one without a name, without an honest heart as compass."

Thus, only four lines into the song, we see ourselves struggling with deep philosophical and theological issues that lead to important questions on the existential level. As remarkable as that is, the next four lines continue the theme of the first four with a new twist: "This is me for forever, one without a name; These lines the last endeavor to find the missing lifeline."

Again, we see a deep grief over the songwriter's nameless existence, but he also identifies a tiny thread of hope that might save him: "These lines." Naturally, this probably refers to the words of the song he's writing and hearkens back to Shakespeare's Sonnet 55, which grants the object of the poem immortality through the lines of his poem. While not scriptural, it peaks my interest as a student of classical literature to see comparisons between Nightwish's lyrics and Shakespeare's writings. Therefore, both Shakespeare and Holopainen place their hope in the wrong source: their own works of art. However, Holopainen gets it even more right than Shakespeare because (unlike Shakespare in Sonnet 55) he realizes that the lines of his song will not be the successful endeavor that finds his missing lifeline. We realize this as the song transitions with a powerful sense of fatalism into the chorus.

The Existential Reality

The chorus is the heart and soul of "Nemo" where philosophical musings lead to a fearsome existential reality. The lines of the chorus read as follows: "Oh how I wish for soothing rain; All I wish is to dream again; My loving heart lost in the dark; For hope I'd give my everything. Oh how I wish for soothing rain; Oh how I wish to dream again. Once and for all and all for once, Nemo my name for evermore."

This is the cry of a soul that has thought through it all...and realized the utter darkness that envelopes his heart. Intellectual arguments and rhetoric are no good anymore; they've lead to utter ruin. Yet, he still has some notion of what goodness and innocence looks like, though he understands that he no longer has it. Nevertheless, he wants it dearly and his heart cries out for it through the lyrics of this chorus as Tarja Turunen sings: "Oh how I wish for soothing rain; Oh how I wish to dream again."

It's rare to not only find such intellectual complexity in music these days, but also to find such honesty. The sincerity of the appeal in "Nemo" vividly reminds me of passages from Psalm in which David cries out to God for justice, goodness, and righteousness to be restored. In Psalm 119:136, David mourns that " Rivers of water run down from my eyes, because men do not keep Your law." Moreover, in Psalm 51:17, we read that "The sacrifices of God are a contrite spirit: a contrite and a broken heart, O God, thou wilt not despise." But perhaps most similiar in spirit to "Nemo" is in Psalm 25:16-18 which says, "Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me, For I am desolate and afflicted. The troubles of my heart have enlarged; Bring me out of my distresses! Look on my affliction and my pain, And forgive all my sins."

Admittedly, the songwriter of "Nemo" does not cry out to God for his peace and solace. While regrettable, Holopainen is not intellectually dishonest here. Although earlier, he identified his lyrics as the last endeavor to find the missing lifeline, he ultimately realizes there is no hope and that his name will be Nemo forevermore. While I personally hope this doesn't happen to Holopainen or any of the Nightwish band members, it is one of the most consistent and intellectually honest answers to the question of depravity (form a non-Christian perspective) that I have ever seen in any work of art. Moreover, the music that accompanies the vocals is not at all upbeat or hopeful, but mournful and accepting of fate. There is no hint in "Nemo" of trying to achieve goodness outside of God, but rather a hopeless recognition that the human soul is utterly corrupt, incapable, and devoid of any righteousness. There's even an understanding that no person can do anything to save himself from that condition.

And thus, the angel weeps at the altar of "Once."

Application

Generally, I hope this article stimulates the reader's understanding of the depths and despair of human depravity. "Nemo's" portrayal of the human heart is more Biblical than many things we may find in contemporary Christian music. Moreover, I hope those who listen to this song will see the parallels between its mournful throbbings and the agonies of David in Psalms. I hope it encourages us to weep over our sin and cry out to God for our comfort.

"Nemo" should resonate with Christians more than anyone else, because it describes in detail the deadly lostness from which we have escaped. Further, we should not forget from whence we came. It's important to remember our origins in sin so that we may help others see how it is possible to escape the enslaving depravity of the human condition, by the grace of God. The terror of hopelessness, namelessness, and wrath that we should have inherited was atoned for in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross. He died so that we could be called Sons of God and have our names written in His book of life.

As a result, we do not have to sing "Nemo our name forevermore."