Shamandalie
Aside from the clever wordplay (Shamandalie is a Finnish girl’s name; “sham and a lie” is a redundant phrase in English meaning “untrue”), the song itself is a work of fine art. I don’t even have any reason to post it other than that it’s an excellent song by an excellent group, and I have felt this before—so perhaps it will speak to you, too.
In good old times, remember my friend
Moon was so bright and so close to us, sometimesWe were still blind and deaf, what a bliss?
Painting the world of our own, for our own eyes, now?“Can we ever have what we had then?
Friendship unbreakable
Love means nothing to me
Without blinking an eye
I’d fade, if so needed,
All those moments with you
If I had you beside me”One cloudy day we both lost the game?
We drifted so far and awayNothing is quite as cruel as a child
Sometimes we break the unbreakable, sometimes?“And we’ll never have what we had then
Friendship unbroken
Love means nothing to me
Without blinking an eye
I’d fade, if so needed,
All those moments with you
If I had you beside me now”I was unable to cope with what you said
Sometimes we need to be cruel to be kind
Child that I was, could not see the reason
Feelings I had were but sham and a lieI have never forgotten your smile
Your eyes, oh, ShamandalieTime went by, many memories died
I’m writing this down to ease my painYou saw us always clearer than me
How we were never meant to be
Love denied meant the friendship would die
Now I have seen the light
These memories make me cry“Can I ever have what I had then?
Friendship unbroken
Love means nothing to me
Without blinking an eye
I’d fade, if so needed,
All those moments with you
And see the world with my wide open eyesFriendship got broken
There’s no other for me
Like the one of my childhood days
Can you forgive me?
The love got better off me,
On that one day back in old times”
© 2004 Sonata Arctica, Reckoning Night
No Responses to “Shamandalie”
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Tingelingen Says:
February 16th, 2007 at 06:25:27I love this song, and due to my broken heart, the song really speaks to me at the moment.
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Michael Says:
February 16th, 2007 at 16:35:01Thank you for your comment, Tingelingen. May time grant you a peace about your situation.
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Koz Says:
March 15th, 2007 at 01:38:10How many times have I listened to this song and (aside from the clever word play and beautiful melody) thought it simply just another great Sonata tune? And why did fate intervene one day while I had a particular line stuck in my head… such that I became obsessed with the song, and through a painful experience understood exactly what it meant. I have never been good at understanding poetic sentiment, but now this entire song (minus the term “lost the game”, which I will attribute to a Finnish/English translation I do not understand, but deem it akin to “lost the enjoyment of the game”) makes such a sober sense that it is a horrible thought to believe this is less than one of the most amazing works of art ever known.
Not that anyone needs my opinion…
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March 20th, 2007 at 23:13:27Koz,
Thanks for your opinion!
Though I am sorry that you understand it only through the hardship of experience. She’s a hard teacher.Actually, I think of “lost the game” as being a kind of Internet-age commentary on any given life situation. Example: Your boss fires you. The game is over. You have lost. You must reboot the computer, reset the game, have another go at it. Same thing here. We are no longer together–the game is over for both of us, and now we have to move on–but it’s not that simple. Hence the tragic grace of this track.
Thanks again for your comment.
February 16th, 2007 at 06:25:27
I love this song, and due to my broken heart, the song really speaks to me at the moment.
February 16th, 2007 at 16:35:01
Thank you for your comment, Tingelingen. May time grant you a peace about your situation.
March 15th, 2007 at 01:38:10
How many times have I listened to this song and (aside from the clever word play and beautiful melody) thought it simply just another great Sonata tune? And why did fate intervene one day while I had a particular line stuck in my head… such that I became obsessed with the song, and through a painful experience understood exactly what it meant. I have never been good at understanding poetic sentiment, but now this entire song (minus the term “lost the game”, which I will attribute to a Finnish/English translation I do not understand, but deem it akin to “lost the enjoyment of the game”) makes such a sober sense that it is a horrible thought to believe this is less than one of the most amazing works of art ever known.
Not that anyone needs my opinion…
March 20th, 2007 at 23:13:27
Koz,
Thanks for your opinion!
Though I am sorry that you understand it only through the hardship of experience. She’s a hard teacher.
Actually, I think of “lost the game” as being a kind of Internet-age commentary on any given life situation. Example: Your boss fires you. The game is over. You have lost. You must reboot the computer, reset the game, have another go at it. Same thing here. We are no longer together–the game is over for both of us, and now we have to move on–but it’s not that simple. Hence the tragic grace of this track.
Thanks again for your comment.