This title is in all caps, which might've been the first thing you noticed. Yes! I am SO EXCITED for everyone to see it. I'm a new-ish fan of Throne of Glass but it didn't deter me from writing a song.
I chose to go in the direction of Celaena's character development. While there is a lot going down about the ships, I honestly can't be bothered to write about that when there is so much else going on. I'm really against the whole idea of hating a book because of the ships [unless the ships have overtaken the story] so I figured I'd just stay out of the entire "fandom war" thing. Let's just focus on Celaena and how awesome she is and has become. I also have not read Queen of Shadows yet so it goes without saying, but please, no spoilers.
This is a dissection of the lyrics with the YouTube video below. I encourage you to hit the "like" button and subscribe to the channel if you enjoyed this! Soundcloud is cool and all but being able to post a video of me live singing feels a lot more personal and I like it more. While I'm sure you can probably draw your own conclusions of the meaning of each line, I felt the need to include my understanding of the series and where some of the inspirations are derived from.
If you haven't read the Throne of Glass series, I would recommend either reading it or reading a recap of it because this song won't make as much sense if you don't know the general storyline. Also, spoilers were not meant to happen but I do mention the general storyline. This song is inspired by the story but doesn't draw the most specific of details.
Lyrics
(1ST VERSE)
A little girl,
A little city,
Crushed her dreams and told the world
That nothing was fair,
Not at all.
This was the first part of the song before I realized this was a "Throne of Glass" inspired song. I wrote this based on a girl who'd just lost her home. However, in regards to Celaena, it speaks about the tragedy of Celaena's past that she was unable to control.
She stole his money,
And left the city.
Carried the few things she owned.
A little ghost,
Not here anymore.
Celaena was trained to be an assassin and once trained, she went on missions. This part is a lot about imagery. I had the idea of a little girl holding a teddy bear and that's it. However, the "little girl" is not speaking about Celaena's age - it's speaking about her development. You could say that in The Assassin's Blade, her personality is not the same as in Queen of Shadows - and for good reason.
(PRE CHORUS)
She’ll build a thicker skin,
No one can tear her down.
It was a natural disaster,
That wasn’t natural at all.
Again, referring to the disaster of her childhood that ruined everything.
She wants the glory and,
The fame that comes with it.
She’s not a psycho,
She’s not malicious,
She’s not a tyrant,
She’s just ambitious.
Alright, I wasn't sure if I was going to keep this part. It's a first draft but when I went to edit, I couldn't think of anything that suited this part. Celaena gets a lot of heat because people complain that she's too arrogant and personally, I love that about her. It's a flaw. Characters have them. So what? In the first book, Celaena gets really annoyed that she has to hide her talents as an assassin and play weak.
(CHORUS)
She holds the kingdom in her hands,
But it’s not hers,
But it’s not hers yet.
Being within castle walls gives Celaena power but while the king sits on the throne, the kingdom isn't hers yet.
She wants it from a man who can’t understand,
The way it works,
How the game works.
*cough* Evil King. Also, the "game" is the tournament thing. It was meant to be more metaphorical but I realized after that technically Throne of Glass is about a game of sorts.
Hold onto the crown on your head,
Or kneel to her who took the throne.
She took a breath; took off the cloak,
Took a breath and threw a stone.
This entire block and its melody is my favorite part of the song. Most of the song relates to specific books [ex. 1st verse = The Assassin's Blade] but this part is the theme that carries throughout the series, in my opinion. First two lines are self explanatory. Third line is about Celaena = Aelin and her lineage. Last line is meant to be imagery awesomeness. Think: girl picking up a stone and shattering the whole freaking throne. Epic, no?
But it’s not hers,
But it’s not hers yet.
Being within castle walls gives Celaena power but while the king sits on the throne, the kingdom isn't hers yet.
She wants it from a man who can’t understand,
The way it works,
How the game works.
*cough* Evil King. Also, the "game" is the tournament thing. It was meant to be more metaphorical but I realized after that technically Throne of Glass is about a game of sorts.
Hold onto the crown on your head,
Or kneel to her who took the throne.
She took a breath; took off the cloak,
Took a breath and threw a stone.
This entire block and its melody is my favorite part of the song. Most of the song relates to specific books [ex. 1st verse = The Assassin's Blade] but this part is the theme that carries throughout the series, in my opinion. First two lines are self explanatory. Third line is about Celaena = Aelin and her lineage. Last line is meant to be imagery awesomeness. Think: girl picking up a stone and shattering the whole freaking throne. Epic, no?
Hold onto the crown on your head,
Don’t shut your eyes and don’t look tired.
She came with nothing left to lose
And so she’ll leave with the empire.
I'm all for the dramatics and I actually wrote the first two lines AFTER the last two. I needed a word that rhymed with empire since I like to end choruses with some kind of impact, hehe.
(2ND VERSE)
A little girl,
Who’s not so little.
Rose to fame by getting rid of,
People’s problems but she still has her own.
Relating to Celaena's character growth, this part is after the Assassin's Blade, somewhere between ToG and CoM. I'm basically calling the girl an assassin without straight up saying it. Clever? Or nah?
A war like this could end in pieces,
Are you prepared to risk it all?
And ask yourself how far you’d go to save your home.
I thought it would be funny to be like "a war like this could end in peace...es" but you probably didn't get the pun. Oh well, I'm going to laugh at it with myself.
(PRE-CHORUS)
It’s in her blood to rule,
Her highness has been found.
She is the heir of ash and fire,
And she will burn you to the ground.
Okay, maybe I lied - this part may be the best, at least lyrically. [Or not, because technically, I didn't write it.] So I don't get sued, the third line is directly from Heir of Fire. But this part is just me going, "YOU GO CELAENA!" because she's epic.
They stole what could’ve been,
And turned the greens to browns.
She’s not a psycho,
She’s not the villain.
She wants the magic,
The world is missing.
There's always this thought of, "what could've happened had the childhood tragedy not occurred? If Celaena had the power she was meant to have?" And turning the greens to browns was my last ditch effort for a rhyme for "found." I thought I used every one but nope! It's about the forests and destruction.
(CHORUS)
I want to read these books now...... I enjoyed the song, but not having read any of the books It did not really mean much to me, but it sounded cool!
ReplyDeletehehe thanks so much!
DeleteYay! The wait is over! Now I just need to remember to come back to this later... :D
ReplyDeleteOOH, this is super cool, especially since QoS coming out recently. I haven't read ToG (although I might), but I love the lyrics, and as always your voice is lovely. Keep the music coming, Nova! :D :D
ReplyDeleteALYSSA YOU ARE SUPER SWEET
DeleteLOVE IT, I haven't read this series but I sure am going to now! Nova, you have talent... one day I am going to be writing a music post about your epic debut 'songs about awesome YA books' album for sure haha :D
ReplyDeleteooh, and my favourite line has got to be 'it was a natural disaster that wasn't natural at all'. It's really stuck with me, especially with all the bad happenings in the world at the moment. Also, "she's not a tyrant, she's just ambitious". This is gonna be stuck in my head all day. eliza xx
www.lipglossandpaperbacks.blogspot.co.uk <3
FLAILS you are so sweet omg
Deletethat line was actually a random thought i had in the middle of the night. to be honest, i didn't really know what it meant when i wrote it but i kinda built the meaning after. does that make sense? so glad you like it and YES, it's very relevant, especially in our lives.
I LOVE the song and I can't help myself but sing it :)
ReplyDelete