Poets of the Fall, Ghostlight – Yhdeksän, Hello Cabaret

Poets of the Fall‘s ninth studio album, Ghostlight, released in 2022, is filled with gems that build up to my favorite song: Hello Cabaret. As I said, I won’t let go… Ghostlight is a masterpiece and as much as this is true, Hello Cabaret got me on an entire other level. It struck a chord within that left me numb and in utter awe even to this day. Why then did it take so long for me to write about it? Maybe because there are some truths we’d rather not face at once; they need to make their way through the right doors and at the right time or we won’t hear them. I think I am there, but also, I had a nice chat with my friend Erika about Hello Cabaret and that was the last piece that convinced me to hit the keys.

Now remember, I just offer my vision and it engages only me, myself and I. This is my “truth” and is in no way confirmed or infirmed by Poets of the Fall.

Ghostlight came right after a trying time for the world, time which is still striking here and there today in the cruelest of manners… influencing all walks of life. Hello Cabaret feels, to me, like a resigned look on society but put together in a poetic way – both lyrically and musically. The song is filled with sorrow and longing somehow, yet shines like a beacon of hope.

I also find a strong link to Requiem for my Harlequin, probably due to the Cabaret setting. I believe that Hello Cabaret deals with appearances taking over truth. Truth of oneself in a world one is not always fitting in. We put on makeup, or build up façades to be able to play by the rules we don’t always understand or want to follow.

We make do with what life hands out to us, even if we feel it is not necessarily what we strive for. We play our part in a charade we do not like, and for a few fleeting moments, we manage to escape. Thus allowing ourselves to dream, wishing we could remain there forever. Ultimately though, we have to go back to the main stream and get on, to flow forward. We may get lost within and out, yet, as long as we do not give in and keep fighting for who we are, we’ll find our courage to do what we need to.

This is somehow what I take from Hello Cabaret. It resonates with me on so many different levels that sometimes, it even hurts. This is, to me, a song about self-accomplishment and the detours we may have taken to get there… and if we’re not there yet, how we managed to put ourselves on the right path. Hello Cabaret is the song that was the starting point for me to make difficult decisions for my own happiness. It gave me the last strands of strength I needed and ensured that:

Now it’s a brand new day for running with the wolves.

Nine

Hello Cabaret is the ninth song on the album – yhdeksän in Finnish 🤭. I cannot help smiling at this, indeed it is so weird. A friend of mine posted a comment on my previous article, and I did not know who she was until I followed the link to her blog. Her latest post at the time: Tarot Cards. Personally, I don’t believe in it, but never say never… right?! Anyway, it got me thinking of Requiem for my Harlequin video with its Tarot Card séance. Suddenly, I looked at my title and wondered: what is the meaning of “nine” in the Tarot Cards? This is what I found:

My friend, Wikipedia, says:

“THE HERMIT. Prudence, circumspection; also and especially treason, dissimulation, roguery, corruption.
Reversed: Concealment, disguise, policy fear, unreasoned caution. The card is usually thought to connote aspects of healing/recovery, particularly the kind that happens over time.“

In Numerology, according to Cosmopolitan:

“The number 9 is powerful. It represents completion, although not a final ending—more like the fulfillment of one cycle so that you can prepare to initiate the next one. It’s a recognition of life’s ongoing ebb and flow.” – published Apr 19, 2022.

Combining both, my take on Hello Cabaret then is not so far off. How is it that the song itself somehow matches such descriptions of a number? Or is it that I see what I want to see? I won’t go into details here because the train of thoughts that make sense in my head are – so far – not making sense written down 😅. Besides, it is funnier if it gets you trying to decode – especially if there is nothing there to decode after all 😂. I find the idea of number nine linked to the meaning of the song rather enjoyable.

Wolves

One of the reasons I love that song, besides the obvious, is the allusion to the wolves. One of the most powerful images Marko has ever used in his lyrics – again, according to me. What are the wolves standing for in his scenario? A representation of the outside world and what we cannot control, or are they the two wolves we all have inside – one Evil and one Good.

It’s a brand-new day of running with the wolves

Repetition of what we are used to do every day until the moment we step into that Cabaret, stopping the flow of our own river. Dreading it! Negative connotation.

It’s a brand-new day for running with the wolves

Change is coming, and we don’t have to be afraid not to fit in as we are our own person, proud of who we are and bringing value around us because we are. Looking forward to it! Positive reinforcement.

It also makes me think of Aurora’s song “Running with the wolves” 😅. There, the wolves stand for nature, wilderness, freedom… somehow a reconnection with nature and our natural instincts. Could that be a reference to her song in Hello Cabaret? Hmm… getting in touch with wild and carefree side. Nah, probably not.

I am sure you have heard of the Cherokee tale of the two wolves… it goes like this:

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said, “My son, the battle is between two “wolves” inside us all.
One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, doubt, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, forgiveness, truth, compassion, and faith.”
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: “Which wolf wins?”
The old Cherokee simply replied: “The one you feed.”

What if the wolves from Hello Cabaret were not on the outside? What if the wolves were always meant as the ones within?

Two years later… 😅

I wrote this about two years ago, but never pressed publish… Reading this today… I did not change a thing because two years later it is as accurate as it was then.

Thank you for stopping by folks ❤️

Take care and see you soon

Claire