The art of the song.
Herald of Darkness is a song performed by the Old Gods of Asgard featuring Alan Wake and Mr. Door. It is played in Initiation 4: We Sing where Alan Wake, Mr. Door, Sam Lake and the Old Gods perform a musical number about Alan's life.
Lyrics[]
The lyrics below are of the Video Edit version of the song.
Act 1: Childhood[]
[Mr. Door]
From what I've gathered
You grew up nice and sheltered
With mama’s pretty stories
And your own made up furies
[Alan Wake]
And mama gave me a magic clicker
Well yes I think it's true and fair to say
[Old Gods of Asgard]
C'mon in and listen
Lost words you've been missing
Of the fire you're bearing
The eye of the darkness, your light
[Mr. Door and Alan Wake]
So you were drawn to stories early on
My dreams would light up my imagination
And you had nightmares night and day
Yeah, but with the clicker I chased those frights away
Who knew
So true
[Old Gods of Asgard]
So here is a clue
Of hope to remember
Visions, they come true
Obeying the light switch too
Show me the Champion of Light
I'll show you the Herald of Darkness
Lost in a never ending night
Diving deep to the surface
Act 2: Rise to Fame[]
[Mr. Door]
And all your stories
Of crime and chilling thrillers
Of hard boiled killers
Became best sellers
(and the award goes to... Alan Wake!)
[Alan Wake]
It was all too much
I had to get away
[Old Gods of Asgard]
The story's the end-all
A piece of true fiction
Made meaningless in
The face of creation
[Mr. Door and Alan Wake]
But there is more to it than meets the eye
I never meant for it to ruin my life that way
Would you say you lived a jaded lie?
Dark shades could never save the day
So sad
But true
[Old Gods of Asgard]
Fighting the nightmares
Torch and a light switch
A gift or a curse
A reality made of dreams
Show me the Champion of Light
I'll show you the Herald of Darkness
Lost in a never ending night
Diving deep to the surface
Act 3: Bright Falls[]
[Old Gods of Asgard]
He could write a new story
Like Tom Zane before him
And maybe they'd be happy once again
Just one shot, one more chance
for him to save their marriage
away from the city
a romantic getaway
Still he's the torch bearer
And it couldn't be much clearer
A war needs its warrior, true and right
But the darkness within him
Held her hostage
Had he seen her drowning
Would have saved her from the darkness of the lake
Show me the Champion of Light
I'll show you the Herald of Darkness
Lost in a never ending night
Diving deep to the surface
Act 4: Champion[]
[Alan Wake]
Such a dark place am I trapped in here
Is this real I cannot remember
There was a manuscript it held the key
A vicious cycle I must not surrender to
Echoes scenes to seek out
Again and again
Until I figure it out
To bring this song to its end
[Ensemble]
Show me the Champion of Light
I'll show you the Herald of Darkness
Lost in a never ending night
Diving deep to the surface
Names in other languages[]
- Spanish - Heraldo de la Oscuridad
- Italian - Araldo delle Tenebre
- French - Héraut des Ténèbres
- German - Herold der Dunkelheit
- Portuguese - Arauto da Escuridão
- Dutch - Heraut van de Duisternis
- Russian - Вестник тьмы
- Ukrainian - Провісник темряви
- Japanese - 闇の先駆け
- Korean - 어둠의 전령사
- Simplified Chinese - 黑暗的先驱
- Traditional Chinese - 黑暗的使者
- Estonian - Pimeduse Kuulutaja
Trivia[]
- The song on streaming services has seven versions, the full length version being 13:34, the video edit version being 8:37 and the radio edit being 3:39. On February 9, 2024, four new versions were released, the complete edit being 30:06, and the instrumental, full length without lead guitar, and instrumental without lead guitar all being 13:32.
- It is the first Old Gods of Asgard song that has characters other than the band themselves sing in it.
- The song was first performed live at The Game Awards 2023 on December 7, 2023, with Poets of the Fall, Ilkka Villi, Matthew Porretta, David Harewood and Sam Lake all performing in their respective roles.
- Listening to stereo sound of the song you can hear Alan Wake on the left, Old Gods of Asguard in the middle, and Mr. Door on the right.
Music Video[]
