Royal & The Serpent
Wasteland

The first season of Arcane brought high satisfaction across all elements. The animation, story, and soundtrack essentially earned a score of ‘nailed it’. The critics were unsure about some storytelling elements in season two, but there are no doubts about the soundtrack.

One of the songs in this collection is ‘Wasteland’, by Royal & The Serpent. Sonically, the piano and orchestra composition is nothing short of a sparkling beauty. This maximises the contrast with the heartfelt and downbeat lyricism.

‘This world is a wasteland where nothing can grow,’ the chorus rings sweetly. ‘I used to have strength, but I ran out of hope.’ Thusly, the wasteland of our cheeks is left sparkling with the salt of evaporated tears.

The soundtrack also features a cinematic version of ‘Heavy Is The Crown’ (Shinoda/Armstrong), the pacey ‘Rebel Heart’ (Djerv), and the emotive ‘The Line’ (Twenty One Pilots). The soundtrack is a real mix of styles and moods, but it’s pretty well stacked with good music.

If you’re ready for more RATS, I recommend heading over to Rat Trap I for some of the noisier work and Rat Trap IV for some of the more stripped back stuff.

Wasteland Video

The video is a showcase for the incredible animation of Arcane. If you haven’t seen the series, this provides an opportunity to appreaciate how stylish and epic it is.

Watch Royal & The Serpent – ‘Wasteland’.

Wasteland Lyrics

I’ve held on for as long as I can
For the ones that I had to defend
I’ve been strong every day of my life
If she wants, death could take me this time

This world is a wasteland where nothing can grow
I used to have strength, but I ran out of hope
I know it’s my fault that I’m here all alone
This world is a wasteland

Please let me go, go, go, go, go, go, go

If I could just lay my head down and rest
If there was nothing to fight or protect
Maybe then I could finally be free
Maybe death is like falling asleep

This world is a wasteland whеre nothing can grow
I used to have strеngth, but I ran out of hope
I know it’s my fault that I’m here all alone
This world is a wasteland

I’m not ready to face it
Don’t go saying goodbye
There’s a beauty in changes
And I wanna try

This world is a wasteland where nothing can grow
If it weren’t for you, I’d be here all alone
I know in my heart this is where we belong
This world is a wasteland

Don’t let me go, go, go, go, go, go, go
Don’t let me go

Written by Fenton on 5th March 2025

Steve Fenton writes in our music, words, and culture categories. He was Editor in Chief for The Mag and covered live music for DV8 Magazine and Spill Magazine. He was often found in venues throughout the UK alongside ace-photographer, Mark Holloway. Steve is also a technical writer and programmer and writes gothic fiction. Steve studied Psychology at OSC, and Anarchy in the UK: A History of Punk from 1976-1978 at the University of Reading.

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