Tourniquet

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General information

Written by: A. Lee, B. Moody, D. Hodges and R. Gray

Tourniquet is the sixth track from Evanescence's debut album, Fallen. It was recorded during the 2001-2002 demo sessions before being chosen for the album. The song is a revamped cover of "My Tourniquet" by Rocky Gray's band Soul Embraced. Rocky co-wrote "My Tourniquet", playing its guitar, thus has a co-writing credit on Fallen's "Tourniquet". For the Fallen cover, Amy Lee wrote the song's melody and second verse.

Amy Lee on Tourniquet:

A lot of our songs are written in a way that you could take them to mean several different things. That one was written by our drummer Rocky [Gray], who was in a Christian death metal band before he joined us. He told me that it is coming from a Christian standpoint, but it's about suicide. It's from the perspective of someone who has just committed suicide and it's about the controversy in Christianity that if you commit suicide, will you go to heaven or hell? If all sins are forgiven after accepting Christ, why would there be an exception?

The demo versions of Tourniquet are often incorrectly titled My Tourniquet on bootlegs.

On the Fallen version of the song Amy screams "I want to die". On the demo versions, it's a sample by Claire Danes from the movie version of Romeo & Juliet saying "I long to die".

The official instrumental leaked on May 19, 2021.

The song's string outro was played during a tribute video screened before Imaginary in the 2023 Australian tour.

In the light of the release of Fallen's 20th anniversary remaster in November 2023, Amy confessed this is her least favorite song on the album. In her Kerrang! cover story, she discussed how the song came about:

“Rocky [Gray, ex-Evanescence drummer] was in a metal band called Soul Embraced and Tourniquet was presented to me, like, ‘Could you sing this?’ It had no melody, it was just metal. I was like, ‘I don’t know, let me try,’ and it worked. It started as a cover, but then if you’re getting somewhere, you need words. I remember changing some things to make it fit me. The ‘I long to die’ sample is from Baz Luhrmann’s Romeo + Juliet. I was obsessed with that movie. I’m pretty sure we’ve not played it since 2007. I see fans that want it played and I’m always sceptical, like, ‘Do you just want it because you want to be the coolest old-school fan who wants the one thing that we’re not doing? Because what are we going to cut out?’ It’s hard!”

Versions

Studio versions:

Tourniquet [Fallen version]

• Recording date: August - November 2002
• Status: Released
• Released on: Fallen (track #6)
• Length: 4:38

Tourniquet [Demo version #1]

• Recording date: 2001–2002
• Status: Unreleased
• Length: 3:37

Tourniquet [Demo version #2]

• Recording date: 2001–2002
• Status: Unreleased
• Length: 3:49

Tourniquet [Demo version #3]

• Recording date: 2001–2002
• Status: Unreleased
• Length: 3:43

Tourniquet [Demo 7.24.02]

• Recording date: July 24, 2002
• Status: To be released in February 2024
• Released on: Fallen 20th Anniversary Super Deluxe Edition cassette tape (track #B2)
• Length: TBT

Tourniquet [Fallen pre-master]

• Recording date: August - November 2002
• Status: Unreleased
• Length: 3:53

Live versions:

Tourniquet [Live]

• Performing period: 2002 - August 14, 2004; January 25 - June 10, 2007
• Status: Released
• Recording date: May 25, 2004
• Released on: Anywhere but Home (track #11)
• Length: 4:17

Download

• Tourniquet (Demos and Fallen Pre-Master)

Lyrics

Fallen and Fallen pre-master version

I tried to kill the pain
But only brought more [so much more]
I lay dying
And I'm pouring crimson regret and betrayal

I'm dying [dying]
Praying [praying]
Bleeding [bleeding]
And screaming
Am I too lost to be saved?
Am I too lost?

My God, my tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My God, my tourniquet
Return to me salvation

Do you remember me?
Lost for so long
Will you be on the other side?
Or will you forget me?

I'm dying [dying]
Praying [praying]
Bleeding [bleeding]
And screaming
Am I too lost to be saved?
Am I too lost?

My God, my tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My God, my tourniquet
Return to me salvation

I want to die

My God, my tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My God, my tourniquet
Return to me salvation

My wounds cry for the grave
My soul cries for deliverance
Will I be denied?
Christ [christ]
Tourniquet
My suicide

Return to me salvation
Return to me salvation

Demo versions

I tried to kill the pain [kill the pain]
But only brought more [so much more]
I lay dying
And I'm pouring crimson regret and betrayal

I'm dying [I'm dying]
Praying [praying]
Bleeding [bleeding]
And screaming
Am I too lost to be saved?
Am I too lost?

My God, my tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My God, my tourniquet
Return to me salvation

Do you remember me? [remember me]
Lost for so long
Will you be on the other side?
Or will you forget me?

I'm dying [I'm dying]
Praying [praying]
Bleeding [bleeding]
And screaming
Am I too lost to be saved?
Am I too lost?

My God, my tourniquet
[Return to me salvation] return to me salvation
My God, my tourniquet
[Return to me salvation] return to me salvation

Tell me not, Father
That thou hearest of this
Unless thou tell me how I may prevent it
It strains me past the compass of my wits
If in thy wisdom thou canst give no help
Do thou but call my resolution wise
And with this I'll help it presently!
Hold Daughter!
Be not so long to speak
I long to die

My God, my tourniquet
[Return to me salvation] return to me salvation
My God, my tourniquet
[Return to me salvation] return to me salvation

My wounds cry for the grave
My soul cries for deliverance
Will I be denied?
Christ [christ]
Tourniquet
My suicide

My God, my tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My God, my tourniquet

Soul Embraced's original version

What I thought would kill the pain
Only brought more
I lay dying
My wrist pouring crimson regret and betrayal

I'm dying
Praying
Bleeding
And screaming
Am I too lost to be saved?
Am I too lost?

My God, my tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My God, my tourniquet
Return to me salvation

My wounds cry for the grave
My soul cries for deliverance
Will I be denied?
Christ
Tourniquet
My suicide

My God, my tourniquet
Return to me salvation
My God, my tourniquet
Return to me salvation

My wounds cry for the grave
My soul cries for deliverance
Will I be denied?
Christ
Tourniquet
My suicide

Guitar tabs & sheet music

• Piano sheet music with guitar tabs