It hits you the second the violin kicks in. If you’ve played Limbus Company, you know the feeling of a Boss Theme that isn't just background noise, but a psychological weight. The through patches of violet lyrics aren't just cool-sounding goth poetry. They are the frantic, grief-stricken internal monologue of Nelly, a character whose betrayal in Canto VI: The Heartbreak left players genuinely reeling.
Music in the Project Moon universe—the South Korean indie studio behind Lobotomy Corporation and Library of Ruina—has always been high stakes. But this track? It’s different. It’s personal.
Honestly, the way Mili (the band behind the song) structures these tracks is kind of insane. They don't just write a chorus; they write a character study. When people search for these lyrics, they usually want to know why a song about "violet patches" feels like being punched in the gut.
What Through Patches of Violet Actually Means
The title itself is a direct nod to Emily Brontë’s Wuthering Heights. In the book, Catherine Earnshaw dreams of being in heaven and weeping because she misses the moors—the "patches of violet" and heath. In the game, Nelly is the Chief Butler of Wuthering Heights. She’s spent her entire life stuck in a cycle of servitude, watching the toxic romance between Catherine and Heathcliff rot everything around them.
The lyrics reflect a person who has reached their breaking point.
When the song screams about "shredding every piece of me," it isn't a metaphor. Nelly is literally trying to tear herself out of a narrative she never asked to be part of. She’s tired. You can hear it in Cassie Wei’s vocal delivery—it starts cold and calculated, then dissolves into something desperate.
The Lyrics as a Map of Betrayal
Most fans get caught up in the fast-paced "Fly, perfect wings" section, but the real meat is in the slower, more jagged lines. Take the part about "The duller the knife, the longer it takes." That’s not a threat to the player. It’s a description of Nelly’s own life. She’s been dying a slow death for decades.
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The through patches of violet lyrics use color theory in a way that’s honestly kind of brilliant. Violet is often the color of mourning, but in this specific context, it represents the moors—the only place where the characters felt "free," even though that freedom was a lie.
Nelly sees through the romance. She sees the "violet" not as a beautiful flower, but as a weed that chokes the life out of everyone who stays at the Heights.
Why Mili and Project Moon Are the Perfect Pairing
You can't talk about these lyrics without talking about Mili. This isn't their first rodeo with Project Moon. They did Iron Lotus and Lament, which are legendary in the fandom. But the composition here is more frantic.
The time signatures shift. It’s chaotic.
The lyrics mirror this chaos. One moment Nelly is talking about her duty as a butler, and the next, she’s admitting she wants to burn the whole house down. It’s that duality that makes the song rank so high on everyone’s "Best Boss Themes" lists. Most game music stays in its lane. This song jumps out of the lane and tries to run you over with a carriage.
The Connection to Canto VI’s Emotional Peak
If you haven't finished the Canto, the lyrics might just seem like standard "dark fantasy" fare. But once you see the ending—the realization that Catherine is an infinite loop of suffering—the words "through patches of violet" become haunting.
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Nelly’s betrayal isn't for power. It’s for an exit.
She wants out of the cycle. She’s willing to sell out the Limbus Company, sell out Heathcliff, and sell out her own soul just to stop seeing those "violet" moors. It’s a subversion of the source material. In the book, the moors are a symbol of eternal love. In the through patches of violet lyrics, they are a prison.
Breaking Down the "Wings" Metaphor
The song repeatedly mentions wings and flying. In the world of Limbus Company, "Wings" are the massive corporations that rule the City. To have "perfect wings" is to have status and safety.
Nelly is mocking this.
She knows that even if she "flies," she’s still trapped in the City’s ecosystem. The lyrics are deeply cynical. They suggest that no matter how many patches of violet you run through, you’re just moving from one cage to another.
How to Actually Interpret the Chorus
The chorus is a wall of sound. If you’re trying to sing along, good luck. But if you read the text, it’s a list of demands.
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- Give back the time.
- Give back the identity.
- Give back the "quiet."
It’s a shopping list of everything she lost while being a "loyal" servant. The repetition of "violet" acts as a rhythmic anchor, a reminder of the physical location (the moors) that she can never truly escape.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Lore Hunters
If you're trying to master the meaning behind the music or just want to appreciate the track on a deeper level, here is how you should approach it:
- Listen for the "Butler" Motif: Notice how the rhythm at the start of the song is stiff and formal, like a ticking clock or a walking pace. This represents Nelly's facade. As the lyrics get more "violet," the rhythm breaks.
- Compare to the Book: Read the "Heaven Dream" monologue from Chapter IX of Wuthering Heights. You’ll see exactly where Mili pulled the inspiration for the "patches of violet" imagery. It changes the song from a generic battle track to a literary critique.
- Watch the Mirror World Context: Nelly isn't just one person; in the game's "Mirror Worlds," there are versions of her that didn't betray the group. The lyrics reflect the specific Nelly who saw "the bottom of the well" and decided to jump.
- Study the Translation: Since the song uses both English and Japanese/Korean cultural cues in its production, look at the official lyric sheets provided by Mili on their YouTube channel. Some fan translations miss the nuance of the "servant" honorifics implied in the tone.
The most important thing to remember about the through patches of violet lyrics is that they aren't about victory. Most boss themes are about how strong the enemy is. This song is about how broken the enemy is. When you're fighting Nelly, you aren't fighting a villain; you're fighting someone who is trying to claw their way out of a grave.
Next time you're stuck on that encounter in the game, don't just focus on the coin flips. Listen to the words. The "violet" isn't a color of royalty here—it’s the color of a bruise that never heals.
To get the full experience, listen to the track alongside Between Two Worlds (the other Canto VI heavy hitter). You’ll hear a musical conversation between the tragedy of the lovers and the tragedy of the woman who had to clean up their mess. That’s where the real story lives.