Song number 3 of The Traveller Among The Lost (see the previous few entries if that means nothing to you). This part was originally going to be entitled "Steel", but I changed it partly to fit in with the scheme of starting each title with "The", and also partly because the new title is a bit of a private joke.
If you've read all 3 parts that I've posted so far and have absolutely no idea how this all connects as one big story then don't worry, it's not supposed to be obvious ... more open to your own individual interpretation. It does tie together a bit more with the 4th and 5th songs though
Comments are welcomed
The Proverbial Fire - August - December 2006
What is it that I desire
As I fall into the …. ?
Last night was made of fire
Hot as hell, cool as ice
Dancing, flames rise higher and higher
Soul is burning in your eyes
Today I’ve turned to steel
Bend me, shape me as you will
Brand some meaning on my life
Give it form again tonight
From spark in time comes heat …
In your flames I’m set alight
In your flames I come alive
Flames licking at my tongue
Steel in fire, two are one
From heat in time comes warmth …
In your flames I’m set alight
In your flames I come alive
Heat melts me, changing shape
Tonight’s a furnace, I’m born again
They say “Play in the fire
And you’ll only get burned”
But I may take the heat
And be safely returned
They say “The flames will diminish
And leave you so cold”
But what if we can form something new
Change steel into gold?
What is it that I desire
As I fall into the fire?
Warmth in time turns cold …
In your flames I’m set alight
In your flames I come alive
Heat melts me, changing shape
Tonight’s a furnace, I’m born again
Goodbye to pieces past
Tonight’s a furnace, I’m recast
Extinguish
Extinguish
Extinguish
But embers never die
Monday, 30 April 2007
Wednesday, 18 April 2007
The Lost Souls
Song number 2 of The Traveller Among The Lost (see previous two entries for more details). This is where the story proper begins. The chorus of this is possibly the earliest thing I wrote for this project. Bits in brackets indicate backing vocals, I needed to put them in to try to keep some sort of rhyme scheme, although its a bit odd.
Comments are welcome, as usual
The Lost Souls - August - December 2006
I stepped in through the hole
That they’d made in the sky
“How kind of them” I thought
“To let me” (Inside their world)
But as I waited by the roadside
For some transport deeper in
The feeling began to subside
To be replaced by confusion
How did I get here?
And just how did here come to be?
Looking with both my eyes closed is
No way to see
Chorus:
We are the lost souls
We are the ones that you refuse to see
We are the children
We are the ones who cannot ever leave
And as I travelled
In further I felt so alone
Until I felt the presence
Of other lost … (other lost souls)
Drifting with no meaning
And nowhere that they belonged
Trying to make it alright
But always getting it … (getting it wrong)
Chorus:
We are the lost souls
We are the ones that you refuse to see
We are the children
We are the ones who cannot ever leave
Where is the eagle?
Where is the one who flew me to this place?
Where is the lone wolf?
Where is the one that used to wear my face?
All of the lost were
Searching for a way to escape
I thought that together we
Could find a better … (a better way)
So I travelled with others
But only ever one at a time
And they’d soon disappear
And leave me to find … (my own path through the night)
How did I get here?
And just how did here come to be?
Open my eyes for the first time
And finally I see
Chorus:
We are the lost souls
We are the ones that you refuse to see
We are the children
We are the ones who cannot ever leave
Where is the eagle?
Where is the one who flew me to this place?
Where is the lone wolf?
Where is the one that used to wear my face?
Awake from the illusion and I can see
The truth of the fate that is staring at me
No one exists to hear my calling
Into what I thought I’d stepped I’m really falling
Comments are welcome, as usual
The Lost Souls - August - December 2006
I stepped in through the hole
That they’d made in the sky
“How kind of them” I thought
“To let me” (Inside their world)
But as I waited by the roadside
For some transport deeper in
The feeling began to subside
To be replaced by confusion
How did I get here?
And just how did here come to be?
Looking with both my eyes closed is
No way to see
Chorus:
We are the lost souls
We are the ones that you refuse to see
We are the children
We are the ones who cannot ever leave
And as I travelled
In further I felt so alone
Until I felt the presence
Of other lost … (other lost souls)
Drifting with no meaning
And nowhere that they belonged
Trying to make it alright
But always getting it … (getting it wrong)
Chorus:
We are the lost souls
We are the ones that you refuse to see
We are the children
We are the ones who cannot ever leave
Where is the eagle?
Where is the one who flew me to this place?
Where is the lone wolf?
Where is the one that used to wear my face?
All of the lost were
Searching for a way to escape
I thought that together we
Could find a better … (a better way)
So I travelled with others
But only ever one at a time
And they’d soon disappear
And leave me to find … (my own path through the night)
How did I get here?
And just how did here come to be?
Open my eyes for the first time
And finally I see
Chorus:
We are the lost souls
We are the ones that you refuse to see
We are the children
We are the ones who cannot ever leave
Where is the eagle?
Where is the one who flew me to this place?
Where is the lone wolf?
Where is the one that used to wear my face?
Awake from the illusion and I can see
The truth of the fate that is staring at me
No one exists to hear my calling
Into what I thought I’d stepped I’m really falling
Friday, 13 April 2007
The Lone Wolf
Song number one of The Traveller Among The Lost (see previous entry for an explanation) is The Lone Wolf. It's basically just a short introductory piece to the story, setting the scene and introducing a couple of the 'characters'. It's probably piano driven. The idea is that it starts off pretty low key, starts building up on the line "I am running wild", building to a musical crescendo for the line "I begin the chase", before dropping back to the lower register for the end.
Comments welcome
The Lone Wolf - August - November 2006
I cannot let this happen
So soon after the end
The eagle of the south
The wolf of the north
It won't begin like this again
I have been a caged pet
But now I've been led astray
I am running wild
And free now
Hunting for my prey
The bloodscent hits my tastebuds
The victim can't be far away
And when it starts to run
For its life
I begin the chase
But it escapes ...
And though I want to believe next time may be different
My instincts tell me that's the way it will always be
They say "Man, you know that what you are is a lone wolf"
And I guess maybe that's just what's right for me
Comments welcome
The Lone Wolf - August - November 2006
I cannot let this happen
So soon after the end
The eagle of the south
The wolf of the north
It won't begin like this again
I have been a caged pet
But now I've been led astray
I am running wild
And free now
Hunting for my prey
The bloodscent hits my tastebuds
The victim can't be far away
And when it starts to run
For its life
I begin the chase
But it escapes ...
And though I want to believe next time may be different
My instincts tell me that's the way it will always be
They say "Man, you know that what you are is a lone wolf"
And I guess maybe that's just what's right for me
Tuesday, 10 April 2007
Overview of end of 2006 - Lights And Darkness and The Traveller Among The Lost
The rest of 2006 was mainly taken up by a writing project I set myself, which I have literally just this second given the title of The Traveller Among The Lost. In the middle of this, I also wrote a very quick (but very very important to me) song called Lights And Darkness. Even though I'm fairly positive no one reads this (*melodramatic sigh*), I'll talk about them a little bit below ...
Lights And Darkness - November - December 2006
This was written very quickly, over the course of just a few days at the end of November and beginning of December. Even though no one reads this, I'm still not going to post it here, it's too personal and I really don't feel comfortable about posting it still. Perhaps one day. Let's just say it was something I needed to write, in response to a something incredibly hard that was happening in my life at that time. Apart from me, only one other person has ever read this.
The Traveller Among The Lost - August 2006 - January 2007
While I was on holiday in Nottingham in the summer of 2006, I came up with (well, sort of "borrowed") a couple of ideas for song title that I thought were pretty cool: Lone Wolf (which was my MySpace username at the time ... I'd picked it to attempt to prove a point to someone who told me that I need other people far too much ... which incidentally, I don't think is too much of a failing in the grand scheme of things); and Lost Souls (which was written on a t-shirt I have). I also had an idea for a song called Steel, which would basically be a metaphor for getting closer to someone, and being apprehensive as to how it might turn out.
I decided originally to connect these three songs together, and write it as a sort of a story in song form ... three different songs, but which would connect to tell a story. I'm not sure why I decided this, perhaps it's because I came up with these ideas in pretty rapid succession. However, to start with, I had no idea what the story would be or how the songs would link up, and only vague ideas about what the songs would actually contain. Then I had another idea for a title: The Nemesis of The Lost, which came about as a result of brainstorming the Lost Souls song. So now I had four parts. Finally, I began to see how it might all fit together, and decided to add a fifth and final part to conclude it, which was originally called The New Beginning. So now I had the ideas, and over the next four months I concentrated on writing these songs, although I didn't begin to get any of them finished until November.
I'll post each of them in a separate post, with maybe a little bit of extra explanation if necessary. Remember, there's an overreaching story and theme, although it's a bit confusing, and I won't tell what it is. I'm really proud of this actually ... it's rather odd, but I actually achieved the two main things I set out to do with it: write a story in the form of songs; and don't make the meaning of it too obvious, cos I think a lot of my songs are too explicit in meaning.
Hope you enjoy them (hell, I hope someone reads them!), and as always, if a reader actually exists, please feel free to comment
Lights And Darkness - November - December 2006
This was written very quickly, over the course of just a few days at the end of November and beginning of December. Even though no one reads this, I'm still not going to post it here, it's too personal and I really don't feel comfortable about posting it still. Perhaps one day. Let's just say it was something I needed to write, in response to a something incredibly hard that was happening in my life at that time. Apart from me, only one other person has ever read this.
The Traveller Among The Lost - August 2006 - January 2007
While I was on holiday in Nottingham in the summer of 2006, I came up with (well, sort of "borrowed") a couple of ideas for song title that I thought were pretty cool: Lone Wolf (which was my MySpace username at the time ... I'd picked it to attempt to prove a point to someone who told me that I need other people far too much ... which incidentally, I don't think is too much of a failing in the grand scheme of things); and Lost Souls (which was written on a t-shirt I have). I also had an idea for a song called Steel, which would basically be a metaphor for getting closer to someone, and being apprehensive as to how it might turn out.
I decided originally to connect these three songs together, and write it as a sort of a story in song form ... three different songs, but which would connect to tell a story. I'm not sure why I decided this, perhaps it's because I came up with these ideas in pretty rapid succession. However, to start with, I had no idea what the story would be or how the songs would link up, and only vague ideas about what the songs would actually contain. Then I had another idea for a title: The Nemesis of The Lost, which came about as a result of brainstorming the Lost Souls song. So now I had four parts. Finally, I began to see how it might all fit together, and decided to add a fifth and final part to conclude it, which was originally called The New Beginning. So now I had the ideas, and over the next four months I concentrated on writing these songs, although I didn't begin to get any of them finished until November.
I'll post each of them in a separate post, with maybe a little bit of extra explanation if necessary. Remember, there's an overreaching story and theme, although it's a bit confusing, and I won't tell what it is. I'm really proud of this actually ... it's rather odd, but I actually achieved the two main things I set out to do with it: write a story in the form of songs; and don't make the meaning of it too obvious, cos I think a lot of my songs are too explicit in meaning.
Hope you enjoy them (hell, I hope someone reads them!), and as always, if a reader actually exists, please feel free to comment
Sunday, 1 April 2007
Closing Time
So, in February of 2006, I proposed another lyric writing contest on the Bon Jovi messageboard I post on (for the previous one, see the entry entitled Fade Into The Sun). This time, the title chosen was Closing Time (although one of my suggestions, Edge Of The World, was very close ... I really should write that song one day).
I had a bit of difficulty writing this one. Eventually, I decided to to combine the metaphor of an all day drinking session with the idea of having to say goodbye. The lyrics then became about saying goodbye at the end of the night, but with a finality, a suggestion that it is goodbye forever. I threw in a few fatalistic, and even apocalyptic references to make it vague as to whether it is two lovers sharing their last goodbye; or if the protagonist is dying, with the drinking session being a metaphor for his life; or if the world itself is dying, and the drinking session being a metaphor for it's history. I tried to leave it open ended.
And ... I won! :D Some of the comments I got from voters were: "Fantastic Imagery", "Unique Phrasings", "Non-Stereotypical take on title", "Flowing lyrics" and"Easy to relate to". I was really proud of winning this, especially think I really think some of the other entries were a lot better. So here it is, my AWARD WINNING song :) ....
Closing Time - April 2006
They say that when you're all that's left
It's a sign you've stayed too long
And all the signs suggest to me
The ending has begun
More wine!
Raise a glass to what lies ahead
More wine!
And we'll drink until we're ...
The sun is setting in distant skies
Soon it will be time
Chorus:
Though the drinks have flowed like rivers
Now the ice is melting away
Can't comprehend the flow of time
Within the drunken haze
We all fought to make it last forever
And it's only now that I'm no longer so blind
And I think it's nearly closing time
Yeah, I think it's nearly closing time
Turn out the lights
Say goodnight, and goodbye
Long has been this perfect day
Since that first good-morning kiss
We spent most of it together
And I thought we'd found our bliss
More time!
I silently beg though I know it can't be
No more time!
It won't be too long until we're all ...
The owner's fading down the lights
Soon it will be time
Chorus:
Though the drinks have flowed like rivers
Now the ice is melting away
Can't comprehend the flow of time
Within the drunken haze
We all fought to make it last forever
And it's only now that I'm no longer so blind
And I think it's nearly closing time
Yeah, I think it's nearly closing time
Turn out the lights
Say goodnight, and goodbye
And is it any wonder
On this day I spent with you
That I almost started to believe
What I knew couldn't be true?
Now it all seems so naive
Can that really have been me
Who thought it might last
For eternity?
Only one thing lasts forever
And it means nothing to me...
Chorus:
Though the drinks have flowed like rivers
Now the ice is melting away
Can't comprehend the flow of time
Within the drunken haze
We all fought to make it last forever
And it's only now that I'm no longer so blind
And I think it's nearly closing time
Yeah, I think it's nearly closing time
Turn out the lights ...
And I think it must be closing time
On all we've ever known
After we've left here tonight
We won't be going home
The horsemen fly across the sky
Come, turn out the lights
Goodnight
And goodbye
I had a bit of difficulty writing this one. Eventually, I decided to to combine the metaphor of an all day drinking session with the idea of having to say goodbye. The lyrics then became about saying goodbye at the end of the night, but with a finality, a suggestion that it is goodbye forever. I threw in a few fatalistic, and even apocalyptic references to make it vague as to whether it is two lovers sharing their last goodbye; or if the protagonist is dying, with the drinking session being a metaphor for his life; or if the world itself is dying, and the drinking session being a metaphor for it's history. I tried to leave it open ended.
And ... I won! :D Some of the comments I got from voters were: "Fantastic Imagery", "Unique Phrasings", "Non-Stereotypical take on title", "Flowing lyrics" and"Easy to relate to". I was really proud of winning this, especially think I really think some of the other entries were a lot better. So here it is, my AWARD WINNING song :) ....
Closing Time - April 2006
They say that when you're all that's left
It's a sign you've stayed too long
And all the signs suggest to me
The ending has begun
More wine!
Raise a glass to what lies ahead
More wine!
And we'll drink until we're ...
The sun is setting in distant skies
Soon it will be time
Chorus:
Though the drinks have flowed like rivers
Now the ice is melting away
Can't comprehend the flow of time
Within the drunken haze
We all fought to make it last forever
And it's only now that I'm no longer so blind
And I think it's nearly closing time
Yeah, I think it's nearly closing time
Turn out the lights
Say goodnight, and goodbye
Long has been this perfect day
Since that first good-morning kiss
We spent most of it together
And I thought we'd found our bliss
More time!
I silently beg though I know it can't be
No more time!
It won't be too long until we're all ...
The owner's fading down the lights
Soon it will be time
Chorus:
Though the drinks have flowed like rivers
Now the ice is melting away
Can't comprehend the flow of time
Within the drunken haze
We all fought to make it last forever
And it's only now that I'm no longer so blind
And I think it's nearly closing time
Yeah, I think it's nearly closing time
Turn out the lights
Say goodnight, and goodbye
And is it any wonder
On this day I spent with you
That I almost started to believe
What I knew couldn't be true?
Now it all seems so naive
Can that really have been me
Who thought it might last
For eternity?
Only one thing lasts forever
And it means nothing to me...
Chorus:
Though the drinks have flowed like rivers
Now the ice is melting away
Can't comprehend the flow of time
Within the drunken haze
We all fought to make it last forever
And it's only now that I'm no longer so blind
And I think it's nearly closing time
Yeah, I think it's nearly closing time
Turn out the lights ...
And I think it must be closing time
On all we've ever known
After we've left here tonight
We won't be going home
The horsemen fly across the sky
Come, turn out the lights
Goodnight
And goodbye
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
