Энциклопедия

A farewell to kings

(Lee/Lifeson/Peart)

When they turn the pages of history
When these days have passed long ago
Will they read of us with sadness?
For the seeds that we let grow

We turned our gaze
From the castles in the distance
Eyes cast down
On the path of least resistance

Cities full of hatred, fear and lies
Withered hearts and cruel, tormented eyes
Scheming demons dressed in kingly guise
Beating down the multitude and scoffing at the wise

The hypocrites are slandering
The sacred halls of truth
Ancient nobles showering
Their bitterness on youth

Can't we find the minds
That made us strong?
Can't we learn to feel what's right
And what's wrong? What's wrong?

Cities full of hatred, fear and lies
Withered hearts and cruel, tormented eyes
Scheming demons dressed in kingly guise
Beating down the multitude and scoffing at the wise

Can't we raise our eyes
And make a start?
Can't we find the minds to lead us
Closer to the heart?



Xanadu

(Lee/Lifeson/Peart)

To seek the sacred river Alph
To walk the caves of ice
To breakfast on honeydew
And drink the milk of paradise

I had heard the whispered tales
Of immortality
The deepest mystery
From an ancient book I took a clue

I scaled the frozen mountain tops
Of eastern lands unknown
Time and man alone
Searching for the lost Xanadu

Xanadu

To stand within the pleasure dome
Decreed by Kubla Khan
To taste anew the fruits of life
The last immortal man

To find the sacred river Alph
To walk the caves of ice
Oh, I will dine on honeydew
And drink the milk of paradise

A thousand years have come and gone
But time has passed me by
Stars stopped in the sky
Frozen in an everlasting view

Waiting for the world to end
Weary of the night
Praying for the light
Prison of the lost Xanadu

Xanadu

Held within the pleasure dome
Decreed by Kubla Khan
To taste my bitter triumph
As a mad immortal man

Nevermore shall I return
Escape these caves of ice
For I have dined on honeydew
And drunk the milk of paradise



Closer to the heart

(Lee/Lifeson/Peart/Talbot)

And the men who hold high places
Must be the ones who start
To mold a new reality
Closer to the heart

Closer to the heart

The blacksmith and the artist
Reflect it in their art
They forge their creativity
Closer to the heart

Closer to the heart

Philosophers and ploughmen
Each must know his part
To sow a new mentality
Closer to the heart

Closer to the heart

You can be the captain
I will draw the chart
Sailing into destiny
Closer to the heart

Closer to the heart
Closer to the heart



Cinderella man

(Lee/Lifeson)

A modest man from Mandrake
Travelled rich to the city
He had a need to discover
A use for his newly found wealth

Because he was human
Because he had goodness
Because he was moral
They called him insane

Delusions of grandeur
Visions of splendour
A manic depressive
He walks in the rain

Eyes wide open
Heart undefended
Innocence untarnished

Cinderella man
Doing what you can
They can't understand
What it means

Cinderella man
Hang on to your plans
Try as they might
They cannot steal your dreams

In the betrayal of his love he awakened
To face a world of cold reality
And a look in the eyes of the hungry
Awakened him to what he could do

He held up his riches
To challenge the hungry
Purposeful motion
For one so insane

They tried to fight him
Just couldn't beat him
This manic depressive
Who walks in the rain

Eyes wide open
Heart undefended
Innocence untarnished

Cinderella man
Doing what you can
They can't understand
What it means

Cinderella man
Hang on to your plans
Try as they might
They cannot steal your dreams



Madrigal

(Lee/Lifeson/Peart)

When the dragons grow too mighty
To slay with pen or sword
I grow weary of the battle
And the storm I walk toward

When all around is madness
And there's no safe port in view
I long to turn my path homeward
To stop a while with you

When life becomes as barren
And as cold as winter skies
There's a beacon in the darkness
In a distant pair of eyes

In vain to search for honor
In vain to search for truth
But these things can still be given
Your love has shown me proof



Cygnus X-1, book one: The voyage

(Lee/Lifeson/Peart)

"In the constellation of Cygnus
There lurks a mysterious, invisible force
The black hole of Cygnus X-1
Six stars of the northern cross
In mourning for their sister's loss
In a final flash of glory
Nevermore to grace the night"

Invisible to telescopic eye
Infinity, the star that would not die
All who dare to cross her course
Are swallowed by her fearsome force

Through the void to be destroyed
Or is there something more?
Atomized at the core?
Or through the astral door to soar?

I set a course just east of Lyra
And northwest of Pegasus
Flew into the light of Deneb
Sailed across the milky way

On my ship, "The Rocinante"
Wheeling through the galaxies
Headed for the heart of Cygnus
Headlong into mystery

The X-ray is her siren song
My ship cannot resist her long
Nearer to my deadly goal
Until the black hole gains control

Spinning, whirling, still descending
Like a spiral sea unending
Sound and fury drown my heart
Every nerve is torn apart