[instrumental]

Time to find my way back home
I've been home for far too long

The setting sun drips into me
Languid and open to it all
Shadow and substance
Its depth knows no bounds
Nightmares in abundance
Light is all we have left
The color of you is revealed
When the light is just so
The further we reach, the higher that we get
In through the out door and up from within
The things you've seen all melt in your mind
Drink of the liquid and discard the rind

Here lies a man
Who fell victim to pride
Culler of staves
Stylites in the sky
Cracks in the old stone oubliette
Betray the false hope of light
And we'll never get it right

So in darkness let us dwell
We started with a bang
But we'll end with a sigh

We are all to blame
Empty is my way

It turned out to be a dream
Where the things I had seen
Were disguised as things I had not seen
All kings and pawns left to die

The punishment fits the crime

This simulation sucks
Bury my face into the sand
And heart in the gutter

No god from the machine
No saviors lay in wait
We've left the wooded valley
Headed toward the precipice
This mountain is a monster
Our skin is cracked, our hands are heavy, our hearts weary from the climb
Austerity bites, severe, serene
Luddites try as they might
Discontents appear in every face
And dwell upon every tongue

Some kind of small pale creature lies in wait
Just below the surface
I thought I had escaped but of course I never could
It lives everywhere
It changes everything
How did I ever find this?
Was it always waiting for me?

The horror I felt as I ran, as my shadow ran after me
They all ran after me
Everyone sees, but no one helps

But of course no one knows

Get rid of what we have
Make room for what we are
Behind our fear is always pain
All we stand to gain
All we stand to lose
And in the end we have to choose
If might-have-beens were kings and queens, then we'd have kingdoms all
The lurking shadows on the path
The tepid glow of aftermath
Obscure the rise that comes before the fall...

In this, the best of all possible worlds
We are all born to die
The bay ebbs and flows

Only for us to drown in
Private misfortunes make for public benefit
Shall we cultivate our garden now?

Why must we holdfast
Whilst it eats our hearts away
Our beliefs won't last to the end of the day

And if we never find the things we want
At least we'll meet with something new
Let us caress the serpent that devours us
For time is of the essence
And there is still much to do

Better sorry than safe
We miss the forest for the trees
Deaf to what we won't hear
The silence brings us to our knees

Surreality has let itself back in
And we will see the writing on the wall
We'll never know if it will end tonight
We'll never be the shadow of what we fear
All the pain that lies ahead will
Show me that this is just a dream
And fill all believers' hearts with dread
The worst is rarely ever seen
May your first day in hell last a thousand years, and let it start today