The Agonist - Lullabies For The Dormant Mind lyrics
Tracks 01. The Tempest (The Siren's Song; The Banshee's Cry)
02. ...And Their Eulogies Sang Me To Sleep 03. Thank You, Pain 04. Birds Elope With The Sun 05. Waiting Out The Winter 06. Martyr Art 07. Globus Hystericus 08. Swan Lake, Op. 20 - Scene, Act 2, #10 - Tchaikovsky (A Cappella) 09. The Sentient 10. When The Bough Breaks 11. Chlorpromazine 01. The Tempest (The Siren's Song; The Banshee's Cry)
I say!
Why do you grip so hard, that way? Of what, is there left to be afraid? Let the waves elope with your empty remains They erode your foothold, anyway They mosh Unaware of their own might Hypnotizing Shore-ward swallowing They storm me, ganging up on me! What's become of the home that supported me? They spit me back after drowning me Then slip away dragging their fingers behind them But you expel the salt sink down lower Than the undertow would bring you You just don't seem to see how returning To them is so far beneath you But then How come my corpse - it rises up? And it is my soul that has sunk? Hear! That sound rings out across the land Over, the roaring waves through every grain of sand Is it of loss and pain or made to seduce man? Listen! The oohs and aahs of Funeral spectator's Death admirators As they bathe in ritual memories and fake tears Life's underrated Jaded and hatred Isolate you so abandon your fears And spread my ashes like a bouquet of seeds Far up, far out To show you what I'm made of Kill the parasite in every co-dependent Brain fallen slave to pull the waves The pull of the waves The natural decay Of all that is made Is how redemption is paid But you expel the salt sink down lower Than the undertow would bring you. You just don't seem to see how returning To them is so far beneath you. Say, Dickinson, who do you blame For your romantic death wish? And does it remain true That angry winds feel like a lover's breath? That's why you grip so hard No! It's simply condition keeping me locked in! I could escape if I knew how to swim! Look? feel? you're aided Wind, sun and strangers Have come to guide you so the choice is clear We'll spread your ashes like a bouquet of seeds Far up, far out So show us what you're made of We'll kill the parasite in every co-dependent Brain fallen slave to the pull of the waves Playfully Badgering Casually capturing To escape the surface chaos is to sink Not to swim You say To release the stranglehold Keeping me safely beneath But, as sea foam rises up Tickles my lips and sinks inside Doesn't the choice of future paths Become a matter of pride? When I've struggled so hard to excel Why is it so unappealing to survive? 02. ...And Their Eulogies Sang Me To Sleep
All I heard was the sound of fish who'd drowned
All I saw was the inside of my eyelids All I said fell short of reaching open ears Words floating, clouding the view 'See no, hear no, speak no evil' Leaves you deaf, dumb and blind Because the bad is all you'll find A deeply heart-felt goodbye To the part of me that died When I decided to put others before me, yes My heart fell asleep - boredom and fatigue I always said I wanted to die smiling To pretend I'm at peace Now from my corpse beams a frigid Blank grin and once hopeful eyes are sunken in Like a lullaby to the cradle Is the eulogy to the casket All my flaws swept under the table To grieve the porcelain doll that was me Their solemn songs sang me to sleep As my body escaped me Their solemn songs sang me to sleep As my body Welcome down into the New World! Happiness is being interred! Such a shameful masquerade! Fleeting, frozen minutes on display Why is evolution such a shameful thing to say? Can you feel your bodily decay? (Arms are beside me, hands open wide Seems I was living my life in rewind Taking so many steps backwards, not looking behind) Because I can sure as hell feel my brain going blank If my body betrays me, there's pollution to thank This condition infects my cells like it controls my mind Internal army, defend me behind enemy lines! Fragile vehicle of mine! Don't abandon me yet There is so much to live for that we so easily forget Fascination with the fear The concept escapes me All encompassing fate How it wrenches our hearts Torments our souls And sings us all to sleep To an eternal keep No matter what beliefs It sweetly sings us all 03. Thank You, Pain
So, lowly criminal, please tell me, how do you plead?
Now, honorable judges, ladies, gentlemen of the jury Please allow me to present my case Ha! What case can you possibly present To rip a man from his family, faith, and friends? Defense? Listen before you convict, you see I never did intend to ruin anything! Intent is a guilty conscience's White flag against pride So I find you guilty of the crimes I know, although I don't believe It's not only my afterlife I bereave Appeals will be denied! The line of duty calls for enforcement of laws So you're our property now Intelligence has failed you somehow Oh, what a shame that you play this game! Through senses, what can we explain? Not joy, not guilt, not pain Is love the same? This senseless argument in vain Erodes my sense of shame Who's to blame? Thank you, Pain! (For crippling my body) God bless Suffering! Thank you , Pain! (For freeing my brain) For preventing me from returning to the source again So it shall be! Now do you see the error of your ways? Of Rats and Men you speak Standing up tall but you are weak. A smiling thief We are all murderers, you see But you let taboo human chemistry Blind your needs. Live is greed! Logic won't concede Think about the statistics you feed Think before you plead Through senses, what can we explain? Not joy, not fear, not pain Is love the same? This reckless argument in vain Erodes my sense of shame Who's to blame? Thank you, Pain! (For crippling my body) God bless Suffering! Thank you , Pain! (For freeing my brain) For preventing me from returning to the source again 04. Birds Elope With The Sun
Air like water, water like stone
Birds elope with the sun A velvet quietus furtively draped over ears Quartz underfoot and crystalline opal tears Welcome webs of gasping despair Nival anaphora textures the air Anamnesis waltzes through The windows, shut tight, and the fires are fueled Reminding naivete of its magnitude's inferiority Skywards stretching arms become thin and weak Bony fingers comb the clouds Then curl into fists, admitting defeat. Blood concedes to gravity's pull Leaving hollow skeletons all erect Perforating the skyline - an impenetrable cage Like skin drawn tight, and canvas cracked with age Escapist flights and lengthy nights As some succumb and slumber awakes Faces count minutes til noon Solar ghosts come kiss the moon goodnight Grey memories for now A thousand families, down, will fall Nival tears bury them all! Like absconding tides Birds elope with the sun A barren desert soaked in bleach A sickly pallor and opal touch Hallucinating, shattered glass Falls as if the atmosphere cracked And we are invaded by emptiness black The brain keeps the body company The continent is a new born, trying to breathe Accepting his fate and falling asleep The child is woman, resting in peace Accepting the sleep as a blackness Forcing its way in and pushing air out through heavy lungs And heavy are the clouds that reach So deep and smother the land in a heavy shroud Eves press closed and words are now visible The sky is an eggshell waiting to hatch The ground is the the, the wind, the trees The Earth, the water, the first Sculptors working the clay, carving angels and gargoyles As pixies dance to appease the leaves Faces that once turned to catch light Frown and turn desperately down towards darkness Float to the stiff, grey Earth Escapist flights and lengthy nights As some succumb and slumber awakes Faces count minutes til noon Solar ghosts come kiss the moon goodnight Grey memories for now A thousand families, down, will fall Nival tears bury them all! Like absconding tides Birds elope with the sun 05. Waiting Out The Winter
Which is more elusive
Freedom or sanity When one disappears the other Follows so quickly Certain species, races, beings are gifted, you see With the power to rob us of either Should they feel so inclined To bother The land is run by a man-made set of rules Described as Holy or patriotic tools Ethics are invented Although a consciousness is not Adamant beliefs are highly protected And when challenged frequently emerge victorious You can't speak, think or feel Severed wings never heal So justifies the kill Wait out the winter Under forced custody The static cold feels more like home Than this open-armed penitentiary And we embrace the comfort of lost liberty So fictile is identity Without self-governance That's why free-thinkers always feel So lost and desperate And I just witnessed my first death I watched the last escaping breath I just saw a life turn into death For them to claim it doesn't count Is reckless, blind ignorance A cry for help - silenced I saw her go I don't know where A frightened stare Became a lifeless glare Suddenly she was no longer there with me Although I'm there with her I didn't know when it was okay to exhale The excuse-making race decides That breaking their own laws applies But, taking any life is wrong I feel the pain for every one Though you can stand, learn, still ignore The weight of knowledge cracks glass floors Ink runs quickly, blood runs slow So wait for the rain waters to flood the snow Wait out the winter Under forced custody The static cold feels more like home Than this open-armed penitentiary And we embrace the comfort of... Disgrace yourself because you've caged yourself in Destined path's a dead-end Eyes take snapshots from broken clocks Motion slows to a sleep-walk And senses shut down with the frost And all is ending Mental hibernation 06. Martyr Art
Awakened, as from a tormented sleep
With eyes anxiously looking to creep Beyond this twisted dementia displayed on the walls Mysterious mindsets and ink-droplets fall Muses take flight in an all out war Shall I catch with open hand? Or let it fall and start again? Such words burn the skin So, enter stage right, mic in hand Before the micro-cosm, stand Display my efforts, after all Don't expect them recognized Hourly torture, chaos ignite! Beauty and art give a sign of life But, as Balzac and Hardy profess The martyr will burn for her canvas Elusive horizon I'm not a threat You see, I'm for some reason always on trial Object of detestation - always on trial O, Solitude! With thee I dwell! With thee I dwell In our assiduous, gated hall Trivial - this mind and spirit world You can't compare their worth to what is real At its best, all critics must confess This work can outlive death - so what is real? Because I can't describe half the shit I feel inside For your crimes Targeted intent eviscerating innocence I swear I'm not a threat Put down your defense I swear I'm not... All I can do is watch in awe Feet raking the sand hands bound by molten ire As the broad guillotine blade Sinks into the horizon Streams of burning gold burst forth from ultramarine Expansive veins and reach towards me Lending heat to the air As the Earth is sliced in half and The dividing line approaches For every stage turned wonderland For every sound turned song For every song turned experience For every hour drawn long Accablées de misere en décembre Les muses se baignent en flammes Noyées dans l'ombre elles disparaissent Attendant le divin peintre de l'Univers, le Soleil 07. Globus Hystericus
What says the tree to his friends the rocks?
When he lives and breathes and they sit and mock And he grows strong for centuries long But finally dies and begins to rot 'We will last intact this way! And you my friend will soon decay' 'But I can breathe - am commensal; The shade, the fruits, the nests on bough And if, with this, my time finite I'm glad to have spent it doing right' But rocks prefer to simply sit To win none, lose none, just exist But nary should an ocean rise They'd become sand and dissapear with the tides When trees ignite a cyclical life From plant to animal to Earth and back; Whom, even when their roots are plowed Have left exponential impact Steel, concrete, technology May stand intact for centuries I say with actions But faced with wind, flood or quake Like toys will crumble, bend and break What you do with words And so the greedy human kind To conquer trees tall, mountains high Erects gigantic splinters of steel That shame forests, make mountains kneel And progress spreads like moss on stone Evolution dictates that men are prone To outdo those that came before 'You see? We'll last forever more!' We improve what nature made We'll challenge mountains, transplant lakes There is no confirmed master plan We do it just because we can But foolish is the one who Complacently thinks himself King Because when time erodes the past What remains are nature's things Quite Shakespearean duals Those between parent and offspring are! As Chronos devours his Son Gaia to Mankind so starts Steel, concrete, technology May stand intact for centuries I say with action But faced with wind, flood or quake Like toys will crumble, bend and break What you do with words We won't outlive our generation But our impact surely will This - the Rocks' humilitation When they witness we are still Alive in what we've left for others Like Nature gives, so selflessly So pay respect to our true Mother And take your rank amongst the trees 08. Swan Lake, Op. 20 - Scene, Act 2, #10 - Tchaikovsky (A Cappella)
[A Cappella]
09. The Sentient
Here once stood
One hundred million species Undiscovered until extinction Here once stood Unnatural amounts of prey turned product Mechanized slaughter The sentient flaunted their machinist superiority An ersatz compensation for real instincts lost Millennia of ancestry Plowed down for modern industry The solution to their housing crisis Was in fact the cause So why not humanity for habitats Because they are damned if they do And damned when they can't! Euthanasia is a crimless death penalty But it's still better than what they get When tortured, brutally murdered Because some fucking coward can't make a clean living So he picks on the voiceless children 'Well they're not smart like us They won't feel a thing!' Thats a fact? Please explain! Why should we even care? The things we destroyed did not need to be there It's survival of the selfish! The bi-pedal tyrant goes down with his ship in the end Here once stood Invented laws and morals Applicable to selective followers And, as such, rulers reserved the right To control matters of death and life Oxygen and oceans Metal rusts, cement crumbles To err is human, not divine Prayers are so intently mumbled When proud man is forced to decline Why should we even care? The things we destroyed did not need to be there It's survival of the selfish! The bi-pedal tyrant goes down with his ship in the end 10. When The Bough Breaks
Alone... she was
And we face this journey alone Helpless and weak Dependent on others' decisions and needs But who's to say what is right To protect a soul or to save a life? Is it a plague or a gift The ability to create in the way of the Gods? We are instinctual artists Atlas had nothing on what we've got When half a race carries the weight of existence And society shuns most circumstances Reputation screams to conform And cast out anything deviating from the norm The only way to believe your lies Is to spread them far and spread them wide Creation like a limitless universe But boundaries are what define size Wake up Remember nightmares by Sharing them upon gaining consciousness A flooded nation is soon to spoil So wave your flags west! Equality will never be attained When blaming Eve for the sins we've gained A fighter until the end But sympathy only kicked in once she was dead The sacrifice of a life Or rather and exchange, instead Pity, regret and sorrow turned to hope But even then the newborn winds up dead Black - white, right - wrong Quite a simple hypocrisy Since when is an accident a responsibility? If you play God once, I can play God twice Give me the decision and I'll handle the fight Materialism now subsides The only way to believe your lies Is to spread them far and spread them wide Creation like a limitless universe But boundaries are what define size Tradition exists when no one has the guts to change Someone asked me what difference One can make, one day For we're the moss; the Earth - the stone So let us do as did the Tree For silence will long be ignored And action recognized quickly What if? I should have Hindsight always haunts me A thousand Judases could never stop me Slings and arrows disappoint and taunt me But I'm not wrong, and I'll sacrifice everything Just because I know the way since the beginning Hindsight always haunts me And then the bough breaks 11. Chlorpromazine
I awoke to a complex chemistry
So, I went to a neuro-surgeon inquisitively To see what she could see But she only knows what she's taught So I turned to a tree to see what he thought And he asked: when does three equal one plus one? The answer is birth life's creation Then suddenly flames rushed past Green turned to black, and life turned to ash Because I believe in everything I'm convinced of nothing United we ran divided we crawl It just takes a common enemy To make a friend Marry hope and fear Invent a color And so, its gone as quickly as it came Raging tides galloped forth to extinguish the flames And, thus, was born a cloud above But all else was gone, and one plus one equaled one Because I believe in everything I'm convinced of nothing United we ran divided we crawl It just takes a common enemy To make a friend In harmony with gravity Always bring everything down Tear out your mother tongue Chlorpromazine incursion The rights of the voiceless will be revealed Flesh is food and bone is stone A grey matter case for inner demons microphones Fields of shells that luck in murky waters A bed of nails for less traumatic slumber Logics taught but brains are sweet We've served ours up for the demons to feed Project loathsome apathy redefines reality Paranoid self-victimization in a cage of skin rage And intimidating lack of control Bring a once bright life to stone and ice |