Lyrics
FROM THE FOREST TO THE SEA
THE FOREST – pt. I
so it begins the ceremony is over the bells have already rung but here I’m still an animal my stomach hungers for more I said I wouldn’t do no evil but evil’s just what I’ve done and her pale face in the darkness is scaring me to death my instinct flourishes as my goodwill recedes so I recite the prayer of my enemy
and so I fight my inhibitions as the wilderness conveys disregard for my intentions leading me astray now I’m bewildered in the twilight forest where the shadows rise and dive and her white dress soft in the distance moves back and forth in time
and so it is I follow these illusions I come upon a stream with the sun around my shadow and the moonlight through the trees it’s said these woods are haunted by four maidens made of light are they the work of the devil or the light of the divine? I see four maidens as I make across the stream and so I follow them to an open clearing
THE FOREST – pt. II
I can see a fire’s flame I can hear their voices whispering with shame words spoken like broken vows as water seeps up from the ground, hmmmm, the water floods up to my knees the warm air is becoming more difficult to breathe so let these trees serve as doors to take me where I’ve never been before to be restored and as the darkness falls I follow the call
THE FOREST – pt. III
I look around my vision returning through the trees the river is burning everything under the sun is a part of me like it’s part of everyone Hey! here I am now rising it’s almost like I’m flying above the tree line and as I’m ascending I see a hand extending out to grab mine but it’s not the time and so I lose my sense of direction I follow every scent I’m acting on my instincts despite their consequence
LAW-ABIDING CITIZEN
my wife and I we met in school we studied geography we traveled everywhere together it was always her and me and in the moment that we met I could feel the ground move we were married within the year moving as fast as we could
I found work as a cartographer making maps of the oceans floor that I’d sell to the government to find oil off shore and I always wanted to get ahead and get ahead I did we prayed for a fortune and our prayers were answered
and so I‘ve always slept at night undisturbed it seems never in my life ‘til now have I recalled my dreams
yeah I’ve kept up with my work and with my family but somewhere along the way my life got ahead of me
Hey! I’ve had to make my way Hey! I’ve had to fight for this life I live for this sky so bright but now my dreams are haunted by her pale face in the night I could not bring myself to bring the dark into the light
TWO OF EVERY KIND
One night when the house was quiet I slipped out the back door I didn’t know where I was going or what I was leaving for
my day was filled with the usual at work I stared at the screen long enough to scare myself to feel like a machine at home my wife made dinner the kids ran and gave me hugs our beautiful family filled our good home with love yeah and night came as I put the kids to sleep we said a quick prayer, “Father won’t you keep us safe from any evil out there.”
I drove across the town to find whatever I was looking for stopped at a little café I had never seen before inside the lights were dim I got a coffee found a seat that’s when she caught my eye and sat down across from me she said, “they call me Lady Midnight after the Leonard Cohen song,” yeah she spoke to me so gracefully and I just went along
but back in church I learned holiness and how to live above the earth and all its worldliness drowning in the flood but God’s children build a secret ark to keep them in God’s light the rainbow shines eternal joy while the rest of nature dies yeah but I’ve read every chapter and still my heart is weak, yeah, and judgment falls on every act no matter how discreet
and so she calls after me and invites me back to her place to know to see with no make believe she is looking at my face I am counting on God’s grace
BLACK GOLD
underneath they’re burning fuel to try to cross that line as soon as they can turn base metals into coal the local children will have to cope as the factories burn and smoke bringing heat to all of our homes I take the freeway in the morning I take the freeway coming home I can’t help but feel the warnings everywhere I go
national leaders are endorsing trade and say that’s how this country’s made and say that’s the way it should go on but innocence will shed its grace and take the mask off of its face it won’t look too good to anyone the beasts of burden light their candles and invoke the clouds to rain as mistresses wait patiently practicing their aim and every time that she’s ignored she knocks louder on your door she calls your house to hang up she waits for you to slip up to share the secrets that you keep she’ll make it so you don’t get to sleep and when you say enough’s enough she’s gonna find out how tough you are
so a man kills the things he loves to prove himself to be above the very things that he depends upon and despite what he may need he won’t acknowledge what he sees not even the ground he’s standing on men have dreams they don’t remember and thoughts they can’t control they dig the bottom of the ocean they build a tower so tall
EASIER SAID THAN DONE
have you begun to move a mountain throw it into the sea? have you ignored your own calling and fleed?
oh no oh no it doesn’t matter what you say if you want everything to go your way confession won’t make you kind it’ll only satisfy your mind for the time being to say you’re gonna love everyone, yeah it’s easier said than done
and so you push that rock up and down this hill yeah, you push ‘til your desire’s killed oh no oh no you better save up your strength before your body begins to ache taking your mind off of the task is as easy as walking on broken glass it’s your mind to overcome but your mind it weighs a ton, yeah it’s easier said than done you should’ve been there for them yes, you should’ve but you weren’t and now it’s done and you can lament all you want but that won’t change what has been done
so I heard you gave up gave in lost your nerve I heard you let all of your demons return oh no oh no you were never meant to be a saint but you should never lose all restraint your conscience is a fragile thing you gotta balance it out against everything but in the moment you succumb you’re forgiven my son, yeah it’s easier said than done
THE QUEST FOR NOAH’S ARK
follow me here to the sea of open eyes where no life adheres to the laws of the sky I know the shadows make you nervous all those inventions in the air shine the bright light of progress in the face of despair so don’t tread my dirty surface my deep water emanates if you don’t want to be devoured learn to accept this as your fate
and follow me down to the bottom of the sea where no man’s unlocked my ancient mystery yeah and you got reason to be cautious to even step off of my shore the rainbow shines bright in the future but Noah’s ark rests on my floor and yet no covenant is broken God is exacting no revenge when you’re set on destruction you are writing your own end
and so for five thousand years and six thousand songs with all God’s living children humming along down at the bottom of the ocean deep inside that sunken ark lies my secret salvation my light in the dark I see the statue of my lady her frozen face stares at the sun and in my final exploration all of my theories come undone
PREPARING FOR THE FLOOD
wake up, you must calm the raging waters it’s the setting of the sun I don’t care if it’s superstitious I’ve already succumbed to these condemning temptations all my undoubtable bouts of pride stop laughing, shsssh, now listen before we must divide oh my oh my I am listening to the weight of the moon with the water’s rise as the dark waves hit the stern your hand lets go of mine don’t need a sign from heaven don’t need a miracle to see I acted so passively clueless now I know exactly what this means I can not be walking on the water when my shadow weighs a ton and to relieve this weight I must undo what I have done now that I’ve seen what is to come I am preparing for the flood
MALCONTENT
I see no evil glowing bright and red just bodies floating motionless an empire’s swollen head her dark hair rising to the surface how could this be? we’re our own enemy what an embarrassment all in favor of the malcontent, yeah!
I hear no evil violent calls of threat just voices speaking indiscernible a soft heart beating in my head to a low tone humming with an ambience what have I become? I was a Christian with all good intent all in favor of the malcontent, yeah!
I speak no evil word or fallacy but my eye twitches with every word my wife and kids are now a memory and the raven’s flying back and forth her praise unsung even in heaven the angels repent all in favor of the malcontent, yeah, all in favor of the malcontent, yeah, all in favor of the malcontent, yeah!
all in favor of I’ll cut my ties from the government I’ll cut myself loose from my investments I’ll call it my last experiment it’s theoretical I’ll make it practical it’s a time capsule it’s a new frontier it’s a diving bell undermining thousands of years thousands of years thousands of years thousands of years
THE SEA OF GALILEE
deep in the sea of Galilee is where I’ll rest my body free and as I make my descent with my tools and oxygen with my body sinking low it gets darker as I go but there’s no turning back now that’s more than heaven could allow better than any experiment here on this lost continent I’m free
I was walking on the water I was walking on the water I was walking on the water I was walking on the water there was a beauty all around you can feel it coming down
deep in the sea of Galilee is where I’ll rest my body free and when my body lands on the floor somewhere no one’s ever been before somewhere too dark to explore that’s where I’ll be restored down at the bottom of the sea I’ll find the heavens opening well there’s a bright green valley far away but underwater is where I’ll stay free
I was walking on the water I was walking on the water I was walking on the water I was walking on the water there was a beauty all around you can feel it coming down
FROM THE ROOTS OF THE MOUNTAINS TOWARD YOUR HOLY TEMPLE
so I dive from inside the bell to ring in the ending of an age only to release myself where I cannot stray and so I go where my shadow is gone where no light shines in my favor where all is one and none I know I will not waver because I am protected the Lord knows what is best for me at least that’s what I have gathered here in the depths of the sea
and so I sink and I land on the floor it’s there I must make my bed where the deep is surrounding me and seaweed is wrapped around my head and so I’m fed to the wealth of the sea in poisoned waters I will spoil where I am left with the sediment where my blood becomes oil but oh, someday they’ll find me revised men with greed in their eyes and it’ll be up and out through the tunnel to rise into the sky oh oh oh oh oh . . . hmmmmmm . . .
