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Ayreon - Into The Electric Castle lyrics



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01. Welcome To The New Dimension

Music by Arjen Anthony Lucassen
Lyrics by Peter Daltrey
Welcome! You have entered the cranial vistas of psychogenesis. This is the place of no-time and no-space. Do not be afraid for I am merely the vocal manifestation of your eternal dreams. I am as water, as air -- like breath itself. Do not be afraid.

Look around, but linger not. Where I lead you will follow. Mark these words well. Ignite my anger with your delay and punishments will come your way.

You are eight mortal souls of the flesh, chosen from different eras ancient and modern. The trivia of your mortal lives is unimportant - to me... Indeed, some may die...

You have a task: To release yourselves from this Web of Wisdom, this knotted Maze of Delerium, you must enter the nuclear portals of the Electric Castle!

02. Isis And Osiris

Music by Arjen Anthony Lucassen
Lyrics by Arjen Anthony Lucassen, Fish
a) Let The Journey Begin

Highlander:
What heathen place is this that I've arrived in
Is now the time I pay for all my sins
I can't believe that this is God's creation
This realm was fashioned by the Deil's ane hand

ndian (chorus):
No it has been foretold, in our legends of old
Wake the spirit within, let the journey begin

Highlander:
This quest you speak of is for redemption
How can we travel when our souls are lost
You think we find ourselves at gates of new salvation
When I can only sense the end is here

Indian (chorus)

Knight:
We're at the gates of Avalon, the island of spirits
We're at the gates of Avalon, in search of the grail

b) The Hall Of Isis And Osiris

Roman:
There's no way out, slaves for eternity
Down in the underworld, the jaws of Orcus
I call on Jupiter, the ruler of the gods
Show us the way, from damnation to salvation

Egyptian (chorus):
The fields of Yaaru lie waiting for us all
Rejoice! The judges have ruled
We have been chosen to enter the great hall
Of Isis and Osiris

Roman:
No you're wrong, we're trapped here in darkness
Among departed souls, and mislaid spirits
I call on Mars, the ancient god of war
Grant me the power, to free me from this evil

Egyptian (chorus)

c) Strange Constellations

Highlander:
Can you see the stars? Can you recognize the constellations?
If I could only see the hills that we're supposed to climb
Even the sunlight......it doesn't warm.....doesn't warm
How are we gonna find our way?
If we can't recognize the stars, if we can't recognize the constellations
Where do we go?

d) Reprise

Highlander:
The quest you speak of, it isn't bound for glory
No grail exists within this heathen land
You think we find ourselves at gates of new salvation
When I can only sense ...the end is near

03. Amazing Flight

Music by Arjen Anthony Lucassen
Lyrics by Arjen Anthony Lucassen, Jay van Feggelen
There is danger ahead. But do not be afraid. For I am with you - like breath itself. Darkness will lead to light - colour will bleed into the night. Beautiful colours, the like of which you have never seen. Let the dream of confusion lead you into the virgin light! Be gone! Be all-seeing, be brave...Be gone!

a) Amazing Flight In Space

Barbarian:
I'm lookin' 'round bewildered
Is this some dark and evil jest?
What brought me to this cursed keep
Perchance some crazy quest

God forbid I am no coward!
Pitted against a monster, man or ghost,
I'd wield my blade with crimson gusto
For I am the proud barbarian host!

Hippie (chorus):
Hey dude, you're so uncool
But hey, that's allright
Like there's no need to get uptight
My eyes reflect the stars
And a smile lights up my face
We're on an amazing flight in space

Barbarian:
I shook city walls and towers
Wreaking havoc in the streets
Burned palaces of cow'rdly kings
Not a one stood up to me

Bear bloody banners in blazing skies!
Brandish battle-axe and broadsword!
Let drums of glory sound like thunder!
Hail!! Barbaric warlord!!

Hippie (chorus)

b) Stardance

Indian:
Chanting

c) Flying Colours

04. Time Beyond Time

Music & lyrics by Arjen Anthony Lucassen
Futureman:
From the cities underseas
To the skyways in the east
From the stations on the moon
To the planet of Neptune
I'm a sophisticated man
And you would say I'd understand
Is it a virtual design?
Are we launched into a time beyond time
Space beyond space
We are lost here in this cyberworld
Is there no way out?

Knight:
I don't understand your words
They strike as hard as steel
I'm sworn to the sacred quest on the isle of Avalon
To retrieve the magic chalice
Which holds the power to heal
Only the pure of hearts are received into the realm

Roman:
Just look around you now and tell me what you see
A world full of treachery
Skies of silver and seas of gold
The past in young and the future old
We're closed in by iron gates
Beyond them Elysium waits
Far away on the edge of the world in a time beyond time
Space beyond space
We are lost here in the underworld
Is there no way out?

Futureman:
From the birth cry of our race
To the mysteries of space
I'm an educated man
And you would say I'd understand

[repeat all]

05. The Decision Tree (We're Alive)

Music by Arjen Anthony Lucassen
Lyrics by Arjen Anthony Lucassen, Fish, Peter Daltrey
Ah, my friends! So light of foot. So swift. You have come this far. And now - here beneath the ancient, omniscient boughs of the Decision Tree - one of you must depart this world of flesh. Only seven may continue. Only you can decide...

Barbarian:
Let it be clear I won't be the one to die here
Honour and glory are heaped upon my name
Let it be clear I'm not the one who cries here
What about the tall one, the one who's lost to shame

Highlander:
I've followed princes, I've raised their bloody banners
I've killed and wounded on the side of right
I've reaped the harvest, scattered fields with ashes
I've buried children, sowed the seeds of hate

All (chorus):
We're alive
We'll survive
We will strive for our freedom
We're alive
We'll survive
We'll arrive in our Eden

Highlander:
I've followed princes
I've followed kings
I will take their lead no more
I will not lie
In shallow graves
(I'm nobody's slave)

Barbarian:
Let it be known, by Thor the god of Lightning
I have been chosen to do battle at his side
Let it be clear I was born to go down fighting
What about the craven, the one who's lost his pride

Highlander:
Don't speak to me, of honour, pride, and glory
I've tasted blood, seen your type before
You talk of battle but all you tell are stories
You'd see me buried in a shallow grave

(chorus)

Highlander

06. Tunnel Of Light

Music by Arjen Anthony Lucassen, Anneke van Giersbergen
Lyrics by Arjen Anthony Lucassen, Fish, Peter Daltrey
Be joyful, my friends! You will now enter the Tunnel of Light. Let brilliance suffuse your souls! Make your choice. Your path is incandescent.

Highlander:
Don't offer me the light, when I only know the darkness
That's where I want to hide
There's a chill in my bones that I recognise from another life
That's why I'm heading home

Egyptian: Ra - heliopolis, ka - anenti
Roman: Into Elysium!
Knight: The isle of Avalon!
Egyptian: In the Tunnel of Light

Highlander:
Don't tempt my heart with hope, in the shadow of broken promises
I guard my dreams
In the bend of a swollen river, in the roots of weeping willows, I choose to lie

Egyptian: Ra - heliopolis, ka - anenti
Roman: Into Elysium!
Knight: The isle of Avalon!
Indian: The legend has begun!
Futureman: Our one and only sun!
Egyptian: In the Tunnel of Light

Egyptian: Ra - heliopolis
Highlander: I rest my broken heart, where the willows weep
Egyptian: Ka - anenti
Roman: Into Elysium!
Highlander: I will lay me down
Knight: The isle of Avalon!
Highlander: I will rest my head
Indian: The legend has begun!
Highlander: I will close my eyes
Egyptian: In the Tunnel of Light

07. Across The Rainbow Bridge

Music by Arjen Anthony Lucassen
Lyrics by Arjen Anthony Lucassen, Peter Daltrey
And now this Rainbow Bridge: an iridescent span of tears - so fragile and yet so strong. Will it support your mortal shells? Or will you fall into the fiery brine below?

Knight:
I hark back to olden days
To her and her magic ways
Two souls in harmony
In an endless sea

The cruel wings of destiny
Carried you away from me
And left a heart unstilled
That never will be filled

Roman (chorus):
Beyond these stygian skies our fortress lies
Across the rainbow bridge
We'll span the sea of tears and conquer all our fears (inside)

Forsake this mourning field and drop your shield
Across the Rainbow Bridge
Run to the other side where all our dreams abide

Knight:
I'd sacrifice my very life
To have you at my side
Like a dream I see your face
Through the misty haze

We were one amid the stars
And time never healed my scars
Deep inside the sadness burns
I must return!

Roman (chorus)

Hippie:
Scarlet crimson rosy red
I must be dead
Or stoned out of my head

Orange yellow tangerine
The acid queen
In a psychedelic scene

Ochre chestnut chocolate brown
I'm upside down
On a cosmic eiderdown

Ivory milky chalky white,
The stars ignite,
I vanish in the light - that burns so bright

Step forward. Beyond lies your goal: the Electric Castle! The past is gone! Do you wish to lapse in limbo forever? No! Be resolute.. There are trials ahead - and rewards for those who strive: the Surreal Search endures...

Roman & Knight:
Run run the past is gone, it cannot be undone
Run run the future is here, our fate is drawing near

Roman (chorus)

08. The Garden Of Emotions

Music by Arjen Anthony Lucassen
Lyrics by Arjen Anthony Lucassen, Peter Daltrey
Behold: the Star Towers of the Electric Castle! See how it embraces the sky! How insignificant the mere mortal, dwarfed by the majesty of its electric edifice! But first, my seven searchers - you must meander through the verdant vines of the Garden of Emotions. Succomb to its allure. Breathe deep the intoxicating aroma of endless, entwined emotions...

a) In The Garden Of Emotions

Hippie:
It's kinda groovy
In this world of fantasy
Where no one else can go
Within these boundaries
I'm shielded from reality
Without a care or woe

Egyptian:
Amon-Ra, have you come to seal my fate?
In the Garden of Emotions
Free my ka, how much longer must I wait?
In the Garden of Emotions

Hippie:
I roam the universe
In cosmic meditation
To find my inner me
I'm getting high on love
And spiritual vibrations
To set bad karma free

Egyptian:
Amon-Ra, have you come to seal my fate?
In the Garden of Emotions
Free my ka, how much longer must I wait?
In the Garden of Emotions

b) Voices In The Sky

Roman: Take up arms and follow me
Barbarian: Hey who are you to take the lead?
Roman: I will keep you all from harm
Barbarian: So what kind of god do you think you are?
Roman: A warrior is what I am
Barbarian: No I'm the wolf and you are but a lamb
Roman: If you doubt my force you'll live no more
Barbarian: You will end your war upon my sword

Indian:
"And voices in the sky
Shall cause the soul to die"

Roman: We'll break away by my command
Barbarian: No we'll crush our foe and quell this land
Roman: You cannot kill what's already dead
Barbarian: Whoever rivals me will lose his head
Roman: You'll endanger all our precious lives
Barbarian: Well I don't care, I will survive
Roman: I'm the only one who can set us free
Barbarian: Go chase your ghost and leave me be

Indian:
"And voices in the sky
Shall cause the soul to die"

c) The Aggression Factor

Indian:
Fury and fear
Destiny's near
Spirits appear
The legend is here

Futureman:
It must be feeding on our negative emotions
We're at the mercy of some vile computerscheme
We'll have to try to hide our antagonistic notions
If we ever want to end this future dream

Knight:
Chivalrous and bold
Pitiless and cold
Valiant and true
Treacherous and cruel
Chivalrous and bold
Pitiless and cold
Valiant and true
Treacherous and cruel

Indian:
Fury and fear
Destiny's near
Spirits appear
The legend is here

Futureman:
We have to free our minds from anger and aggression
It's the only way to defy this cold machine
If we're to stand up to this emotional oppression
We had better stand together as a team

Knight:
Chivalrous and bold
Pitiless and cold
Valiant and true
Treacherous and cruel
Chivalrous and bold
Pitiless and cold
Valiant and true
Treacherous and cruel

Egyptian:
Amon-Ra, have you come to seal my fate?
In the Garden of Emotions...

09. Valley Of The Queens

Music & lyrics by Arjen Anthony Lucassen
Egyptian:
My journey's over
I'm standing on the edge
And close my eyes
To this world of lies

My will is broken
It's the end of all my dreams
My soul yearns
For the Valley of the Queens

My rose has withered
It will never bloom again
The soul is dry
Time has come to die

My faith has left me
They've stolen all my dreams
Oh lay me down
In the Valley of the Queens

My search has ended
My name is carved in stone
On the temple wall
Beyond Osiris' hall

No holy sunrays
Will light my tomb of dreams
I won't return
From the Valley of..........the Queens

10. The Castle Hall

Music by Arjen Anthony Lucassen
Lyrics by Arjen Anthony Lucassen, Peter Daltrey
At last! You enter the Electric Castle! Here in this vast hall where even shadows fear the light - here you must confront your past. If you have killed, beware of the Gathering of Spirits for they do fish for men. Here, the disembodied Astral World becomes flesh once more. I pity the men of swords.
For here blood runs cold...

Barbarian:
Cries from the grave resound in my ears
They hail from beyond my darkest fears
Faces of the past are etched in my brain
The women I raped, the men I've slain

Shades of the dead are sliding on the wall
Demons dance in the castle hall

Knight:
I call upon the sword, the mighty Excalibur
Grant me the skill to fulfill my quest

I call upon my king and the knights of the table round
Grant me the courage to stand to this test

I call upon the seer, Merlin the sorcerer
Grant me the magic to end my pain

I call upon the spirit that lives in a noble heart
Grant me the passion that's within my veins

Shades of the dead are sliding on the wall
Demons dance in the castle hall

[repeat all]

11. Tower Of Hope

Music by Arjen Anthony Lucassen
Lyrics by Arjen Anthony Lucassen, Peter Daltrey
From the wind-torn ramparts of the Tower of Hope we survey a thousand futures. Release your dreams from this electric pinnacle. You must have hope...

Hippie:
We're climbing up the stairs
And hope is flowing through our veins
Futureman:
There's magic everywhere
We've been released of all our chains
Hippie:
We're taking in the view, oceans of blue,
Fields of green
Futureman:
I fear this can't be true
We're still inside this dream machine

Chorus:
Hippie: I only felt what I wanted to feel
Futureman: I only saw what I wanted to see
Hippie: I'm at the end of my rope
Both: Lost in the Tower of Hope

Hippie:
I see a brand new age
Where peace and harmony prevail
Futureman:
But we're still in this cage
Destined to die here if we fail
Chorus and repeat second verse

Hippie: I only felt what I wanted to feel
Futureman: I only saw what I wanted to see
Hippie: I only went where I wanted to go
Futureman: I only knew what I wanted to know
Both: And we became who we wanted to be
Hippie: I only felt what I wanted to feel
Futureman: I only saw what I wanted to see
Hippie: I'm at the end of my rope
Both: Lost in the tower of hope

12. Cosmic Fusion

Music & lyrics by Arjen Anthony Lucassen
a) I Soar On The Breeze

Indian:
Spirits - flying, I soar on the breeze
Mortals - dying, I soar on the breeze
Into the sun

Lovers - crying, I soar on the breeze
Demons - sighing, I soar on the breeze
Into the sun

I'm drawn towards the sun
And then we will be one
My soul will melt into the universe

Futureman: It's all a lie
Roman: You will just die
Futureman: So don't give in
Roman: For we can win

b) Death's Grunt

Death:
I am the breeze, the bringer of rest and ease
I am the wind, the forgiver of those who've sinned
I am the storm, I blow the devil's horn
I am the fire, the source of lust and desire
I am the sun, the joining has begun
I am your fate, the guardian at the gate
I am death and I claim your final breath!

Indian:
Screams

c) The Passing Of An Eagle

13. The Mirror Maze

Music by Arjen Anthony Lucassen
Lyrics by Arjen Anthony Lucassen, Peter Daltrey
It is time to reflect upon your 'ego-self'. Nowhere to hide when the walls echo the you that we all see. Ah, the smiles dissolve! The pulse begins to race; the face a flush of fear so plainly painted. The Mirror World - the Mirror Maze: Confrontation...

a) Inside The Mirror Maze

Hippie:
Mirror mirror I can see a lonely child, he kinda looks like me
Staring out into infinity
His father lies, his mother cries, his spirit flies up into the skies
Wandering off to another galaxy

Futureman:
Secret fears we all try to hide
Lie dormant deep inside us
Defy the ghosts of long forgotten days
Here inside the mirror maze

Hippie:
Mirror mirror I can see an angry boy, oh well I guess he's me
Rising up to the society
He's aware that no one cares and life's unfair so he grows his hair
And takes a trip into eternity

Futureman:
Secret fears we all try to hide
Lie dormant deep inside us
Defy the ghosts of long forgotten days
Here inside the mirror maze

b) Through The Mirror

Roman:
I see a man, who's unable to withstand his fears inside
Knight:
Inside we're all but frightened men
But we have to fight until the end is here
Roman:
Hear what I say: I am doomed,
I have to pay, I can't go on
Knight:
Go on and persevere
For we have to make it out of here alive
Roman:
A life is but a dream,
For in the mirror I have seen what lies within
Knight:
Within this armour cold and bright
Lies a noble heart with the will to fight the pain
Roman:
The pain cannot be healed,
I'm surrounded by this shield I cannot break
Knight:
Break through the mirror now,
Follow me, I will show you how

Roman:
We've reached the other side,
I have overcome my pride and made it through
Knight:
We threw aside our darkest fears
And stepped across these new frontiers of time
Roman:
Time can only tell what awaits us in this hell full of deceit
Knight:
Deceit, guile and treachery
Will they ever set us free again?

Roman:
Riding on the wings of time

14. Evil Devolution

Music by Arjen Anthony Lucassen
Lyrics by Arjen Anthony Lucassen, Peter Daltrey
The future's doored ingress! What lies beyond? One of you - ah, survived so much! -- are you man enough to force this door upon its golden hinge? You craved the answer - but can you bear the truth? The door! The future!

Futureman:
Our hope's dissolved
For man's evolved into another state of being
Have we 'progressed' beyond the need of feeling?

A cyber-brain
The last in the chain of man/machine alliance
Have we become the victims of our science?

Evil devolution
Is this an illusion
Out here in space

Human humiliation
This mutation
Of our human race

Is this the end
Will we transcend the need for human pleasures?
Will we abandon all our earthly treasures?

Will mankind yield?
On the battlefield of natural selection?
To an inorganic digital perfection?

Evil devolution
Is this an illusion
Out here in space

Human humiliation
This mutation
Of our human race

15. The Two Gates

Music by Arjen Anthony Lucassen
Lyrics by Arjen Anthony Lucassen, Peter Daltrey
And so it's come to this. Two Gates - two portals await. Let your choice be guided by collective wisdom. Ah, hath the prospect of freedom ever tasted so good? One gate completes the circle; one step away from your own dimension, your cherished time. One gate severs all connections: one step away from the dream world of everlasting ebony. You call it Oblivion.
It is a brave soul who makes the first choice.

Barbarian:
Behold these gates, the first one plain and old
Behold these gates, the second forged of gold
The gate of old spells out disgrace and shame
The one of gold cries out my noble name

I challenge death to meet me at this gate
I challenge Odin to pronounce my fate
And if I thrive I've overcome this land
But if I fail I'll die a worthy man

Chorus:
Roman: Open the gate, we're now on our own
All: Enter the gate to your destiny
Roman: Will it be fortune or fate, the truth shall be known
All: Enter the gate to your destiny

Barbarian:
Cowards whine beyond the olden gate
Valhalla shines beyond the golden gate
I walk alone so dare not follow me
But choose your own and die in agony

chorus

Barbarian (fading into oblivion)
What evil place might this be?
Why are the heavens so black?
Eternity threatens, darkness crashes down upon me
Like a big black bat of death it smothers my senses
Makes me lose my sense of time this cannot be a dream I need to be wide awake, wide awake
When Valkyries come to take me to my place
Among the warriors to my place at Odin's side AAAAHHHH!

Knight:
We have been saved, our journey has ended
But tell us why, why this ordeal?
What was your aim, or was it just some game
Have we been humbled, or did we prevail?
We've been enslaved, our wounds have not mended
And who are you, what magicians or gods?
What was your plan, we don't understand
Did we pass, or did we fail?

chorus

16. "Forever" Of The Stars

Music by Arjen Anthony Lucassen
Lyrics by Peter Daltrey
I am of the stars. I am called 'Forever'. Eternity courses through my veins. It is cold beyond your sun where we come from. We seed the universe with the milk of a million moons. You are that seed. Your earth is our experiment. We vanquished the dinosaurs with the careless trajectory of a child's lost meteorite. We peopled your planet to experience your emotions - such feelings lost to us aeons ago. How we envied you your loves and passions, your dangerous desires.

The fires of your emotions gleamed like lost beacons in the darkened depths of the fathomless universe. And eight of you, plucked from Time. Not randomly, you understand. Representatives of your world's turbulent history. We have observed your tribulations from nameless nebulae.

The experiment is over. I am weary now. So tired. I too am far from home. Open the gate - complete the circle. You won't remember - you won't recall - for I am only the air that you breath, after all...

17. Another Time, Another Space

Music & lyrics by Arjen Anthony Lucassen
Hippie:
Was this a dream I just had?
I have my doubts
I can't make out the truth
From the lies here inside

What kind of trip have I been on?
Where did I go
I'd like to know just why
Did it feel so damn real?

Futureman:
There's something strange going on
I don't know why
It's something I can't place
An open space, a shrouded face

As if my memory files
Have been erased
And then replaced by lies
False replies, clouded skies

Hippie & Futureman (chorus):
A secret yearning lurks inside
Like a dream trying to hide
Another time, another space
An empty feeling haunts my brain
A strange void I can't explain
Another time, another space

Roman:
I've been relieved of all my pain
I've been reborn
A mighty storm has raged
And my fears disappeared

Knight:
I've found the grail here within
In a magic dream
I have seen a world
Of make belief, of joy and grief!

chorus: all


Remember Forever.....