Ayreon Album

Forever of the Stars:
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 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 Delirium,
you must enter the nuclear portals of the Electric Castle!

(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 Devil's one hand

INDIAN:
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:
No, it has been foretold in our legends of old
Wake the spirit within, let the journey begin!

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, ruler of the gods
Show us the way, from damnation to salvation!

EGYPTIAN:
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:
The fields of Yaaru lie waiting for us all!
Rejoice!
We have been chosen to enter the great hall
Of Isis and Osiris!

(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 doesn't warm, doesn't warm...
How are we gonna find our way?
If we can't recognize the stars, and 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...

Forever of the Stars:
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 looking 'round bewildered.
Is this some dark and evil jest?
What brought me to this cursed keep?
Perchance some crazy quest?
Gods 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:
Hey dude, you're so uncool!
But hey, that's alright...
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 cowardly kings
Not a one stood up to me... fools.
Bear bloody banners in blazing skies!
Brandish battle axe and broadsword!
Let drums of glory sound like thunder!
Hail Barbaric Warlord!!

HIPPIE:
Hey dude, you're so uncool!
But hey, that's alright...
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 load my black stallion
With grim determination
I found a kingdom
Where I chose to settle down
Righteous men would hang me
But I've given hell to pay
Cause nothing is as dangerous
As a barbarian warlord

I trained some of the minstrel men
I laid this place aspears
For a barbarian warlord...

(B. Stardance)

INDIAN:
(Chants)

C. Flying Colours

FUTUREMAN:
From the cities on the seas
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 cyber world...
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 heart
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 is 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 birthcry of our race
To the mysteries of space
I'm an educated man
And you would say I'd understand...

KNIGHT: I don't understand your words!
FUTUREMAN: (I'm a sophisticated man)
KNIGHT: They strike as hard as steel.
I'm sworn to the sacred quest
FUTUREMAN: (And you would say I'd understand)
KNIGHT: On the isle of Avalon

ROMAN: Just look around you now, and tell me what you see
KNIGHT: (To retrieve the magic chalice)
FUTUREMAN: (Is it a virtual design?)
ROMAN: A world full of treachery
KNIGHT: (Which holds the power to heal)
ROMAN: Far away on the edge of the world in a...
KNIGHT: Only the pure of heart are received into the realm
FUTUREMAN: Are we launched into a...

ROMAN AND FUTUREMAN:
Time beyond time, space beyond space

Forever of the Stars:
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 known 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 and scattered fields with ashes
I've buried children, sowed the seeds of hate

ALL:
We're alive, we'll survive
We will strike 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

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

ALL:
We're alive, we'll survive
We will strike 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

ALL:
We're alive, we'll survive
We will strike for our freedom
We're alive, we'll survive
We'll arrive in our Eden

Forever of the Stars:
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
thats 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 shadows 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!

Forever of the Stars:
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:
Beyond these Stygian skies
Our fortress lies!

ALL: Across the rainbow bridge!

ROMAN:
We'll span the sea of tears
And conquer all our fears... inside

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!

ALL:
Beyond these Stygian skies
Our fortress lies!
Across the rainbow bridge!
We'll span the sea of tears
And conquer all our fears!
Forsake this mourning field
And drop your shield!
Across the rainbow bridge!
Run to the other side
Where all our dreams abide!

HIPPIE:
Scarlet, Crimson, Rosy red
I must be dead
Or stoned out of my head

INDIAN: Hoooooooooh!

HIPPIE:
Orange, Yellow, Tangerine
The acid queen
In a psychedelic scene

INDIAN: Hoooooooooh!

HIPPIE:
Ochre, Chestnut, Chocolate brown
I'm upside down
On a cosmic eiderdown

INDIAN: Hoooooooooh!

HIPPIE:
Ivory, Milky, Chalky white
The stars ignite
I vanish in the light... that burns so bright!

Forever of the Stars:
Step forward, step forward! Beyond lies your goal: The Electric Castle!
The past is gone! Do you wish to lapse in limbo forever? No no no!
Be resolute! There are trials ahead. And rewards for those who strive.
Hah! 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!
Run run! Run run! Run run!
The past is gone, it cannot be undone!
Run run! Run run! Run run!
The future is here, our fate is drawing near!
Run run! Run run!

ALL:
Beyond these Stygian skies
Our fortress lies!
Across the rainbow bridge!
We'll span the sea of tears
And conquer all our fears!
Forsake this mourning field
And drop your shield!
Across the rainbow bridge!
Run to the other side
Where all our dreams
(abide)
EGYPTIAN: Aaaaaayyyyyyeh!

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. Succumb to its allure. Breathe deep the intoxicating aroma of endless, entwined emotions...

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 soil is dry,
Time has come to die.

My faith has left me,
They have 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

Forever of the Stars:
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 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, 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 the noble heart
Grant the passion that will fill my veins

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

BARBARIAN:
Cries from the grave resound in my ears...
They hail from beyond my darkest fears...

KNIGHT: I call upon the seer, Merlin the sorcerer
BARBARIAN: (Faces of the past are etched in my brain...)
KNIGHT: Grant me the magic to end my pain!

KNIGHT: I call upon the spirit that lives in the noble heart
BARBARIAN: (The women I raped, the men I've slain!)
KNIGHT: Grant the passion that will fill my veins

BOTH:
Shades of the dead are sliding on the wall!
Demons dance in the castle hall...

Forever of the Stars:
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... You must have hope...
You must have hope... You must have hope....

HIPPIE:
We're climbing up the stairs
And hope is flowing through our veins
(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
(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
(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

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
(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

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
(We're climbing up the stairs
And hope is flowing through our veins)

FUTUREMAN:
But we're still in this cage
Destined to die here if we fail

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...

(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.

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!

FUTUREMAN: It's all a lie!
ROMAN: You will just die!
FUTUREMAN: So don't give in!
ROMAN: For we can win!
FUTUREMAN: It's all a lie!
ROMAN: You will just die...
FUTUREMAN: So don't give in...

(B. Death's Grunt)

DEATH:
I am the breeze
The bringer of rest and ease!
I am the wind
The forgiver of those who 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: (Hums)
DEATH:
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)
Instrumental

Forever of the Stars:
It is time to reflect upon your ego self. Nowhere to hide when the
walls echo the you that we all see. Hahahah, the smiles dissolve.
The pulse begins to race. The face aflush 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 in 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...
BOTH: ...inside...
KNIGHT: ... we're all but frightened men, but we have to fight until the end is...
KNIGHT/ROMAN: ...here/hear...
ROMAN: ... what I say! I am doomed, I have to pay, I can't...
BOTH: ...go on...
KNIGHT: ... and persevere, for we have to make it out of here...
KNIGHT/ROMAN: ...alive/a life...
ROMAN: ... is but a dream, for in the mirror I have seen what lies...
BOTH: ...within...
KNIGHT: ... this armour cold and bright lies a noble heart with the will to fight...
BOTH: ...the pain...
ROMAN: ... cannot be healed, I'm surrounded by this shield I cannot...
BOTH: ...break...
KNIGHT: ... 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...
KNIGHT/ROMAN: ...it through/we threw...
KNIGHT: ...aside our darkest fears and stepped across these new frontiers of...
BOTH: ...time...
ROMAN: ...can only tell what awaits us in this hell full of...
BOTH: ...deceit...
KNIGHT: ..., guile and treachery, will they ever set us free again?

ROMAN:
Riding on the winds of time (Riding on the winds of time)
I've overcome my pride...
Riding on the winds of time (Riding on the winds of time)
We have reached the other side...
Riding on the winds of time (Riding on the winds of time)
Time can only tell me...
Riding on the winds of time (Riding on the winds of time)

Forever of the Stars:
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 crave 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

Forever of the Stars:
And so it's come to this: Two Gates, two portals await.
Let your choice be guided by collective wisdom.
Mmm, 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 dreamworld 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

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!

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:
What evil place might this be? Why are the heavens so black?
Eternity threatens, darkness crashes down upon me! Ohh!
Like a big black bat of death smothers my senses!
Makes me lose my sense of time! This cannot be a dream!
I need to be wide awake! Wide awake! When the Valkyries come to take me!
To my place among the warriors, to my place by Odin's side! Ahhhh!

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?

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!

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
breathe, after all...

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 AND FUTUREMAN:
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!

ALL:
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

HIGHLANDER: ...The end is here...
INDIAN: ...I soar on the breeze...
KNIGHT: ...In search of the Grail...
ROMAN: ...Free me from this evil...
EGYPTIAN: ...Isis and Osiris...
BARBARIAN: ...Let drums of glory sound like thunder...
HIPPIE: ...Takes a trip into eternity...
FUTUREMAN: ...Together as a team...

Forever of the Stars: Remember Forever....