Time's End
1) Post Mortem Revolution (Founder's Lament Pt. 1)
2) Faded & Tattered (Founder's Lament Pt. 2)
3) On Course to National Suicide
4) Empty Spaces
5) Childhood's End
6) A Gathering of One
7) Sundown
8) Descending Twilight
9) And the Living is Easy (Time's End Pt. 1)
10) The Great Reset (Time's End Pt. 2)
Founder's Lament (Parts 1 & 2)
- Post Mortem Revolution
- Faded & Tattered
This song was written to highlight the current state of the United States constitution. Specifically, the Founding Fathers would lament how much power has been assumed by the federal government. They would be, as the expression goes, "spinning in their graves" - thus Post Mortem Revolution. The bottom line: the Constitution is a Faded & Tattered document with little hope of ever being restored to its original form.
On Course to National Suicide
This song echoes the opinion expressed in Founder's Lament. Governmental and financial leaders in the United States are leading the country down a suicidal path. The superpower status of the country is in clear jeopardy as is the status of the dollar as the world's reserve currency. But ultimately, this demise is both financial AND cultural.
Empty Spaces
Originally written with the accompanying lyrics shown below, this song was modified and made into an instrumental piece for the latest album.
Rain couldn’t wash away the emptiness the years in exile.
Caught up in the web of life
She cannot dream she dare not hope
No love to fill those empty spaces between the morning and the night time.
No love to give her whole life meaning she wastes away
There’s nothing left no hope.
Her will resolves to take the step
She’ll end it all, release from all her pain
She’ll skirt the razor’s edge
She’ll slash and bleed
But she’s weak, she falters again
She wakes once more to find her world the same
She’s been here a hundred times before
There’s nothing left to help
To guide her through the pain and darkness of her life
No love to fill those empty spaces between the morning and the night time.
No love to give her whole life meaning she wastes away
There’s nothing left but hope.
Childhood's End
Also originally written as a song with lyrics, the version that appears on the current album is an instrumental. This song is, essentially, a continuation of Empty Spaces. The woman in the song is looking back at how she arrived in her current situation.
Her thoughts drift back to those happier days.
Life so simple the world before her.
No cares to hold back, no plans to bind her.
Her life’s a dream, no need to wake up.
No thoughts of future pain and sadness.
Within this ivory tower she lives in.
Responsibility is forgotten.
No childhood end in sight.
She lives protected, safe, secure within her dream.
Hours. days and years they pass by.
Working life draws near - she falls in.
She leaves her school days far behind her.
And moves ahead to face the real world.
No thoughts of future pain and sadness.
Within this new world she chose to live in.
Responsibility is accepted.
Her childhood’s end is in sight.
But still protected, safe, secure within her dream
She casts aside the old, lets it fade away and die.
But in the dark depths of her soul.
She is still connected to that world.
She cannot – cannot let it go.
She thinks again of those happier days
Of friends now lost, of love abandoned.
Memories bled through to the real world.
They tear her soul in two – relentless.
She faces now the pain and sadness.
In the world she made and lives in.
Responsibility is a burden.
Her childhood’s end has arrived.
She lives protected, safe - a prisoner within her dreams.
A Gathering of One
Another instrumental that started it's life with lyrics.
Gather friends and I will speak for all.
I will reveal all the lies.
I will tell of all we must endure.
Can we ignore all of this evil?
Tell me friends, how can we now
Drown in our sorrows
And let those who love life rule?
Remember that dreams are short and so is life
With all of it’s sorrows clear.
Joy may find you once in a while
But death still comes with years.
Sundown & Descending Twilight
Two more songs to reflect my feeling about the current status of the United States - it certainly isn't "morning in America" any longer......
Time's End (Parts 1 & 2)
- And the Living is Easy
- The Great Reset
This song was originally written a while back (with lyrics) to simply reflect a changing mood as Summer gave way to Fall - in other words, time's end was really just the end of a season. My perception of the world has changed a lot since then and so has the concept of the song. And the Living is Easy represents the good times of the past. How far in the past? I guess this would depend on your perspective. For me, it was the 2008 financial crisis. The causes and implications of this crisis didn't dawn on me until many years later but the end result seems pretty clear. We are headed for The Great Reset. This will be a financial reset but will have serious reverberations throughout the society. Most people don't have a clue that it is coming and are in no way prepared.......
1) Post Mortem Revolution (Founder's Lament Pt. 1)
2) Faded & Tattered (Founder's Lament Pt. 2)
3) On Course to National Suicide
4) Empty Spaces
5) Childhood's End
6) A Gathering of One
7) Sundown
8) Descending Twilight
9) And the Living is Easy (Time's End Pt. 1)
10) The Great Reset (Time's End Pt. 2)
Founder's Lament (Parts 1 & 2)
- Post Mortem Revolution
- Faded & Tattered
This song was written to highlight the current state of the United States constitution. Specifically, the Founding Fathers would lament how much power has been assumed by the federal government. They would be, as the expression goes, "spinning in their graves" - thus Post Mortem Revolution. The bottom line: the Constitution is a Faded & Tattered document with little hope of ever being restored to its original form.
On Course to National Suicide
This song echoes the opinion expressed in Founder's Lament. Governmental and financial leaders in the United States are leading the country down a suicidal path. The superpower status of the country is in clear jeopardy as is the status of the dollar as the world's reserve currency. But ultimately, this demise is both financial AND cultural.
Empty Spaces
Originally written with the accompanying lyrics shown below, this song was modified and made into an instrumental piece for the latest album.
Rain couldn’t wash away the emptiness the years in exile.
Caught up in the web of life
She cannot dream she dare not hope
No love to fill those empty spaces between the morning and the night time.
No love to give her whole life meaning she wastes away
There’s nothing left no hope.
Her will resolves to take the step
She’ll end it all, release from all her pain
She’ll skirt the razor’s edge
She’ll slash and bleed
But she’s weak, she falters again
She wakes once more to find her world the same
She’s been here a hundred times before
There’s nothing left to help
To guide her through the pain and darkness of her life
No love to fill those empty spaces between the morning and the night time.
No love to give her whole life meaning she wastes away
There’s nothing left but hope.
Childhood's End
Also originally written as a song with lyrics, the version that appears on the current album is an instrumental. This song is, essentially, a continuation of Empty Spaces. The woman in the song is looking back at how she arrived in her current situation.
Her thoughts drift back to those happier days.
Life so simple the world before her.
No cares to hold back, no plans to bind her.
Her life’s a dream, no need to wake up.
No thoughts of future pain and sadness.
Within this ivory tower she lives in.
Responsibility is forgotten.
No childhood end in sight.
She lives protected, safe, secure within her dream.
Hours. days and years they pass by.
Working life draws near - she falls in.
She leaves her school days far behind her.
And moves ahead to face the real world.
No thoughts of future pain and sadness.
Within this new world she chose to live in.
Responsibility is accepted.
Her childhood’s end is in sight.
But still protected, safe, secure within her dream
She casts aside the old, lets it fade away and die.
But in the dark depths of her soul.
She is still connected to that world.
She cannot – cannot let it go.
She thinks again of those happier days
Of friends now lost, of love abandoned.
Memories bled through to the real world.
They tear her soul in two – relentless.
She faces now the pain and sadness.
In the world she made and lives in.
Responsibility is a burden.
Her childhood’s end has arrived.
She lives protected, safe - a prisoner within her dreams.
A Gathering of One
Another instrumental that started it's life with lyrics.
Gather friends and I will speak for all.
I will reveal all the lies.
I will tell of all we must endure.
Can we ignore all of this evil?
Tell me friends, how can we now
Drown in our sorrows
And let those who love life rule?
Remember that dreams are short and so is life
With all of it’s sorrows clear.
Joy may find you once in a while
But death still comes with years.
Sundown & Descending Twilight
Two more songs to reflect my feeling about the current status of the United States - it certainly isn't "morning in America" any longer......
Time's End (Parts 1 & 2)
- And the Living is Easy
- The Great Reset
This song was originally written a while back (with lyrics) to simply reflect a changing mood as Summer gave way to Fall - in other words, time's end was really just the end of a season. My perception of the world has changed a lot since then and so has the concept of the song. And the Living is Easy represents the good times of the past. How far in the past? I guess this would depend on your perspective. For me, it was the 2008 financial crisis. The causes and implications of this crisis didn't dawn on me until many years later but the end result seems pretty clear. We are headed for The Great Reset. This will be a financial reset but will have serious reverberations throughout the society. Most people don't have a clue that it is coming and are in no way prepared.......
Thoughts from a Disintegrating Consciousness
CD Tracks are:
1) Unbound - 6:22
2) Invisible Renaissance - 9:44
3) Diewal (Part One) - 5:45
4) Diewal (Part Two) - 7:11
5) Diewal (Part Three) - 3:24
6) Away from the City - 13:35
7) After Daylife - 6:51
8) Ecclesiastes - 1:49
9) The Pulse - 5:12
10) Gentlemen's Rest - 3:17
Unbound - This song was the title track of the first demo album. The current remix is an instrumental version - the original lyrics appear below. This song is also available for listening on YouTube.
Betrayed and abandoned, old ties are torn in two.
Years formed, thrown by the wayside
Left in shreds, all because you choose to live the life you do.
No more to be united, those days behind me now.
Time's short, you must decide if that life was worth anything to you.
Was it worth anything to you?
Unbound, all ties still broken, move forward, discard the past.
Starting now, the future's opening, memories fade
There's nothing left that lasts.
It's all behind you now.
Invisible Renaissance - On the CD, this is one entire song. If you download this album, Invisible Renaissance is broken down into four parts: Prelude, The Tournament, The Coronation & Wandering Gypsy. The title of the song refers to the type of music that I was listening to when the song was written. I am always looking for new musical ideas and I decided to go back to the Renaissance age to see what it had to offer.
Diewal - This song was also written as an instrumental from the start. The name comes from Richard Wagner's Die Walkurie (Die & Wal). The first part was written while listening to The Ring of the Nibelungen. In fact, the bass part at the start of Diewal is my interpretation of an opening from one of the scenes in his famous set of operas.
The second part of Diewal also begins with a section of Wagner. This segues into a story told with sound effects.
Diewal (Part Three) attempts to unite the first two parts with a combination of harsh distortion at the beginning and a sweet flute at the end.
Away from the City - This song was written with the accompanying lyrics shown below. In its original version there was also singing at the start but this was eliminated in the final cut. The lyrics appear below in their entirety nonetheless. Near the end of the song is a section very much inspired by several of Gustav Mahler's symphonies. I have in mind maybe the 2nd and the 6th. It is hard to tell exactly as I was listening to all 10 of his symphonies during the writing process.
Introduction
Away from the city, back to natural time
Constructions, constraints fall, but seasons and weather haunt me now.
Soon lost in the forest, childhood memories break free
My mind tries to shut the pain, those memories force their way and take control.
Those long lost memories return as pure emotion
Nostalgia for innocence and actions with no consequence
With the passing of youth, those pathways through the forest
Change their shape, twist and turn, cut in close, choke me tight, rule my life.
Scene 1
When I was young, life seemed so full.
I never though that I would soon feel this way.
Why did it end? Why must life change? When will I start to live again?
I've had some friends, and they said they cared.
But now I see that I'm all alone.
Why did it end? Why must life change? When will I start to live again?
Why did it end? Why must life change? Help me to start to live again.
Scene 2
The sun goes down, and the city rises up to meet me
I make my way all alone.
Seeking refuge in the stable world that still surrounds me, I can't deny it comforts me
I'm lost within protective walls.
City structures hold me close, secure, far from that natural time.
My mind is free and life moves forward.
Beware the future, clear complete and so full of potential
Time carries on it's true, but life can change, beware the future.
When all that's good in your life seems to fade away, return to natural time.
Conclusion
Scenes from far away, captured in a picture frame
Times long gone, cannot be lived again
Never to return again.
I turn away from the past, force the feelings deep within me
I must move on.
Hope resides in future times to come.
After Daylife - This song appeared on the first album and was originally written with the lyrics which appear below. The current remix eliminates some of the singing parts but other than that retains the song's original music. The song represents my feelings about working during the day for one's livelihood, while at the same time anticipating that the things that really matter await at home. This song relates directly to the name of the band. Time's Hour refers to the hours of time that exist to pursue what really matters in life.
Introduction
Falling through dreams as the early morning lights slash through my window screen.
Still I drift between fiction and reality.
No one can touch me here ... as I float in this Never-land ...
Safe ... but I still feel it near ...leave me be I don't want to wake up.
Middle
I hope for freedom, as I drive familiar highways far from home.
Accepting daylife, I can't think of what consumes my life far from home.
I see no end to daylife, watching all the hours drift away.
No longer fighting daylife, accepting what surrounds me until I get home.
Hope sustains me, as I join the masses marking time each day.
But wasted lifetimes trapped in daylife, flash before me then fade away.
I see no end to daylife, watching all the hours drift away.
No longer fighting daylife, accepting what surrounds me until I get home.
Conclusion
Evening time, will lead into the night
Time for dreams, time for hope, time to cast aside the daylife for awhile
Late at night, the world is real to me
A time for dreams, a time for hope.
The hour of time arrives to rescue me.
Ecclesiastes - The title of this song comes from the book in the Old Testament of the Bible. There are deeper interpretations but the basic message for me is that time is short. Thus this is a short song and it is played in the style of late 1960's John Coltrane and Rashied Ali - at least my interpretation of some of their avant-garde style. Coltrane's life was too short. He was making his most interesting music right before his short life ended. This song is dedicated to him.
The Pulse - If you listened to Diewal (Part Two) you will recognize that the background melody which plays under the sound effects is repeated here. For the most part, all I added was drumming. I have given it a pulse - thus the title.
Gentlemen's Rest - This is my one attempt at the jazz style. I took an old tune, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, converted into 3/4 time from the original 4/4 and then changed the melody slightly. I then added a sax and piano solo in the middle. The song is as straightforward as that.
CD Tracks are:
1) Unbound - 6:22
2) Invisible Renaissance - 9:44
3) Diewal (Part One) - 5:45
4) Diewal (Part Two) - 7:11
5) Diewal (Part Three) - 3:24
6) Away from the City - 13:35
7) After Daylife - 6:51
8) Ecclesiastes - 1:49
9) The Pulse - 5:12
10) Gentlemen's Rest - 3:17
Unbound - This song was the title track of the first demo album. The current remix is an instrumental version - the original lyrics appear below. This song is also available for listening on YouTube.
Betrayed and abandoned, old ties are torn in two.
Years formed, thrown by the wayside
Left in shreds, all because you choose to live the life you do.
No more to be united, those days behind me now.
Time's short, you must decide if that life was worth anything to you.
Was it worth anything to you?
Unbound, all ties still broken, move forward, discard the past.
Starting now, the future's opening, memories fade
There's nothing left that lasts.
It's all behind you now.
Invisible Renaissance - On the CD, this is one entire song. If you download this album, Invisible Renaissance is broken down into four parts: Prelude, The Tournament, The Coronation & Wandering Gypsy. The title of the song refers to the type of music that I was listening to when the song was written. I am always looking for new musical ideas and I decided to go back to the Renaissance age to see what it had to offer.
Diewal - This song was also written as an instrumental from the start. The name comes from Richard Wagner's Die Walkurie (Die & Wal). The first part was written while listening to The Ring of the Nibelungen. In fact, the bass part at the start of Diewal is my interpretation of an opening from one of the scenes in his famous set of operas.
The second part of Diewal also begins with a section of Wagner. This segues into a story told with sound effects.
Diewal (Part Three) attempts to unite the first two parts with a combination of harsh distortion at the beginning and a sweet flute at the end.
Away from the City - This song was written with the accompanying lyrics shown below. In its original version there was also singing at the start but this was eliminated in the final cut. The lyrics appear below in their entirety nonetheless. Near the end of the song is a section very much inspired by several of Gustav Mahler's symphonies. I have in mind maybe the 2nd and the 6th. It is hard to tell exactly as I was listening to all 10 of his symphonies during the writing process.
Introduction
Away from the city, back to natural time
Constructions, constraints fall, but seasons and weather haunt me now.
Soon lost in the forest, childhood memories break free
My mind tries to shut the pain, those memories force their way and take control.
Those long lost memories return as pure emotion
Nostalgia for innocence and actions with no consequence
With the passing of youth, those pathways through the forest
Change their shape, twist and turn, cut in close, choke me tight, rule my life.
Scene 1
When I was young, life seemed so full.
I never though that I would soon feel this way.
Why did it end? Why must life change? When will I start to live again?
I've had some friends, and they said they cared.
But now I see that I'm all alone.
Why did it end? Why must life change? When will I start to live again?
Why did it end? Why must life change? Help me to start to live again.
Scene 2
The sun goes down, and the city rises up to meet me
I make my way all alone.
Seeking refuge in the stable world that still surrounds me, I can't deny it comforts me
I'm lost within protective walls.
City structures hold me close, secure, far from that natural time.
My mind is free and life moves forward.
Beware the future, clear complete and so full of potential
Time carries on it's true, but life can change, beware the future.
When all that's good in your life seems to fade away, return to natural time.
Conclusion
Scenes from far away, captured in a picture frame
Times long gone, cannot be lived again
Never to return again.
I turn away from the past, force the feelings deep within me
I must move on.
Hope resides in future times to come.
After Daylife - This song appeared on the first album and was originally written with the lyrics which appear below. The current remix eliminates some of the singing parts but other than that retains the song's original music. The song represents my feelings about working during the day for one's livelihood, while at the same time anticipating that the things that really matter await at home. This song relates directly to the name of the band. Time's Hour refers to the hours of time that exist to pursue what really matters in life.
Introduction
Falling through dreams as the early morning lights slash through my window screen.
Still I drift between fiction and reality.
No one can touch me here ... as I float in this Never-land ...
Safe ... but I still feel it near ...leave me be I don't want to wake up.
Middle
I hope for freedom, as I drive familiar highways far from home.
Accepting daylife, I can't think of what consumes my life far from home.
I see no end to daylife, watching all the hours drift away.
No longer fighting daylife, accepting what surrounds me until I get home.
Hope sustains me, as I join the masses marking time each day.
But wasted lifetimes trapped in daylife, flash before me then fade away.
I see no end to daylife, watching all the hours drift away.
No longer fighting daylife, accepting what surrounds me until I get home.
Conclusion
Evening time, will lead into the night
Time for dreams, time for hope, time to cast aside the daylife for awhile
Late at night, the world is real to me
A time for dreams, a time for hope.
The hour of time arrives to rescue me.
Ecclesiastes - The title of this song comes from the book in the Old Testament of the Bible. There are deeper interpretations but the basic message for me is that time is short. Thus this is a short song and it is played in the style of late 1960's John Coltrane and Rashied Ali - at least my interpretation of some of their avant-garde style. Coltrane's life was too short. He was making his most interesting music right before his short life ended. This song is dedicated to him.
The Pulse - If you listened to Diewal (Part Two) you will recognize that the background melody which plays under the sound effects is repeated here. For the most part, all I added was drumming. I have given it a pulse - thus the title.
Gentlemen's Rest - This is my one attempt at the jazz style. I took an old tune, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, converted into 3/4 time from the original 4/4 and then changed the melody slightly. I then added a sax and piano solo in the middle. The song is as straightforward as that.