THREADS

You and I alone
Standing on shaky ground
Wondering what became of yesterday

Everything seemed simple then
We fit together hand in glove
But now everything has changed

Somewhere in our past we
Strayed and lost our way
Now I search for us
But we're not here

Looking at you now
You're so far away
Our connection's lost
Looking at me now
I can't recognize myself, I can't count the cost

Somewhere up ahead perhaps our roads will cross again
Somewhere maybe hope is still alive

There's an emptiness within
And an isolation here
That I never thought I'd feel, with you beside me

There's a coldness to your touch
And there's nothing in my heart
And the life we made is hanging by a thread

There's an emptiness within
And an isolation here
That I never thought I'd feel, with you beside me

There's a coldness to your touch
And there's nothing in my heart
And the life we made is hanging by a thread

BLEED ME DRY

Bind to me – keep me in the shadows of your life
Terrified – frightened I might step into the light
Drinking deep from wells of bitterness within your soul
Holding fast to self-deluding visions of control

You're convinced that when you're done and the day is through
The applause is just for you

Paranoid – jealousy is all you've come to know
Pettiness – make a friend into another foe

And now everything is done, and the day is through
Now there's no one left for you

Twist the blade inside of me and bleed me dry
‘Cause there's nothing you can say to me to make things how they used to be again
I have built a better life without your lies – and I will not be broken

I don't need your blessing now
I don't need your fantasies
All your fictions don't sustain me anymore
Breaking bonds, I'm setting myself free

Twist the blade inside of me and bleed me dry
‘Cause there's nothing you can say to me to make things how they used to be again
I have built a better life without your lies – and I will not be broken

Blind to yourself and to why you pushed away
Empty-handed and alone now at the end of the day
All of your misguided claims are dead to me – did you think I'd let
You dictate everything that I could be?

NOCTURNAL

When we enter its domain
Will the answers follow
Or will the wind and rain
Predict tomorrow

Or will they combine
And dictate our fears
Feeding our minds
The violence here

We can end the apathy
Nocturnal

When we enter the darkness

Will our heart lead the way
In the land of thoughtless
Or will you just fan the flames

Or will they combine
And dictate our fears
Feeding our minds
The violence here

We can end the apathy
Nocturnal

We can end the apathy
Nocturnal

The blackest night before the dawn
Nocturnal

MEMORY

I still remember the sound of your voice calling out my name
And I still remember my face examining itself, knowing things would never be the same
I still remember your smiling face across a crowded room
And I still remember, through the weathering of time, that first embrace that sealed our doom

Your eyes stare at me, from every storefront
And your voice calls to me from every restaurant
And your laughter pierces me when I stand beneath the open sky
And your absence murders me as I sleep perchance to die

Seems like to escape is what I ought to do
But every road I take brings me back to you

I am frozen in the moment
Clinging to your memory
And I don't want the ignorance
That a spotless mind would bring
But I'm scared my dying breath may be your name

It's just like I sang to you – everyone knows that we live in a world
Where people give bad names to beautiful things
And if it's really true that people should leave once they've
Got what they came for, I certainly hope that you're holding it close to you now

I am frozen in the moment
Clinging to your memory
And I don't want the ignorance
That a spotless mind would bring
But I'm scared my dying breath may be your name

I still remember the sunlight on your face that warm November day
And I still remember, my heartbeat quickened by desire, unaware of prices I would pay
I still remember the closing door the night we said goodbye
And I still remember, losing you for good and knowing that a part of me had died

Seems like to escape is what I ought to do
But every road I take brings me back to you

I am frozen in the moment, please do not forget me!
Clinging to your memory, 'cause I will not forget you!
And I don't want the ignorance
That a spotless mind would bring
But I'm scared my dying breath may be your name

Please! Let me be frozen in the moment
Let me hold on to those memories

And I pray that things will be alright
And I pray you'll think of me tonight
And I know somehow I'll be alright
And I hope that you're the same
But I'm scared my dying breath may be...your name

THE SUFFOCATING SILENCE

Something's going on here – the object is unspoken
But I can see the makings of a sinister design
The bristles of the tightening noose are scratching at my throat
And in Shadows, whispered voices plot to take from me what's mine

The tension's ever-mounting, and the dam's about to break

Something's going wrong here – the lines have all been broken
In the shelter of our silence conflicts keep upon themselves
We both have our agendas, if only we would voice them
But the guilt between us widens as we keep them to ourselves

The tension's ever-mounting, and the dam's about to break

In the suffocating silence
Attended by our dreams
This emptiness devours
In the darkness of desire
Where nothing's as it seems
Our demons lie in wait
For you and me

Subconscious acts replace the spoken word
And we express with cruelty what we neglect to say

And everybody's shouting, but no one can hear
And our desperate ringing fills my ears
And we all know that words can kill
But their absence is more lethal still

In the suffocating silence
Attended by our dreams
This emptiness devours
In the darkness of desire
Where nothing's as it seems
Our demons lie in wait
For you and me

Something's going on here – the object is unspoken
But I can see the makings of a sinister design
The tension's ever mounting, the dam's about to break
Failing to discuss it could be our last mistake

RELEASE

Lying here surrounded
By the pieces of my life
Would it all be easier
If I lay me down to die
Dreams piled high
On the back of this broken man
Is this all? Born to fall?
Or to rise again?
So much pain and disillusionment
Everything I once felt sure about
We're all lost if we don't know
It's a game that we are all playing
The motions of all our counterparts
A piece of sinister scheme
The puppet that's broken has reason to smile
They can no longer force him to dance on their strings
Why shrug off the chains? If you wrap them about
You'll be sunk to the bottom and drowning
The clockwork behind their smiles
Wound by hands that were made to harm
Just release yourself
Cause they can't rape the willing
Or take what you have if there's nothing else
Tired of life and filled with despair
And covered with blood from the crosses I bear
But I'm still standing
Should I make myself crawl?
Seems so counter to our nature
Accepting with grace the things we can't change
But when all's said and done and you're wronged and decieved
Then it matters the most what you choose to believe
Should I fight against fate
Or should I just lay down and die?
Solos: Bernie, Nick
The puppet that's broken has reason to smile
But the strings can't contrl you if you walk away
No more tears of disillusionment
I'll be a puppet no longer
The hands that I thought had held me
The clockwork behind their smiles
They'll not have control over me
I'll stand up and leave them behind
Just release yourself
Cause they can't rape the willing
Or take what you have if there's nothing else
Tired of life and filled with despair
And covered with blood from the crosses that I bear
But I'm still standing
Should I make myself crawl?
Just release yourself
From the scars you inflict on yourself
When you're wounded by no one else
Rise above pain, move past my despair
And put down the cross that I've made myself bear
Now I'm still standing
And I'm not gonna crawl

FALL ON YOU

There'll come a time when love outlasts my insecurities
And I'll be unafraid that you're not here with me
I hold on and I face another day
I hold on urgently to you, to you
I let go and my fears begin to fade
And now with pride we watch you make your way

Clouds overhead, lightning strikes and the thunder roars
And I can only hope I've given you some shelter
You know it's a stormful world and rain will fall on you

Run faster now don't look back ‘till you're far away
The hands that harm will try to drag you into shadow
You know it's a sunless world and darkness falls on you

It's getting close to midnight
And soon you'll have to leave
The haven of our comforting arms

I can feel you searching in the darkness (searching in the darkness!)
And I hear you calling out my name (calling out my name!)
Search yourself for the part of me still with you
My presence there will never fade

Walls tumble down you can hide but you know they'll find you
And I can't be there every moment for protection
You know it's a hostile world and hate may follow you

It's getting close to midnight
And soon you'll have to leave
The haven of our comforting arms

I can feel you searching in the darkness (searching in the darkness!)
And I hear you calling out my name (calling out my name!)
Search yourself for the part of me still with you
My presence there will never fade

Outcomes can never be certain
But life is a chance that you take
And all that I can do is help you brace for it

Light overhead storm clouds part and the darkness fades
And in the stillness of a new dawn you're still standing
I know it's a frightening world and it's a confusing world
But you know that I have to believe you will find the goodness in it
With your heart and soul as compass
I will pray you find your way
And that happiness will follow close behind

And peace will fall on you
And peace will fall on you
And peace will fall on you

SAPPHIRE

The road I've walked for my whole life
Has brought me to this crossroads
And I'm standing here beside you

I know you've never been someone
To take things on a leap of faith
Please trust me once and never cry again
Hold my hand
We can take this slowly
And see where it might lead

Going into, going into, going into, going into you

And everything seemed to make sense
The first time that things seemed to fall in place
Just for a little while
And now my hopes and dreams are burning down

Claw out my eyes
I'd rather be blind
Than to see you turn around
And walk away from me
Tear off my ears
I'd rather be deaf
Than hear you
Saying goodbye

Lucky ones will never
Share what we've shared
For I'm damned to know
Exactly just what might have been
Can't somebody stop this?
I feel like I'm drowning
And everywhere I turn the water's deeper

It would tear out my heart
To be nothing more to you
Than a smile that occasionally
Crosses your face
Twenty five years from now
What will we have?
A pile of ash called
What could have been?

Treasures can slip through your fingertips
And sapphires melt in your hands
As I gaze in your jaded eyes
I pray that this road isn't ending

Walking down this road
I thought I felt you hold my hand
But looking I can see my palm is empty
How can you turn from me?
All that I wanted
Was to catch the stars and lay them at your feet

It would tear out my heart
To be nothing more to you
Than a smile that occasionally
Crosses your face
Treasures can slip through your fingertips
And sapphires melt in your hands
You turn to me with your jaded eyes
And I'm scared that I know how this ends

And everything fell into place
But now it is falling apart
I'm trying to hold on
But I can see you fading

Be quick-Or you've missed it
Sometimes when our backs are turned the choice is made
Once-In a lifetime
If you didn't see it coming then you're much too late

This self constructed prison
Is comfortable and warm
But I can't escape the feeling
That there must be something more

Everything we've been through
That's made us who we are
Has brought us here and now the choice is ours to make
I'm begging you
I'm pleading on my knees
I can't believe that this was just a big mistake

From jeweled gemstone memories
To jaded guarded energies
To just gentle victory
I know we could last
Tell me what I've got to do
Tell me what I've got to do
To get inside your heart

Where did we go
When there are no more conspiracies?
When there's only you and only me
Seeing each other for the first time?

I pledge myself
If you stumble I will carry you
And wipe away the tears if you will mine

And I'm holding out for a miracle
But I'm scared to let go of the bird in my hand
And afraid that I've run out of time for a second chance
I want to drown myself in your eyes
I want to believe but I'm scared that you're lying
Tell me there's hope for the ghost of a second chance

Chances are meant
Meant to be taken
But life's so fragile
And it's breaking into pieces
Somebody help me
I feel like I'm dying
And I'm reaching for your hand
But it's not there
And I pray we won't know
What we're missing
And we'll never imagine
What might have been
But twenty five years from now
I'll still hold on
To a fading dream
Of me and you

Treasures have slipped through my fingertips
And the sapphire vanished from my hand
I'll never forget the look in your eyes
When you lied and said this wasn't ending

Treasures have slipped through my fingertips
And the sapphire vanished from my hand
I say goodbye to your jaded eyes
As we reach our unnatural end

THE DEATH OF FAITH & REASON

Wipe out all the wonder from creation
Replace it all with fractals
And synthesize the beauty and design
Pulling wings off spiritual flies
So smug and oh so certain
That yours is the enlightened state of mind
Your soul will contemplate its emptiness
Mired in the figures and equations in your head
Embrace the black

Turn away from civilized society
Wrap yourself in ignorance
And force us to accept on pain of death
Marry myths with superstitious nonsense
And damn the nonbelievers
Salvation's yours, to hell with all the rest
No absolutes are so self-evident
Twisted by your hate, the very word of God
And instrument of death

And who can say which to path to take?
Or bind another's fate?
A billion-fold extremists' point of view create our hell
Each must be entitled to the conscience of the King
There's nothing left to wait for but the tolling of the bell

And who can say which to path to take?
Or bind another's fate?
A billion-fold extremists' point of view create our hell
Each must be entitled to the conscience of the King
There's nothing left to wait for but the tolling of the bell