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BURNING
(I Arkley)
Shedding my old skin
Looking down, deep within
Falling, fading, all is changing
There is no normality
I can feel, I can taste
Nothing
Everything laid to waste
Burning
Marching backwards through the years
Facing long forgotten fears
Yearning, searching for a reason
What is my identity?
It all lies in ruins
The world that I once knew
I'm searching the wreckage
Just to find a grain of truth
All of us shadows of our former selves
Must still receive some illumination
Frustration, confusion, set me free
I walk through the shadows, of my sorrow
And fall down to my knees
Oh Lord, please comfort me
Marching backwards through the past
Facing all my fears at last
Lost within the creeping shadows
Twisted, charred remains have cast
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BY MY OWN HAND
(Lyrics: K Hamilton.
Music: K Hamilton & I Arkley)
As I lay down
My aching flesh embraced the wasted ground
The fading day retreats again
The fearless night will follow
Consuming life-like shadows
There's nothing more to see
The hollow world
That lies beyond my reach
Within the other sad souls dwell
Without a place for me
Consuming life-like shadows
There's nothing more to see
The braided web beneath my skin
The fragile veil that holds me in
And when it's lifted from my eyes
No more illusion, no disguise
And in the shroud of my despair
No hope, no light, no prayer.
I see the strangers stand and stare
The secrets of my heart laid bare
Their cold hard hands concede no care
And now I see I am alone
For all but one a faceless man
Who whispers softly in my ear
Confides in me the hollow truth
As empty as my broken form
Left as my soul prepares to flee
And now I see I am alone
I lie alone
My sallow flesh no longer can I call my own
A fate enthrals those gathered round
By my own hand, by my own hand
And as oblivion, once welcome
Now unfurls before me
An endless void, a fallen pride
From here there's but one road
And as the snow begins to fall like ash around me
To conceal my mortal shame
My instinct screams to pull myself back
From the point of no return
My frozen limbs lie at my side
My weakened heart is almost still
The dimming of my troubled thoughts
The raging of an iron will
Raging for a life soon cast aside
No resolution with it's end
Weeping for the lives they lived in vain
No choice in death, no chance to mend
And through the burning tears that never fall
I find my sight slowly restored
What once seemed a desperate flight
Morphs into a fate abhorred
And then I find a calm resolve
Heavy eyes stung by the hungry cold
Faltering I walk away
By my own hand
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CRUEL GREY SKIES
(Lyrics: I Arkley.
Music: K Hamilton, I Arkley & A Lee)
Cruel grey skies - Run for cover
In her eyes see her lover
Fear the falling rain as you shelter
Your world drowned, lost forevermore
Reaping a harvest of ruin
Nothing remains
Leave it behind as your ships sail away
He has reaped where he did not sow
And keeps what he did not own
In her arms he lies, where you used to be
Her chains broken - merciful release
Nothing remains
Searching for yesterdays dream
Reaping in vain
Long ago you were standing there
No-one knows, no-one can prepare
He beholds your world, now your eyes are blind
You let it slip away, now you're left behind
Let your ships sail away
Leave behind all your tears
All your hate
All this desolation
Drift upon open seas
Distant shores rise for thee
For you, for your salvation.
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DYING
FROM THE FEAR OF DEATH
(Lyrics: K Hamilton & A Lee. Music: I Arkley & K Hamilton)
Dying from the fear of death
Could this be my final breath
Hold my head up to the light
Darker now my fading sight
Carried on the turning tide
Further ever from your side
I have felt the longing grow
All my deeds lie wasted now
I am longing to be free
I am calling out to thee
But your voice is gone from me
Now your voice has gone from me
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THE DYING THINGS WERE LIVING FOR
(Lyrics: I Arkley. Music: I Arkley, A Lee & K Hamilton)
I've seen the evil so many hands have done
I've seen the beauty of the earth and of the setting sun
And on my knees I've begged for battles to be won
But when we bleed no more, what do we become?
And when at last we breathe our final precious breath
I hope there's something more
What are we hoping for?
(What are we yearning for?)
Without a guiding hand we wander endlessly
Am I a fool to seek release from all that's killing me?
When time has passed for once held certainties
A need remains: a refuge from your misery
And when at last we breathe our final precious breath
And when at last we're summoned unto death
Is there an open door?
Will there be any more?
What will remain from all these dying things we're living for?
I've seen the evil so many hands have done
I've seen the beauty of the earth and of the setting sun
And on my knees I've cried to you for battles to be won
Will you be standing there when the dying is done?
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ENCIRCLE
(I Arkley)
For years I was held
in a suffocating grip
I closed my eyes, I bit my lip
I cried to you, too young, too weak to fly
Afraid to move, Would I suffer if I tried?
Does the sun still shine like in my dreams
Does it light up the outside of the walls that encircle me
Is it just an illusion the things I see
Through crumbling stone, light begins to bleed
As I become someone I do not recognise
Caressed by fear, afraid to open blinded eyes
Behind the walls the naïve one so frightened
Cannot loosen the grip, it just keeps getting tightened
I know I saw the light begin to bleed
There's a world outside, it lies before me
A world on the outside of love and dreams
I wish to lead my life, I wish to walk the path of freedom
(But) if I hate, I'll never escape
The pain that imprisons me
With you I learned to live and breathe again
Learned to loosen the grip, then I broke the chains
As the ghosts of fears fade, I see in perfect clarity
Leave behind the ruins of the walls that imprisoned me
And the sun still shines like in my dreams
The world still turns, but not as once it seemed
My mind is clear, my eyes, my spirit see
As your broken hands are healing wounds in me
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FALL OF THE FLIGHTLESS
(Lyrics: K Hamilton.
Music: I Arkley & K Hamilton)
Crimson drops on the scarred white sand,
Blood spilled in an unknown land.
Contours of hills
In the distance like bone
Shrouded in mist they remind me of home.
The singer forgiven for you loved his song,
Choking on words that froze on your tongue.
The waves rush in,
As my footsteps fall,
Flightless I leap, silent I fall.
So many tears,
Cried at night.
Distort the past,
Deny my sight.
Dissolution of envy.
Vanity was always on your side.
Blinded by the giving sun,
I close my eyes and see what I've become.
Unspoken words can never lie,
But in your eyes the fascination fades.
Hold my gaze and look away,
The changing stars that lead me astray.
So many tears
Fill my dreams
Follow the tide
Defy the sea (Defy my dreams)
Flightless I leap.
Silent I fall.
Falling from grace,
I can wait no more.
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FALLEN LEAVES
(I Arkley)
See the shadows you leave behind
As your final share of time
Draws nearer
Who is standing by your side
Grieving as you cling to life
Growing weaker
So all these years come and pass us by
Fallen leaves that feed the earth
From which another tree grows
From seeds we have sown
And none of us knows when the cycle will end
See the light you leave behind
As your final share of time
Draws nearer
see their faces by your side
They bid farewell to a precious life
Growing weaker
So all these years come and pass us by
Fallen dead leaves feed the earth
From which no other trees grow
though seeds have been sown
The living must know now
The cycle has ended
But what have we sown?
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FINIO
(K Hamilton)
(Instrumental)
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HERETIC
(I Arkley)
As I feel the warming sun upon the earth
I stand outside the gates of my birth
Wise men know the answers, see them raise their stones
I stand here alone
Inside of the city gates, they gather round
Too enthralled by their designs to hear the sound
Voices of the dispossessed; they cry for hope
But they cry alone
Where is the voice inside to comfort me?
I plead. I cry for you
I'm lost within the fields of emptiness
So blind, paralysed
Don't leave me here to die
We're lost within the fields of emptiness
So blind, paralysed
Have we been left to die?
I have seen the morning sun
I have lived under the glow of life
Am I lost? A darker path I walk alone
Too weary to return; too weak to carry on
There must be a way to see you
I shy away as the hypocrites' whips crack
Their words, their wisdom, mean nothing to me anymore
My hope torn like rags on this beggar's back
They lead you up the hill as one accused of blasphemy
Observe you coldly, as they tie your body to the cross
And as you bleed they search their souls and find no guilt within
Self righteous killers- never knowing what they've lost
Still I want to stand before you
Still I'm locked within this cage
I want to see beyond their cities
To the place where only you remain
Still I falter when I run from you
I see an image of your pain
I want to see beyond their cities
To the place where only you remain
I see
Your pain
Look beyond their cities
To this place
I bleed I cry, I plead for you
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HUNTING SEASON
(I Arkley)
Why run my friend?
There's nowhere left to hide
Why search the ruins?
There's nothing left to find
We live, we breathe
But we are numb to life
We grieve
The tears have dried in our eyes
And beauty - we pass it by
Purity - cast aside
We carry a crushing weight
Our fear, our lust and all our hate
Our fears and all our hate
Our fears and all the violence of all these years
The burden of all our fears
Where will it end
There's nowhere left to hide
There's nothing left to find
Such beauty we do not see
We pass it by
While we destroy each others lives
Still we kill, still we maim
We ruin, we blacken
We're still those children
The ones who mock and threaten
With our own rhyme and reason
This is our hunting season
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IN DARKNESS
(I Arkley & A
Lee)
Have mercy on me as I
plead for forgiveness
Observe with compassion, these tears of remorse
I awoke in a prison enshrouded in darkness
Out of my depth with my face to the floor
Please reach out
Rescue me
Take my hand
Do not forsake me
With blood cleanse me
As I yearn for salvation
Look upon the face of a man lost in sorrow
Who lives out his days with a burden of fear
But now as you lead, help me to follow
As a prisoner no more, for I am released
Have mercy on me
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IN THE GLOW OF THE AUTUMN SUN
(I Arkley)
In the glow of the autumn sun
We walk again in fallen leaves
And as I draw you near
I hear the sound of the bells from faraway
Carried on the breeze
Bringing with it all this yearning
To be at peace again
In the chill of the winter wind
I walk again in solitude
And as I bow my head
I hear the echoes of things long passed away
Carried on the air
Bringing with them all this yearning
To be at peace again
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INTO SILENCE
(I Arkley)
Did you get a glimpse of how it's meant to be?
As a child in a perfect world, lost within your dreams
And did you wake one day to find you've lost it all?
Take refuge in your memories
Time keeps moving on
Yesterday is lost forever
Those precious dreams forgone
It leaves you cold inside
Now the hour has passed from us
Into silence
So is this how life's supposed to be?
Do you remember now, how you used to feel?
And do you weep alone and grieve for passing years?
Take refuge, my friend, in your memories
Time keeps moving on
Yesterday is lost forever
Those precious dreams forgone
Still we yearn for something more
The prison of lifeless apathy
Creeping slowly, endless entropy
This burden-our mortality
All our fears, all our vanity
Rise above this numbing agony
While there's something left to feel
No refuge in my memories
Today, tomorrow is everything
Today we make a path to walk upon
Tomorrow to wake, and then to journey on
For the hour is now upon us
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LOOK BEYOND THE FLESH LOOK BEYOND
THE MIND
(Lyrics: I Arkley & K Hamilton. Music: I Arkley & K Hamilton)
We see the sin before the saint
We see the curse before the blessing
We shake the little that remains
Until we are left with nothing
Look beyond the flesh, look beyond the mind
We see the freak before the person
We see the scars before the healing
We hear the lie before the reason
We crave the answer not it's meaning
We seek the judgement and not the understanding
We see the house and not the place we shared
We look past the story to the ending
We see the tears and not the soul you bared
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LOST
(I Arkley)
I've been to the
depths where they show you
The meaning of sorrow
I kept my life because I still needed tomorrow
There is always something remaining
In the back of my foolish mind
To keep me searching the pathway
For an answer that I left behind
Don't leave me behind
When you've taken all you can take
There's really nothing left
Of what you thought was living
Now it's so much worse than death
There's nothing left to offer
And now you're falling blind
Can't seem to find a way back
A feeling that you're lost this time
So take my hand
And walk with me
All is not lost
I've been to the depths, so don't tell me
I've never known sorrow
Still reeling from yesterday
Still bleeding tomorrow
But there's always something remaining
At the back of my foolish mind
To keep me searching the pathway
Till I stumble at the end of my time
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MAN IN BLACK
(John R Cash)
Well, you wonder why I always dress in black
Why you never see bright colors on my back
And why does my appearance seem to have a somber tone
Well, there's a reason for the things that I have on
I wear the black for the poor and the beaten down
Livin' in the hopeless, hungry side of town
I wear it for the prisoner who has long paid for his crime
But is there because he's a victim of the times
I wear the black for those who never read
Or listened to the words that Jesus said
About the road to happiness through love and charity
Why, you'd think he's talking straight to you and me
Well, we're doin' mighty fine, I do suppose
In our streak of lightnin' cars and fancy clothes
But just so we're reminded of the ones who are held back
Up front there ought 'a be a man in black
I wear it for the sick and lonely old
For the reckless ones whose bad trip left them cold
I wear the black in mournin' for the lives that could have been
Each week we lose a hundred fine young men
And, I wear it for the thousands who have died
Believen' that the lord was on their side
I wear it for another hundred thousand who have died
Believen' that we all were on their side
Well, there's things that never will be right I know
And things need changin' everywhere you go
But 'til we start to make a move to make a few things right
You'll never see me wear a suit of white
Ah, I’d love to wear a rainbow every day
And tell the world that everything's ok
But I'll try to carry off a little darkness on my back
'Till things are brighter, I'm the man in black
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(currently unreleased)
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THE MIST
(I Arkley)
Where is your hand oh
my love
Lost in the mist I can't see
Paths where we walked are no more
And the light in your eyes has grown dim
Oh my love
Light in your eyes has grown dim
Once I could I could hear through the woods
Your voice as you called out my name
Finally fading away
Silence is all that remains
Now my love
Silence is all that remains
And that which I deemed without end
Draws to a close without time
Find for yourself a new dream
Though in our hearts we will grieve
For lost love
Though in our hearts we will grieve
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OCEANS OF TIME
(I Arkley)
Shadows will fall soon on all we have loved
Leaving forever
We are swept away
Lost on oceans of
time
Seems like some other
heart beating
When you look back on
all we have lost
As tears fall
Are we just swept
away
Children running from
time
Seems like some other
heart beating
Whatever happened to
mine?
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PENDULUM
(K Hamilton)
(Instrumental)
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A PHOTOGRAPH
(I Arkley)
On the mantelpiece stands a photograph
Soldier and his bride
One of many who had to
leave
To march, to fight,
to die
She will always
remember you and the look in your eyes
One of many who had
to leave
And they pushed you
to the limit
Fighting man, a
frightened child
And you saw her on
the battlefield
The closing moments
of your life
They will always
remember you and the look in your eyes
One of many who had
to leave
She is old now, she
has lived long, and not a day goes by
Without a thought of
you
An unspoken hope
To walk with you
beyond the skies
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REVOLUTION
(I Arkley)
You hope one day to feel less of this confusion
To find that lasting peace
is more than an illusion
But then you wake to
face another revolution
And as the world
keeps turning
You feel you're left
behind
Is there another
world beyond this cold existence
Can hope return to us
despite our own resistance
I wish the light would
come and filter through this distance
I hope one day to
feel less of this confusion
To find that lasting
peace is more than an illusion
But as I wake each
day it is to revolution
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SEVERED
(I Arkley)
Do you hear me when I cry out?
Do you see me in my darkest hour?
And as I passed through the years
Joy become tainted with sorrow
So dark, the way
I could no longer follow
Where doubt and fear reside
Killing dreams,
casting beauty aside
Can you reach me?
Through these walls that I hide behind
I could feel you in the stillness
And your morning lit my darkest hour
And I need you
Must I carry this weight forever?
Have I grieved you?
Have I severed my hope forever?
As we fall through the void of our broken dreams
Crying out to the only one left to hear
When the weight of our burdens, becomes too great
Can we lift up our eyes, I believe that it's not too late
And as we wish for hope that transcends the vanity of men
Deep down - inside, we yearn to begin again
Leave your fears behind
Cast your sorrow aside
Come close to me
As the walls fall away as the gates open wide
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SHADOW OF SORROW
(I Arkley)
As the last autumn
leaves are falling
Blackened skies yield rain, has the sun disappeared?
Another winter descends like dying hope
Let me see through it all that you're still near
Oh Lord
Never let me lose hope
If I stumble in the shadow of sorrow
Will you lift me, will you carry me through the years?
If the weight of the world brings me down to my knees
Will I feel you dry my bitter tears?
Oh Lord
I need to see you through my tears
Never let me lose hope
Lead me through, lead me on
lead me over the gates to a new tomorrow
In the days of disillusionment
Frustration and discontent
In the hours of doubt and disbelief
Days of mourning and of grief
Oh Lord
On the edge of the depths of despair
Never let me lose hope
Hear my cries!
Desperate hands reach out to you
Washed in tears of pain
In these eyes, remain the shadows of yesterday
Will you steal them away?
Hear my cries
Desperate hands reach out to you
You who suffered pain
In my mind, I see the weight that fell on you
To bring me home again
Give me hope again
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SHADOW REPRISE
(I Arkley)
(Instrumental)
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STORM
(Lyrics: I Arkley. Music: I Arkley & K Hamilton)
Come now to me
From this hell you've seen
Lost to the sea
I have seen you grieve
Your tears have torn
Shot down in your wars
Weather the storm
I've lived through them all
They bleed they fall
So few hear my call
I am the door
I would gather all
Do you hear my call
I have lived through the storm
Shot down in all your wars
I have bled and given all
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STURM
(I Arkley)
Come now to me
From this hell you've seen
Lost to the sea
I have seen you grieve
Your tears have torn
Shot down in your wars
Weather the storm
I've lived through them all
The broken, the poor
Have been given more
They see the dawn
As their masters mourn
They bleed they fall
So few hear my call
I am the door
I would gather all
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SULLEN EARTH
(I Arkley)
Night falls swiftly upon this sullen earth
Nothing lasts
Tomorrow all is gone
Tomorrow all is one
Again
All around I see rebirth, decay
It cannot last
Tomorrow all is gone
Tomorrow all is one
Again
Nothing lasts
Tomorrow all is gone
Time passed us slowly long ago
Within the woods and fields we roamed
Our joyful voices carried far away
To echo around the trees and stones
And in the end return us home
The glow of summer evenings falling on our way
But childhood ends, the wars begin
We chase our dreams-we break, we mend
Then wonder what became of yesterday
We make decisions through our pain
And bow our heads to run through flames
As revolution finds us once again
We know we each must walk - as all must walk
We each must walk alone
And we all must stand, blindly with our outstretched hands
To face this world alone
Where is the life we longed for?
What happened to the dreams we dreamed together?
Where is the hope we longed for?
What happened to those dreams now lost forever?
All alone in mourning
Is there any more?
See the leaves are falling
Lost forevermore
As the fires are burning
Only ash remains
Today as always
Dust to dust again
Again
Take me away
Take me so far away
When I lie in the earth, I so loved to roam
As it takes to itself my broken form
I'm falling away
Falling so far away
As I sink ever deeper I cry to you
Lift me out of the depths of this sullen earth
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THROUGH GREENEST MEADOWS
(I Arkley)
I ran with you
through greenest meadows
Entranced by you, (in) slow fading evening glow
You led me through where purest waters flowed
Remember you felt so safe in my arms
Long, long ago
So long ago
But now let me take you back
Through greenest meadows
I stand and stare at the distant hills
December sun falls on faraway fields
I'd do anything just to reach you again
To lie in your arms, for these wounds to heal
Let me take you back through greenest meadows
I want to see your eyes without tears tonight
Sunset streaks across the sky
Winter came, flowers died
Beautiful things, must they come to an end
So will tomorrow be the day our love dies
Walk with me my love
By flowing streams
Take my hand on the shores of the sea
Live again tonight with me
I stand and stare at the distant hills
December sun falls on faraway fields
Let me take you there again in my arms
For only as one are our dreams fulfilled
See me lying here
I cannot sleep
Can't sweep these cobwebs away
Solitary, with just a distant memory
These walls are closing in
I ran with you through greenest meadows
Entranced by you
We danced
So long ago, my love
But now let me take you back.
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TO BID FAREWELL
(I Arkley)
Too soon, you slipped
away
Those doors opened once again
My friend I miss you so
But you left something here below
Today, through meadows of our minds
We remember your dear life
Goodbye - and though we weep
Painless now you sleep
Gathered here
Each to relay
The love, words fail
We all try in our way
To bid farewell
(Dedicated to Timothy Cooper 1969-2006)
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TUNNELS
(I Arkley)
From the open fields
they beckon us
Tunnels
As the rains fall down they cover us
I knew my time had come to run where I had never run
Without the warmth of the sun
Circle of light to lead me on
And the light at the end never gets any nearer
Alone in a dream where you know it's too late
How can I ever feel the sun again?
Never ending the walls of fear and decay
Far behind I can still hear the rain
Circle of light still draws me away
I think I'm lost forever within this cursed place
Damned to search in darkness for the light I can't embrace
Haunted by the silence of the words I never spoke
Forced to face the violence of the madness we invoke
Is this real...is this just a dream?
Open fields - I remember you
Blue skies - I still yearn for you
One light shines within these walls
I walk where the circle falls
Are you real.....Are you just a dream?
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WAKE
(I Arkley)
(Instrumental)
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WILDERNESS OF THORNS
(Lyrics: A Lee.
Music: A Lee & I Arkley)
In this wilderness of thorns
All you offer me
Is a garland of tears
And to suffer alone
Bleeding my hope
I am brought down
All you promise me
Is the agony to come
My existence is crushed
Dead since birth
I fed on your hope,
At your feast of comfort
Weary of life
i cried out to you
But all you offered me
Was the agony to come
Alone again
In these desert lands
I breathe the fire
Of your wrath
I have suffered
Too many days
Under these harsh skies
Now I walk,
With fire burnt skin
And I scream
For healing to come
Forty days
That never end
No bread but these stones
The agony to come
Memory of nails
Tearing my flesh
I hang before you
In the wilderness of thorns
I am parched,
I have nothing
I am broken
In the wilderness of thorns
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WOBE
(I Arkley)
(Instrumental)
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YOUR COLD EMBRACE
(I Arkley)
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