Arena

he core collective
We're all dragged in
Blind to the cause, we've been selected for

Elected for

Stand still
Like a ghost in the firewall
Watching all the blues and greens
As I listen to the rhythm of the fax machine

What will I be when winter comes again?
And we're wrapped up in furs and life has begun again
And it hurts to be away from you
From the world you made so well

What will I be when the summer comes once more?
And we're naked and weak in the eye of the sun once more

We're all sucked in

Leave it on the net - demands the optimist
No room for slaves to high tech reform
Maybe there's a way to save the pessimist
He could make it to the hills and ride out the storm

Formulas are set - declares the analyst
This is the road for everyone
Maybe we can hide, continue to exist
With a crate of bottled water and a sawn off shotgun

Try to survive
Don't look into his eyes
Try to stay alive
Don't look into his dead dead eyes

You can send me codes
From the safety of a chat room
In your grey ether clothes
I have looked into your soul

Looked into your soul

I'm sitting with my head in the radiogram
Waiting for some sign of a ghost or a little green man
Glued to the glowing of a sun behind the plastic hood
And the bass heavy tones that ooze from the pores in the wood

Oh, no! I can't go there again
Oh, no! Was this ever meant to be?

I'm sitting on the floor with the book in my hand
Dreaming of the world in a way that only children can
And I listen for the emanating sounds from the hidden choirs
The message in the radiant valves and red hot wires

Oh, no! I can't go there again
Oh, no! Was this ever meant to be?

To think it has come to this
Ruled by indifference, underlying waves of doubt
Such arrogant self reliance
Too far we have travelled out

Nervous in our sentience
Ordinary people, objects and events
Now is a time of foolish fears
Emotions run high and needless tears are shed

He has the face of a friend
And shall reach across the world into every home
We invite him in and offer no defence
And with every given soul he reaches for his throne

He has the face of an angel
As he leads us in the dance
Until we find ourselves alone

So we're standing in the moviedrome
Staring at the shadows and the falling lights
Prisoners forever in the moviedrome
Letting all the pictures be the guide to our fragile lives

Did we ever really learn?
Did we never really learn?

The human race has found its own true home
The dwelling places of these high tech lies
The few that see the world beyond the moviedrome
Must march on through the wilderness of fantasy, false images and pride



A crack in the ice

(Mitchell/Jowitt/Nolan/Pointer)

Dead calm
Raining all over me
Too late
Sense of mortality

Dark skies
Threaten to swallow me
Down to the flame
While my flesh and my bone melt away

I defy you to stand
On the crack in the ice
With the power of your hand
On the crack in the ice

Men
Raped and discarded
Are left dead
The vultures will feed on them

Lost cause
Tearing this life apart
Thrown to the flame
While my flesh and my bone melt away

I defy you to stand
On the crack in the ice
With the power of your hand
On the crack in the ice

Take this moment so close to my heart
You held the white rose out just before we parted
Take this moment so far away in dreams
I can feel the thorns bite but the flower died, it seems

Hold this feeling so far away in dreams
I can feel the thorns bite but the flower starts to bleed

I defy you to stand on
The crack in the ice
With the power of your hand
On the crack in the ice

I defy you to stand on
The crack in the ice
With the power of your hand
On the crack in the ice



Double vision

(Mitchell/Jowitt/Nolan/Pointer)

I've seen that face before
Demon eyes watch what an angel once saw
And I've seen that face before
Lying in shadows but hard to ignore

Nowhere to run
Nowhere to hide

I've seen this place before
A wilderness born from the torment of souls
Yes, I've seen this place before
A memory lost as the story unfolds

Nowhere to run
Nowhere to hide
Nowhere to run
Nowhere to hide

"I will always find you!"

We played this game before
Counting no cost but keeping the score
Yes, we played this game before
Eyes to the front and backs to the wall

I've stood right here before
I've stood right here before
I've stood right here before
I've stood right here before



Midas vision

(Nolan/Pointer)

Creeping out into the night
Keep your hands outstretched and your eyes closed tightly
Running out on your own
Don't answer the door or the telephone

This is no kind of a dream
Not a blessing but a curse
This is no illusion
You've had them before, this isn't the first

Reaching out, so cold
What did I say? Did I do
To lose my hold on you

Everything you touch
With your fingertips hurts so much
There's a fallen wish
It's shattered on the ground like a broken gift

The Midas vision
Was always beating in your heart
The foolish greed, the golden seed
Is dragging out of the reason and tearing you apart

Reaching out, so cold
What did I say? Did I do
To lose my hold on you

Reaching out with all that I could give
What should I say? Should I do
To make you

Holding out, holding out your hands
Open up, open up your eyes
Is that the knock or the ringing of the bell?
Open the door to your own private hell

Reaching out, so cold
What did I say? Did I do
To lose my hold on you

Reaching out with all that I could give
What should I say? Should I do
To make you start to live again

Reaching out, so cold
What did I say? Did I do
To lose my hold on you

Reaching out with all that I could give
What should I say? Should I do
To make you live again



Serenity

(Mitchell/Jowitt/Nolan/Pointer)

Instrumental track



The butterfly man

(Mitchell/Nolan)

He waits in the dark
For lives, misguided and wrecked
The catcher of innocent souls
He's proud of his human collection

Of losers who give up the chase
Of winners who fail to look 'round
He creeps up behind the fallen and blind
They're gone with hardly a sound

Save me!
Oh, somebody reach out a hand
Save me!
From eternity caught in the grip of the butterfly man

He waits in the dark
For the scent of anger or hate
He hides behind ignorance
And it's never for long that he has to wait

A gentle caress
Is enough before fear takes a hold
The warning signs come far too late
By then he'll have captured your soul

Save me!
Somebody reach out a hand
Save me!
From the agony caught in the grip of the butterfly man

Save me!
Oh, somebody reach out a hand
Save me!
From eternity caught in the grip of the butterfly man

I've been here for so long
Don't even know what my purpose ever was
I don't even know where I belong

Through the years I've been waiting
Even time has lost it's meaning
Don't even know where I belong

Can't ever turn from this path
Don't even know what alternatives there are
Perhaps I wandered too far

I've been here for so long
Don't even hope for an end to all of this
I have no choice but to carry on

There you are
Fighting to escape from the womb
Dying in the snares of your chosen beliefs
Were you not set free far too soon?

There you are
Bathing in the warmth of creation
Drowning in the blood of your chosen beliefs
Prisoners of fate living in a state of sedation

Save me!
Oh, somebody reach out a hand
Save me!
Oh, somebody reach out a hand

Save me!
From eternity caught in the grip of the butterfly man

He waits in the dark
The catcher of elegant souls
Extravagant souls
Belligerent souls

He waits in the dark
His arms open wide
Never too short
Never too tall

He'll take them all



The hanging tree

(Mitchell/Jowitt/Nolan/Pointer)

Walk along the waterfall
Watching as the world turns red
Wonder where the river flows
And the blood on the river bed

Poison lies too close to us
Reach across the salt and the sand
Moving deeper into the land

Following the waterfall
Watching as the world turns green
Wonder where the river flows
The copper face remains unseen

Ignorance has failed to cleanse
Reach across the salt and the sand
Moving deeper into the land

Crying as the earth cries out
Weeping as the land decays
Wonder if I could have helped
Maybe I'd have found a way

Poison lies too close to us
Reach across the salt and the sand
Moving deeper into the land

Cling to the branch of a tree
That was waiting for
Something to preach
Someone to teach

The word was the first
And the last to be heard
From the branch of the tree
It was praying for me to fall down

Climb to the top of a tree
That was waiting for
Someone to warn
A life to be torn into

Pieces of gold
For a soul to be sold
And the heart of the tree
Was crying for me to come back

Take me to the hanging tree
There's a man in the light and he's pointing at me
Guide me to the hanging tree
It's the place that I come from

Walk along the waterline
Reach across the salt and the sand
Moving deeper into the land

Take me to the hanging tree
There's a boy in the light and he's staring at me
Take me to the hanging tree
It's the place that I come from

Walk along the waterline
Reach across the salt and the sand
Moving deeper into the land

I'm falling
Falling down again



A state of grace

(Mitchell/Jowitt/Nolan/Pointer)

Thinly veiled, a cruel disguise
Vengeance lies behind these eyes
Glaring from the pulpit
As the fallen angels follow me

Plageristic sermons
Hiding voyeuristic undertones
Foolishly they will embrace
And ignorant they follow me

You've never truly known
The kind of place that I come from
You turned your back on all the signs
That bore the words of warning

Come to me, my simple child
Tear apart your innocence
Pray with me, beloved son
And I will help you find a way

Think before you throw yourself
Upon the tables and the merchants
Are you sure this temple
Isn't just another cruel perversion?

You've never truly known
The kind of place that I come from
You turned your back on all the signs
That bore the words of warning

Don't look for comfort in this house of mine
Don't ask for mercy at my image or my shrine
Don't seek forgiveness at this house of mine
Don't build a temple here and wait for me to walk into the fire

I will make this promise now
A simple thing, a sacred vow
Come with me, my pretty angel
I will show you how to fly

We will fall together
Into unforgiving night we plunge
Chained by sin and clothed by guilt
We will be as one forever

Don't look for comfort in this house of mine
Don't ask for mercy at my image or my shrine

Don't look for comfort in this house of mine
Don't break the holy bread or drink the holy wine
Don't seek forgiveness at this house of mine
Don't build a temple here and wait for me to walk into the fire



Enemy without

(Mitchell/Jowitt/Nolan/Pointer)

Something on the edge of this place
Something on the edge of my mind
Getting closer to me
Growing stronger in me all the time

The young foretell a life ahead
The old look back on a life that's been led
But I, I see nothing
Got too much sand across my head

Sit there waiting for the phone to ring
Hopes in the attic, tied up with string
On a top shelf bottom drawer, any place I could ignore
The falling of this hero

No! Don't let the child die here
Don't let the child die here
Don't let his life just fade away
Don't let the child die

I made a promise, my soul laid bare
Signed and sealed on a wing, on a prayer
But thrown to the darkness
It lies beyond repair

This solemn oath I swore to you
Has been neglected and unused
In a back room, not on show, anywhere just not to know
The falling of this hero

No! Don't let the child die here
Don't let the child die here
Don't let his life just fade away
Don't let the child die

I let the orphan fall
Tears remained unseen
I let the child die
On signal fifteen

I missed the vital signs
And all of the meanings

You cannot judge me, that's not your place
There's a jury for the crime's of my disgrace
You hide behind those vacant words
Have you seen what I've seen? Have you heard what I've heard?

You cannot judge me, that's not your right
This is my room, no key, no light
You stand behind those faithless words
Have you seen what I've seen? Have you heard what I've heard?

No! Don't let the child die here
Don't let the child die here
Don't let his life just fade away
Don't let the child die here

Don't let the child die here
Don't let the child die here
Don't let his life just fade away
Don't let the child die here



Crying for help VII

(Nolan/Pointer)

Help me, help me!
Oh, help me!

Let us share this hope
That we may close our eyes in peace
Follow what may rise from this
Standing in the halls of grace

Let my people go
Was the cry I heard from far away
I should have known
Not to trust every word I heard them say

Help me, help me!
Oh, help me!

There's a face I can see
Staring back in desperation
Nowhere to turn to now
Drowning in this sea of fate

Don't run, don't hide
The devil will find you anywhere
We should never have lied
The sin was always there

Help me, help me!
Oh, help me!

This choice must be free
Answers do not grow on trees
We must face our enemies
With faith in one another

Don't fall down, don't lie down
You can lean on me, my friend
The future may not bring us luck
But together we can go down fighting

Help me, help me!
Oh, help me!
Help me, help me!
Oh, help me!