u know it's time, you see the sign
They say the point demons guard is
An ocean grave, for all the brave,
Was it you that said, "How long, how long,
How long to the point of know return?"

Your father, he said he needs you
Your mother, she says she loves you
Your brothers, they echo your words:
"How far to the point of know return?"
"Well, how long?"

Today I found a message floating
In the sea from you to me
It said that when you could see it
You cried with fear, the Point was near
Was it you that said, "How long, how long
To the Point of Know Return?"



Paradox

(Kerry Livgren / Steve Walsh)

I'm on fire
Burning with the question in my mind
Strange desire
Seems there's nothing else for me to find

'Cause I've been here, and I've been there,
Seems like I've been everywhere before
I've seen it all a hundred times
Still I think there surely must be more

I've been livin', I had to take my time and change my style
Now I wonder is something gonna make it all worthwhile

I know there's more than meets the eye
Like to see it 'fore I die for sure.
Something tells me it's all right
Only one step farther to the door

There ain't no feelin', feels the same as findin' out the key
Now I'm reelin', thinking of the things that I might see

I'm not afraid to face the light
I'm not afraid to think that I might fall
I was going nowhere fast
I was needing something that would last



The Spider

(Steve Walsh)

Instrumental



Portrait (He Knew)

(Kerry Livgren / Steve Walsh)

He had a thousand ideas, you might have heard his name
He lived alone with his vision
Not looking for fortune or fame
Never said too much to speak of
He was off on another plane
The words that he said were a mystery
Nobody's sure he was sane

But he knew, he knew more than me or you
No one could see his view, Oh where was he going to

He was in search of an answer
The nature of what we are
He was trying to do it a new way
He was bright as a star
But nobody understood him
"His numbers are not the way"
He's lost in the deepest enigma
Which no one's unraveled today

But he knew, he knew more than me or you
No one could see his view, Oh where was he going to
And he tried, but before he could tell us he died
When he left us the people cried,
Oh where was he going to?

He had a different idea
A glimpse of the master plan
He could see into the future
A true visionary man
But there's something he never told us
It died when he went away
If only he could have been with us
No telling what he might say

But he knew, he knew more than me or you
No one could see his view
Oh, where was he going to
But he knew, you could tell by the picture he drew
It was totally something new,
Oh where was he going to?



Closet Chronicles

(Steve Walsh / Kerry Livgren)

Once carried through the current
And being swept away
The king is in the closet
He's hiding from today
And though he owns all fortunes
This room is where he'll stay
And his world is filled with darkness, turning grey

Gazing out the window
Of the 42nd second floor
He is separate from all others
No one knocks upon his door
And it might as well be raining 'cause the sunlight hurts his eyes
And his ears will never hear the children's cries

Once proud and full of passion
He fought the cause of man
Many people loved his courage
Many followed his command
He changed the old into the new
And the course of things to come
And then one day they noticed he was gone

At first it didn't matter
Nobody seemed to care
They all became too busy
To find him anywhere do no one knew hot even him

The problems he would find
On the day he journeyed deep into his mind

I close my eyes I go far away
Away from this battlefield
In my dreams well here I will enjoy it
Where innocence plays with all the laughing children
The kind who are crying right now
A taste of freedom from the pain
Of everything here I see
Life is sweet but I took it all for granted
And now I don't know if I could even tell you
Just what we permit, we allow

Allow me to forget the life I've made my own
I've held this nation in my hand
And yet it's not my home
Allow me just one answer just one reason why
Why this refugee of the family of man must die
Tell me why

Daydreams filled his nighttimes
And night dreams filled his days
Confusion and uncertainty
A puzzled mind of haze
You thought he was so powerful
And set upon his ways
Well he left us all to travel through this maze

I heard the king was dying
I heard the king was dead
And with him died the chronicles
That no one ever read
The closet's fully empty now
It's occupied by none
I'll draw the drapes now destiny is done



Lightning's Hand

(Steve Walsh / Kerry Livgren)

Can you see me, do you know my position how quick is your eye?
I have no home, no reason to roam yet I travel the length of the sky
I stretch my fingers jagged icy white 'till my energy's all around
My clutch is swift, my force is fearful I convey it without a sound
I live to free the skies from everyone, watch me run - watch me

The north wind rises, old man's eyes wondering deeply as he locks his door
He knows the fear when I'm too near him, he's seen me angry before
The black intruding clouds approach as I release a destructive blow
All the crashing, all the flashing light brings terror upon my foe
I fight with force and power for my land
I command the lightning's hand!

Run for cover - Oh your life is in vain if you try to escape me
Don't look back - Oh your wealthy world cannot save you
'Cause I'm gonna break you
I hear them moan, I hear them weep because they feel I belong to the devil
They feel the pain, and will again 'till they stop reaching up for this level
No one will defeat me, no one can
I command the lightning's hand!



Dust In The Wind

(Kerry Livgren)

I close my eyes, only for a moment, and the moment's gone
All my dreams, pass before my eyes, a curiosity
Dust in the wind, all they are is dust in the wind
Same old song, just a drop of water in an endless sea
All we do, crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see

Dust in the wind, All we are is dust in the wind

Don't hang on, nothing lasts forever but the earth and sky
It slips away, all your money won't another minute buy

Dust in the wind, All we are is dust in the wind



Sparks Of The Tempest

(Kerry Livgren / Steve Walsh)

The sparks of the tempest rage a hundred years on
The voice of the dreamer screams, the cause of the pawn
The King and the Queen are gone, each piece is the same
The difference between us is a part of the game

Darkness is spreading like a spot on the sun
The dead are the living in the age of the gun
While everyone clamors for the justice they seek
The world is corrupted and the strong take the weak

They mold you and shape you, they watch what you do
The sparks of the tempest are burnin' you through
Spreading like wildfire, fallin' like rain
Though they may promise, they only bring pain

The future is managed, and your freedom's a joke
You don't know the difference as you put on the yoke
The less that you know the more you fall into place
A cog in the wheel, there is no soul in your face

Run for the cover, Millennium's here
Bearing the standard of confusion and fear
Spreading like wildfire, fallin' like rain
Though they may promise, they only bring pain

Blood in the sand, a cry in the street
Now the cycle is nearly complete
Ten thousand years, and nothing was learned
No turning back, now the wheel has turned

Big Brother is watching and he likes what he sees
A world for the taking, when he's ready to squeeze
The King and the Queen are gone, each piece is the same
The difference between us is a part of the game

Soothsayer saying now tell me no lies
What is this madness that is filling the skies
Spreading like wildfire, fallin' like rain
Though they may promise, they only bring pain



Nobody's Home

(Kerry Livgren / Steve Walsh)

It's empty now, no friendly face and nothing lives within
I look around and I find no trace to tell me what has been

So far I've come to find there's no one here, no life & fear
I came for nothing, they have gone
And Nobody's Home

I came to learn perhaps to teach but I can tell somehow
The world that I was sent to reach has got no future now
Across the galaxy to spread the word and no one heard
I came for nothing I'm alone and Nobody's Home

A requiem was never sung
No elegy was read
No monument was carved in stone in memory of the dead
For those who made this place do not remain they feel no pain
A stranger fate was never known



Hopelessly Human

(Kerry Livgren)

It's a strange aberration, this brainstorm of youth
Though it's lost in translation from fancy to truth
It's hopelessly human, both inside and out
A joyous occasion, no reason to doubt
It's easy somehow, what once was elusive is calling me now

I am waiting, I am patiently,
Doing nothing, in a reverie
Climbing higher, seeing everything
Interacting, slowly, spiralling
I am giving, while I'm watching the
Life I'm living, precious energy
Escalating, what was once just a game
It's never the same, no one's to blame

It's a strange situation, there's no cause for alarm
All these hot licks and rhetoric
Surely do you no harm
They're hopelessly human, both inside and out
A joyous occasion, there's no reason to doubt
When each word is read, would you know the difference
If nothing was said

All is rhythm, all is unity
I am laughing, as it's meant to be
Just amusing, I am using the
Word was given, making harmony
Moving slowly, dancing aimlessly
Endless circle, turning fearlessly
Resurrected, falling down again
Introspective, I'm just stating my views
Now you can choose, what do you feel
Is it for real this time