[Music & Words: Jon Oliva, Al Pitrelli, Paul O'Neill]
Stands all alone
Looks in the mirror
And sees what she wanted to be
Safely unknown
To anyone near her
She sees what she wanted to see
And turns to me
And turns to me
And turns to...
She was prophesied
For an early slide
Followed it to the letter
Well kept beauty queen
If there, always seen
Still you thought she'd know better
No erasing
The time you're wasting
But when you're wasting
You don't care
All those pieces
In short term leases
But when you need them
They're not there
For all those moments of yesterday
She's traded every tomorrow
And now all those moments are so far away
Ghosts haunt each word she would say
As she walks among the decay
She had oscar wilde's
Timeless sense of style
As had been her intention
Still she was afraid
Time must be repaid
And there'd be no redemption
Youth and time collide
She could not decide
On a certain direction
Time was catching up
Carefully made up
She avoided detection
For all those moments of yesterday
She's traded every tomorrow
And now all those moments are so far away
I saw it too
Closer than you
What else is there left to say
Wait for me now
I will be there for you
This I will vow
If you still want me to
But it won't be
This I have always known
And in the dark
There's no one to pray for me now
I don't understand what I'm feeling tonight
I don't understand but I'm waiting
Searching the shadows that fade in the light
But I'm feeling alive
Trying to survive
Float with the tide
Till you arrive and I...
SO HE NOW TURNED TO THE OCEAN
SAYING IT WAS NEVER MEANT TO BE
AND THE OCEAN NEVER SAID A WORD
THOUGH IN TRUTH SHE DISAGREED
AND ON THE SAND BEFORE HIM
WHILE THE WAVES BROKE GENTLY WHITE
THE OCEAN LISTENED CAREFULLY
AS HE TOLD HER OF HIS LIFE
I HAVE BEEN AROUND THE WORLD
I'VE PURSUED THE MOON IN FLIGHT
I HAVE READ THE WORDS OF SHAKESPEARE
BY A MIDNIGHT ARCTIC LIGHT
I HAVE RUN BETWEEN THE DRAGON'S TEETH
AND LIVED TO TELL THE TAIL
I HAVE DANCED ACROSS A STARDUST SKY
AND NEVER LEFT A TRAIL
I'VE SEEN THINGS FEW COULD IMAGINE
AND I NEVER WILL FORGET
BUT I'VE NEVER HAD A FAMILY
AND THIS I DO REGRET
NOW ALL I'VE LOVED HAVE GONE BEFORE ME
AND OF THE FUTURE I HAVE GREAT DOUBTS
AND THOUGH IT SEEMS I STILL HAVE TIME LEFT
I NOW FEEL TIME I CAN DO WITHOUT
AND I HAVE WONDERED TO MYSELF
WHY SHOULD DEATH SET ITS OWN TIME
IS IT JUST A FINAL JEST FROM FATE
TO ADD ONTO HER OTHER CRIMES?
FOR I HAVE NO WISH TO WAIT AROUND
WHILE ALL MY SENSES FADE
AND ONE BY ONE RETURN THE GIFTS
THAT YOUTH SO FREELY GAVE
WIRED TO SOME COLD MACHINE
THAT MAPS MY EVERY BREATH
AND SIGNALS AT THE PROPER TIME
LESS THEY SHOULD MISS MY DEATH
AND ALL THIS SERVICE I SUSPECT
IS LESS DONE BY GOODWILL
THAN BY THE FEAR THAT THEY SHOULD MISS
A FINAL CHANCE TO BILL
SO I'VE DECIDED TO LEAVE THIS WORLD
AND HAVE DEVISED A PLAN
TO SAIL TO SEA IN A SMALL BOAT
WELL OUT OF SIGHT OF LAND
TO SAIL ONCE MORE UPON THE DEEP
LIKE A VIKING TO HIS RESTING PLACE
THEN SLIP FOREVER NEATH THE WAVES
AN EXIT WITH SOME GRACE
AND THE SHIP SHALL BE MY COFFIN
ON THIS LAST VOYAGE THAT I TAKE
AND MY TRAIL LEFT THROUGH THE WATER
WILL BE MY FINAL WAKE
I HAVE DONE MORE THAN THOUGHT ABOUT THIS
ON MY LIFE I'VE CLOSED EVERY DOOR
I HAVE LEFT A WILL BESIDE MY BED
AND THE BOAT IS THERE OFFSHORE
AND ALL I ASK IS YOUR ASSISTANCE
WHEN THAT SHIP IS WELL AWAY FROM THE LAND
THAT YOU SEND A STORM TO EMBRACE US
AND TAKE US GENTLY IN YOUR HAND
WHEN HE HAD FINISHED SPEAKING
SOME POINTS THE OCEAN DID CONCEDE
BUT WHEN HE SAID HIS FINAL WORD
SHE ONCE MORE DISAGREED
I'LL THINK ABOUT THIS IF I MAY
I NEED NOT RUSH THE TIDE
FOR IN THIS WORLD OF TOO LITTLE TIME
THERE'S ALWAYS TIME TO DIE
YOU SEEM SO EAGER TO END THIS LIFE
AND WITH YOUR DEATH TO DANCE
THAT YOU IGNORED HIS PUTRID BREATH
NOW PERFUMED WITH ROMANCE
THE SAILOR SAID YOU CANNOT UNDERSTAND
THE NEEDS OR WANTS OF MEN
SO I'LL ASK YOU ONCE MORE FOR YOUR HELP
AND I SHALL NOT ASK AGAIN
THEN THE OCEAN PULLED HER WAVES BACK
AND BECKONED HIM STAND NEAR
AND WHEN HE HAD STEPPED CLOSER
SHE WHISPERED IN HIS EAR
THAT EVERY MAN
IS BORN YOU SEE
BENEATH THE SWORD
DAMOCLES
FOR YOUNG AND OLD
ARE ALL ALIVE
ON THAT NEXT BEAT
ON WHICH WE RIDE
AND THAT BEAT IS SUCH
A FRAGILE THING
IN BOTH OLD MEN
OR YOUTHFUL KING
AND THAT BEAT
STANDS ALL ALONE YOU SEE
BETWEEN US
AND BLACK ETERNITY
AND THOUGH DEATH IS SURELY
EACH MAN'S FATE
UNTIL THAT TIME
LET EACH MAN WAIT
SO BE CAREFUL AS YOU GO THROUGH LIFE
WHAT YOU ROMANTICIZE
I FIND SUCH THINGS ARE RARELY TRUE
AND FAR MORE RARELY WISE
THE SAILOR THEN LISTENED CAREFULLY
AND EVERY THOUGHT WAS FILED
AND THOUGH HE WAS STILL NOT QUITE CONVINCED
HE AGREED TO WAIT AWHILE
AND MEANWHILE FURTHER DOWN THE BEACH
THERE STOOD A YOUNGER MAN
AND HE TOO FELT THE SAND OF TIME
WAS RUNNING THROUGH HIS HANDS
BUT THIS YOUTH FELT THEY RAN TOO FAST
AS HE STOOD NEAR A RUSTING DOCK
AND HEARD THE WAVES MARKING TIME
LIKE SOME RELENTLESS CLOCK
HE FELT HIS FUTURE WAS NOT HERE
OF THIS HE HAD NO DOUBT
AND EVEN THOUGH HE WAS EIGHTEEN
HIS TIME WAS RUNNING OUT