Profoundly moved by a Prog lyric?

[Jubal]

This morning I was watching disc 2 of the Transatlantic Whirlwind Live from Sheoherd's Bush Empire, London. It has Bridge Across Forever and Stranger In Your Soul. While I enjoyed Bridge Across Forever, it left me wanting for more direct lyrics. Stranger In Your Soul gradually captured me, and by the end, I was in tears.
My oldest son at 24 is finally in his first serious relationship. The lyrics of this song really capture the feeling of realization that there is a stranger in our soul that is not really known until we are truly loved in the romantic sense. The feelings of emptiness and loneliness I remembered from high school and college suddenly overwhelmed me. I truly recognized that I knew very little of myself until I was in a mutual love relationship. I had heard the song a few times before, but had never really listened or tried to understand it. What an amazing song.

What are some songs that lyrically gave you profound "aha" moment?

[JKL2000]

Not quite an answer to your question ( have to think on that), but there are songs that have really moved me without even understanding what the song is about. The first that comes to mind is Peter Gabriel singing Here Comes the Flood on Fripp's Exposure album. His voice just does it for me there.

Another Gabriel song that does get me is Father to Son, especially since my dad died almost seven years ago.

[augdimsus]

Marillion's "Warm Wet Circles" has always grabbed me for all the vivid emotional touchstones it holds. Probably the one that most gets me is "Feigning casual silence..." Come to think of it, that whole album has great lyrics.

[Jubal]

The part that really hit me hard and made me finally realize the meaning of the song was
When you come to make love your only goal
Words cannot describe the feeling
Awakening the stranger in your soul
From the shallow to the deepest meaning

When you come to make love your only goal
Words cannot describe the feeling
Now we're here in full sight, we can be whole
Let's dive and never hit the ceiling

At the same time, it made me also feel the loneliness and emptiness from before that time. Pete's vocal parts at that beginning expressed it with
"I would sell my dreams if I could be awake"

It was a profound experience to realize that, yes, I was a stranger to myself all that time because my heart was not truly opened emotionally. To realize both sides (not knowing the outpouring of my heart and therefore being a stranger to myself and also "meeting my stranger" on the other side {if I could be awake} of loneliness, both at once was somewhat overwhelming.

[ThomasKDye]

"Did you ever get the feeling that the story's too damn real and in the present tense?
Or that everybody's on the stage and it seems like you're the only person sitting in the audience?"

[simon moon]

The lyrics to Pain of Salvation's 'A Trace of Blood' gets me every time.

It is telling the true story of Daniel Gildenlow and his wife's experience of (just after he gets back from tour), taking his then pregnant wife to the doctor, only to find out his first child is stillborn.

The music fits so well, and the lyrics portray the emotion so viscerally, that one cannot help but feel their feelings.

A Trace of Blood

Touching ground Going home to those I miss
Safe and sound Weeks of exile turn to bliss
But there's something in her voice When she is calling me
A trace of blood to lead me
Through roads of agony With blood taste in my mouth
And clouds before my eyes
I kneel beside the bed Where my bleeding dryad lies

Three young souls in misery

Hitting ground Nausea wakes me up at dawn
Hopes are found
Dissected, turned and then
Withdrawn
A chair of steel and wire Her legs are open wide
Helpless in myself I stand there cold beside
The doctors stay away Leave us with this dismay
To see the colours of a miracle Fade and turn to gray

Then a cry and rivers of blood Flow so sadly
bringing you
Our dreams pour into a cold tray Two young souls in misery
Missing you

"How quickly the colors change
from blue to red to black
and why am I always away
wrapped up in something
unable to live with all this
love
I ask of the world to leave
to be silent and pretend
that it never happened"

I never knew your name but I will miss you just the same
I was to live for you, I lost the will to live at all the day you came
It'll never be the same but I will love you just the same
You were to be the first, how wonderful
Now I will always fear to hope again

The irony Of seeing me whispering through her skin
So joyfully To our child there deep within
Or of when she called to me To tell me cheerfully
That she had seen your shape On a hospital screen
And of nurses being concerned That you never moved or turned
Too late we see the warnings Too late we learn

I never saw your face and now you're gone without a trace
Except the trace of blood that's deeply scarred into my eyes To fill your place
It'll never be the same but I will love you just the same
I was prepared to be your father How can I ever prepare for that again?

Still I follow that trace of blood Always leading back to you
Hollow years of damming that flood Two young souls in misery

Missing you... missing you...

[mkeneally]

Good lord that's intense.

[ravensnhokies]

Wow... Probably my fav POS tune but never analyzed the lyrics. Hits home bigtime with my wife and I b/c our first son was stillborn also.

Enchant -- What to Say is another really tough one for me. I've known too many parents who have fallen prey to the Big C and have left behind some young ones that didn't deserve to be left without a Mommy or Daddy. That one perfectly sums up the bad life card someone got dealt and how they want their memory and legacy to stay with the ones they are about to leave.. especially their children.

My favorites are always the lyricists that can succinctly chronicle the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of the human experience. Not a political diatribe.. Not fantasy crap... I like the wordsmiths that can speak and relate to the common man...like mundane ole me.

[Lou]

Good lord that's intense.

x 1,000,000

[arabicadabra]

For me, there are so many.
"The sky was Bible black in Lyon when I met the Magdalene/she was paralyzed in her streetlight, she refused to give her name"
"Invisible airwaves crackle with life/Bright antennae bristle with the energy/Emotional feedback on a timeless wavelength, bearing a gift beyond price, almost free"
"Sing hymns, make love, get high, fall dead/he'll bring his perfume to your bed/he'll charm your life till the cold winds blow/then he'll sell your dreams to a picture show"
and all the lyrics to We All Need Some Light Now by Transatlantic....

[rushfan]

Family Snapshot for me.
"All turned quiet I have been here before
Lonely boy hiding behind the front door
Friends have all gone home
There's my toy gun on the floor
Come back Mum and Dad
You're growing apart
You know that I'm growing up sad
I need some attention
I shoot into the light"

[Shadow]

D.O.A. by Bloodrock used to scare the Bajesus out of me.

[flowerking]

D.O.A. by Bloodrock used to scare the Bajesus out of me.

Good call on that one.

I don't tend to pay much attention to lyrics but VdGG's Man Erg always moves me. I think its the emotional delivery by Hammill moreso than the lyrics, but the lyrics are pretty deep.

The killer lives inside me: yes, I can feel him move.
Sometimes he's lightly sleeping in the quiet of his room
but then his eyes
will rise and stare through mine;
he'll speak my words and slice my mind inside...
Yes the killer lives.

The angels live inside me: I can feel them smile.
Their presence strokes and soothes the tempest in my mind;
And their love
can heal the wounds that I have wrought,
They watch me as I go to fall - well, I know I shall be caught
While the angels live.

How can I be free?
How can I get help?
Am I really me?
Am I someone else?

But stalking in my cloisters hang the acolytes of gloom
and Death's Head throws his cloak into the corner of my room
and I am doomed
But laughing in my courtyard play the pranksters of my youth
and solemn, waiting old man in the gables of the roof -
he tells me truth...

I, too, live inside me and very often don't know who I am;
I know I'm not a hero - well, I hope that I'm not damned.
I'm just a man
and killers, angels, all are these:
Dictators, saviours, refugees in war and peace
as long as man lives...

I'm just a man
and killers, angels, all are these:
Dictators,
Saviours,
Refugees.

[Progatron]

The stars in the constellations, each one just... sadly flickers and falls
Without you, they mean nothing.... at all. (Peter Hammill - "Through The Looking Glass")

Dreaming of Mercy street.. swear they moved that sign... looking for mercy - in your daddy's arms (Peter Gabriel - "Mercy Street")

You didn't notice me as I passed you on the stairs, how could you ever guess looking at my face?
How closely I share your taste, how well I know your face - even the clothes you wear... I've seen them when you're not there (Marillion - "100 Nights")

My heart is racing much faster now, life passes before my eyes
Some things I see, they make me smile - some things, they make me cry
So I look, so I try to find a lesson I can learn
The passing of time hasn't changed my mind - and the ghosts I know return... (Phil Collins - "We Fly So Close")

All four winds together can't bring the world to me
Shadows hide the play of light, so much I want to see
Chase the light around the world, I want to look at life
In the available light - (Rush - "Available Light")

"Did you ever get the feeling that the story's too damn real and in the present tense?
Or that everybody's on the stage and it seems like you're the only person sitting in the audience?"

Amazing that someone else chose this one! It's always given me goosebumps.

[JJ88]

Genesis' 'Ripples' is a beautiful song, probably my favourite thing they've ever done. The lyrics are unusually direct and very effective.

'Pawn Hearts' in general strikes me as a very moving album lyrically- full of angst and melancholy.

Although I don't really drink alcohol, so that element doesn't relate to me, there is nevertheless something about the jaded, cynical perspective of the lyrics throughout 'Clutching At Straws' that also hit home for me.

[Hobo Chang Ba]

Can't say it's happened to me.

[Crystal Plumage]

The kid screaming "daddy daddy" in Pink Floyd's Two Suns in the Sunset.
Runaway Girl by Marillion.
Family Business by FISH.

It's the kids thing I guess

[luvyesmusic]

One of my favorite lines is by Phil Collins and Marilyn Martin on Separate Lives.

"Ooh, it's so typical, love leads to isolation"

Oh, never mind, that's not prog at all. ;-)

[ducati chorus]

Dagmar Krause with Slapp Happy singing, "if you could shower my hair with kisses" on Silent The Voice from Ca Va. There's real grief and regret in her voice, the song being a paean to someone recently deceased. Gives me the shivers every time.

The most gripping lyric on any song for me though is from Throwing Muses' I Hate My Way, a real teenage angst fest, but the line, "A boy was tangled in his bike forever," while Hersch wails about paranoia and child abuse, is just chilling, especially over that menacing bass line.

[JKL2000]

Again, I can't claim to be profoundly moved by the lyrics, but Steve Hogarth does a great version of The Waterboys' The Whole of the Moon in several of his solo live shows. A load of emotion in that.

[Lopez]

Most of Dave Cousins' lyrics in Strawbs songs have been pretty moving for me, particularly the song "Autumn" on Hero and Heroine.

[BobM]

There have been some great lyricists in prog and rock. Pair them with a great songwriter and you've got hits (aka Elton and Bernie). But find a great lyricist who can also wrtie and play and sing great songs and you have a real talent. The ones that immediately come to mind for me are:

Kevin Gilbert
Billy Joel
Peter Gabriel
Sting
Carol King
James Taylor
Jim Croce
Joni Mitchell

[chalkpie]

It was the blackest night
There was no moon in sight
You know the stars ain't shinin'
'Cause the sky's too tight
I heard the scarey wind
I seen some ugly trees
There was a werewolf honkin'
'Long the aide of me

I'm mean 'n I'm bad, y'know I ain't no sissy
Got a big titty girly by the name of Chrissy
Talkin' about her 'n my bike 'n me . . .
'N this ride up the Mountain of Mystery, mystery

I noticed even the crickets
Was actin' weird up here
So I figured I might
Just drink a little beer
I said, "Gimme summa that what yer suckin' on . . "
But there was no reply
'Cause she was gone . . .

"Where's those titties I like so well,
'n' my godam beer!"
Is what I started to yell, then I heard this noise
Like a crunchin' twig, 'n up jumped the Devil , . .
He's about this big , . .

He had a red suit on
An' a widow's peak
An' then a pointed tail
'N like a sulphur reek
Yes, it was him awright,
I swear I knowed it was
He had some human flesh
Stuck underneath his claws
You know, it looked to me
Like it was titty skin
I said, "You sonofabifch!"
'Cause I was mad at him.
Well he just got out the floss
'N started cleanin' his fang
So I shot him with my shooter.
Said: BANG BANG BANG

The sucker just laughed 'n said, "Put it away . . .
You know, I ate her all up . . . now what you gonna say?"
YOU ATE MY CHRISSY? "Yeah! titties 'n all!"
WHAT ABOUT THE BEER THEN? "Were the cans this tall?"
EVEN HER BOOTS? "Would I lie to you?"
SHIT, YOU MUSTA BEEN HUNGRY! "Yes, this is true'.
'WELL DON'T THEY PAY Y'ALL GOOD FOR THE
STUFF THAT YOU DO?
"I can't complain when the checks come through . . ''
WELL I WANT MY CHRISSY, 'N I WANT MY BEER
SO YOU JUST BARF IT BACK UP NOW, DEVIL,
DO YOU HEAR!
"Blow it out your ass, motorcycle man! I am fhe Devil,
Do you understand?
Just what will you give me for your titties and beer?
I suppose you noticed this little contract here , . ''
YER GODDAM RIGHT, YOU SON-OF-A-WHORE,
THAT'S ABOUT THE ONLY REASON
I LEARNED WRITIN' FOR . . .
GIMME THAT PAPER ... BET YER ASS
I'LL SIGN . . . 'CAUSE I NEED A BEER, 'N IT'S TITTY-
SQUEEZIN' TIME!

"You can't fool me, man . . . you ain't that bad . . .
I mean you shoulda seen some of fhe souls I had . . .
Why there was Milhous Nixon 'n Agnew too . . .
'n both of fhose suckers was worse 'n you . .
"WELL, LET'S MAKE A DEAL IF YOU THINK THAT'S TRUE
I MEAN, YOU'RE THE DEVIL SO ... WHATCHA GONNA DO?

[improvised dialog]

"No! Don't sign it! Give me time to think ...
I mean ... hold on a minute, boy . . . that's
Magic Ink!"

And then the Devil puked
'N out jumped m'girl
They heard the titties PLOP-PLOPPIN'
All around the world, she said:
"I GOT ME THREE BEERS 'N A FIST FULLA DOWNS,
AN' I'M GONNA GET WRECKED, SO FUCK YOU CLOWNS!"

And then she gave us the finger,
It was rigid 'n stiff,
That's when the Devil, he farted
An' she went right over the cliff
The Devil was mad took off to my pad
I swear I do declare!
How did she get back there?
I swear I do declare!
How did she get back there?
[etc. repeat]

[Dave]

Agree with the aforementioned Bridge Across Forever, Autumn. Many to choose from, but I'll go with Kansas and Incomudro - Hymn To The Atman

Run a silent path to nowhere, everything is all
You could have a pleasant life if Summer had no Fall
Treat yourself so gently though the task is often hard
Man is not a God it seems, who holds the final card
Close your eyes and feel the darkness, speak and hear the sound
We only catch a glimpse of all the life that is around
The man is not alive who knows the value of his soul
And when our lives are pulled away, there's more to fill the hole

I wonder what you'd think if all the changes didn't come
For growing old is only going back to where you're from

Far beyond our senseless thoughts there lies a core of gold
Where essence of the newborn child is waiting in the old
The Master Plan is well conceived, it's there for all to see
And each day that is spent in thought is living harmony
Reach into the depths of being, pass beyond the years
Time is lost in stillness, where there are no hopes and fears
Linger in the void, and like a beacon in the night
Purity will fill your soul with ever present light

Everything you've seen is waiting patiently within
For growing old is only going back to where you've been

[luvyesmusic]

Never much of a lyric-guy but Kansas' Dust in the Wind is timeless and always makes me stop in my tracks.