Lyrics

Very nice.

Of the corrections, I left the ones I agree with :p

Why do we only call Your name when there’s no one else to call
And we only really seek You when our mighty towers fall?
Why do we say You’ve failed us and You’ve turned Your eyes away
When we’re only sleeping in the bed we’ve made?

Why do we call for free-will but reject all consequence?
Why’s the path we’ve made to Heaven stained with the blood of innocence?
Why do we ignore the warnings that we’ve read and always known
And get angry when we reap the things we’ve sown?

So we blame You, ‘cause our world’s not come out right
While the Devil’s masquerading as an angel of the light
Just imagine all the pride and all the nerve
To ask where You’ve been when we’re the ones we serve

It’s not a mystery, it’s been foretold
But we ignored the warning bells so long ago
There is no way that seems right unto men
But we’ll die with the wages of sin

As the world lies bleeding
The giant is no longer sleeping
Poisoned harvest reaping
Blindly we just carry on, but the glory is gone

We live our lives like we could care less what You have to say
We curse the skies when You don’t come clean up the ugly mess we’ve made
But You gave us a choice and we made it and dug ourselves into a hole
We always thought we knew the way despite the things You said
We just ignore the pile of bodies and the blood stains on the bed
Hunting* ourselves right into a corner as life spiraled out of control

As the world lies bleeding
The giant is no longer sleeping
All we’ve sown now reaping
Blindly we just carry on
But the glory is gone

See us, I promise _____ honey (?)
____ feel the money
Like Babylon and Rome before
[unknown line, buried in mix]

See us, living in our ivory towers
Self-appointed kings with no power
Built a monument to men
[unknown line, buried in mix] land

This is the system we created
This is the world so devastated
This is what it looks like when mankind asks You to just leave us alone
This is our monster, now we’ll wake it
This is our legacy creation
This is the place we end up when we say that we can do this on our own

This is our masterpiece: corruption
This is our monument: destruction
Game point of life and death and naughtier*** of existence painted black
This is the road to Hell we’ve wandered
This is inherent debt we’ve squandered
So raise a glass to all we’ve lost and wonder if we’ll ever get it back

Nations falling** – our will be done
Mankind answers to no one
But now it has begun
In death and sin and for us all

Please forgive us, for we’ve only made it worse
Even after You had warned us it would only bring a curse
Yes, we knew better, so we went a different way
Now we’re only sleeping in the bed we’ve made

All the glory and the power left this place
When we turned backs upon You and chose to live in our disgrace
But You warned and You let us have our way
Now we’re only drowning in the mess we made

Blood on our hands….

*I don't hear that, but I don't have any better suggestions.
**I'm pretty sure I hear an "f" sound. And it makes sense to me - given that he previously referenced Babylon and Rome, I think he' saying the nations man make are constantly crumbling. Just my take
***I think it's something that sounds similar, but I can't put my finger on it, so I'll leave yours for now.
Other than that, I think you're spot on.

Here's my take on Altar to the Unknown God - feel free to play "fill in the blanks"

Build a fire and fan the flame
Sacrifice without a name
Offerings on the altar to
The unknown God

Multitudes of gods cover landscapes in our lives
[unknown] deities and pawns we sacrifice
Philosophers and scholars and sophisticates we are
[unknown]religion, and religion is our god

A stranger came to town one day and fiercely proclaimed
“The unknown God you worship on this altar has a name”
He said “This God is not an image or a statue of the dead
In Him we live and have our being, as your own poets have said”

Build a fire and fan the flame
Sacrifice without a name
Offerings on the altar to
The unknown God
Dance around the altar blaze
Bring the works your hands have made
Place them on the altar to
The unknown God

He dwells not in temples but by human hands
He needs no assistance or service of man
The nameless you worship is greater than all
Your idols of death never answer your call

All nations He formed from the [unknown]
He marked out their [unknown] and boundaries and land
[unknown]
So seek Him and find Him for He is [unknown]

Fire upon the altar burns the sacrifice
Sacrificial lamb was slain to pay the final price
“Come ye heavy-laden” – sinners’ mercy cry
The unknown God you call upon is nigh

[unknown] on the altar, stones of holy fire
Glorifying flames of righteousness are rising higher
[unknown…] bread of life and drink the wine
Altar to the living God, divine

No image of stone or of silver and gold
No effigy mankind has made to behold
The day and the hour of judgment is set
He’s proven by the resurrection [unknown]

Build a fire and fan the flames
Sacrifice without a name
Offerings on the altar to
The unknown God
Stand before the altar place
Bring the lives His hands have made
Place them on the altar to
The one, true God

Your unknown God is the one living God

---------------------
And some more Light of the World I missed the first time I read through, mostly on the second verse.

So the candle's gone out, it's been soaked by the rain
And the cold winds of doubt have extinguished the flame
The lighthouse entirely in darkness again as the ship sails the ocean alone
The sun's frozen over and all has gone cold
And the fires of the past have been bought out and sold
The light on the porch is abandoned and old so the Child cannot find His way home
Arisen, forbidden,
We keep our candles hidden
Poor leaders that follow, floating with the tide

"You are the light of the world," He said
But we've blown out our candles and left men for debt
Singing, "’We are the light of the world,’ He said”
As the darkness descends on us all!
If we were the light of the world today
Would we hide in the shadows and scare them away?
Are we the light of the world? Are we failing to answer the call?

Men love the darkness much more than the light
For their deeds can be kept out of mind, out of sight
And the lighthouse eroded between wrong and right like it's all relative after all

To stand like a wall and resist the temptation
To sell ourselves out for hollow acclimation
And cheapen the message of weakened foundation
Revealing the cracks in the wall

No power, no glory,
No one to tell the story
No wonder it's all unraveling

"You are the light of the world," He said
But we've blown out our candles and left men for debt
Singing, "’We are the light of the world,’ He said”
As the darkness descends on us all!
If we were the light of the world today,
Would we hide in the shadows and just look away?
Are we the light of the world? Are we failing to answer the call?

To lift up the fallen
To stand for the downtrodden
The poor and the hurting are our ministry!

"You are the light of the world," He said
But we've blown out our candles and left men for debt
Singing, "’We are the light of the world,’ He said”
As the darkness descends on us all!

"You are the light of the world," He said
But we've blown out our candles and left men for debt
Singing, "’We are the light of the world,’ He said”
As the darkness descends on us all!
If we were the light of the world today,
Would we hide in the shadows and darken the way?
Are we the light of the world? Are we failing to answer the call?
 
Much less sure on "As the World Bleeds," but a few suggestions:

It’s not a mystery, it’s been foretold
But we ignored the warning bells so long ago
There is a way that seems right unto men
But will die with the wages of sin


We live our lives like we could care less what You have to say
We curse the skies when You don’t come clean up the ugly mess we’ve made
But You gave us a choice and we made it and dug ourselves into a hole
We always thought we knew the way despite the things You said
We just ignore the pile of bodies and the blood stains on the bed
Painting ourselves right into a corner as life spiraled out of control


See us, a promised land of milk and honey
Became a land of filth and money
Like Babylon and Rome before
[unknown line, buried in mix]


Nations calling, "Our will be done"
Mankind answers to no one
But now it has begun
In death and sin and for us all

EDIT: Had to take on "Altar to the Uknown God" as well when I saw it. Based upon one of my favorite passages of Scripture. :)
Here's my take on Altar to the Unknown God - feel free to play "fill in the blanks"

Build a fire and fan the flame
Sacrifice without a name
Offerings on the altar to
The unknown God

Multitudes of gods cover landscapes in our lives
Images of deities and pawns of sacrifice
Philosophers and scholars and sophisticates we are
Our gods are our religion, and religion is our god

A stranger came to town one day and fiercely proclaimed
“The unknown God you worship on this altar has a name”
He said “This God is not an image or a statue of the dead
In Him we live and have our being, as your own poets have said”

Build a fire and fan the flame
Sacrifice without a name
Offerings on the altar to
The unknown God
Dance around the altar blaze
Bring the works your hands have made
Place them on the altar to
The unknown God

He dwells not in temples built by human hands
He needs no assistance or service of man
The nameless you worship is greater than all
Your idols of death never answer your call

All nations He formed from the flesh of one man
He marked out their times and their boundaries of land
Your life and your breath he bestows with [unknown]
So seek Him and find Him for He is not far away

Fire upon the altar burns the sacrifice
Sacrificial lamb was slain to pay the final price
Come ye heavy-laden; sinners "Mercy!" cry
The unknown God you call upon is nigh

Gather 'round the altar, stoke the holy fire
Purifying flames of righteousness are rising higher
Come, ye hungry, eat the bread of life and drink the wine
Altar to the living God, divine

No image of stone or of silver and gold
No effigy mankind has raised to behold
The day and the hour of judgment is set
He’s proven him by the resurrection of the dead

Build a fire and fan the flames
Sacrifice without a name
Offerings on the altar to
The unknown God
Stand before the altar place
Bring the lives His hands have made
Place them on the altar to
The one, true God

Your unknown God is the one living God

I am really appreciating this whole exercise - It brings out how we all hear things differently and tend to complete things when we put our heads together. Had I posted "The Master Storyteller" or "As the World Bleeds" first, we would be working with a very different and hackneyed starting point :p
 
Nice work, I've been enjoying seeing these take shape. Thought I'd throw Drown into the mix to help complete the collection.

DROWN

I see a ghostly spirit, walking on the water
He bids me come to him without a boat to walk upon the sea
So I jump over the edge and take a step upon the water
I'm getting closer as I feel the sea move underneath my feet
I feel the wind and hear the roar of waves that crash around me
And when they get their hold on me I feel like bowing down
Please don't let me drown

Like Peter all those years ago who looked away and sank below
When I sink in seas of doubt will you take my hand and pull me out
The devil and the deep blue sea with open arms awaiting me
But I won't go down tonight; if I keep my eyes on you I'll be all right


God the storms are heavy, and the waves have beaten me down
And the winds have turned me every which way round and round and round
It's so hard to focus but I don't want to look away
Even when the waves grow higher every day
Higher every day

Like Peter all those years ago who looked away and sank below
When I sink in seas of doubt will you take my hand and pull me out
The devil and the deep blue sea with open arms awaiting me
But I won't go down tonight; if I keep my eyes on you I'll be all right


Waves and [proud] winds turn my eyes
Raging under threatening skies
The _____ [calls like] yesterday
And sometimes seems so far away
[O we] of little faith, how quickly we forget

Tired and battered by the waves
Won't let the waters be my grave
Devotion deeper than the sea
The ocean's tide won't swallow me
A hand is reaching out grabbing at _____
 
Pretty much what I got, but here's some help with the penultimate stanza
Nice work, I've been enjoying seeing these take shape. Thought I'd throw Drown into the mix to help complete the collection.

DROWN

I see a ghostly spirit, walking on the water
He bids me come to him without a boat to walk upon the sea
So I jump over the edge and take a step upon the water
I'm getting closer as I feel the sea move underneath my feet
I feel the wind and hear the roar of waves that crash around me
And when they get their hold on me I feel like bowing down
Please don't let me drown

Like Peter all those years ago who looked away and sank below
When I sink in seas of doubt will you take my hand and pull me out
The devil and the deep blue sea with open arms awaiting me
But I won't go down tonight; if I keep my eyes on you I'll be all right


God the storms are heavy, and the waves have beaten me down
And the winds have turned me every which way round and round and round
It's so hard to focus but I don't want to look away
Even when the waves grow higher every day
Higher every day

Like Peter all those years ago who looked away and sank below
When I sink in seas of doubt will you take my hand and pull me out
The devil and the deep blue sea with open arms awaiting me
But I won't go down tonight; if I keep my eyes on you I'll be all right


Waves and [proud] winds turn my eyes
Raging under threatening skies
The miracles of yesterday
Can sometimes seems so far away
Oh we of little faith, how quickly we forget

Tired and battered by the waves
Won't let the waters be my grave
Devotion deeper than the sea
The ocean's tide won't swallow me
A hand is reaching out grabbing at (waves?)
 
The miracles of yesterday
Ahh, I kept thinking I heard "the mirror calls like yesterday", but that didn't make much sense (and wouldn't even in Mirror of Souls :rolleyes: ). Silly me :).

"Waves" could fit the last one, but I can't hear the 'v'. Just listened to that part a few more times and I'm almost certain it might be "grace":

A hand is reaching out grabbing at grace

That would be a lovely end to the song.
 
I see a ghostly spirit, walking on the water

I've always thought it was:

"I see a ghost, a spirit, walking on the water"

Listening to the song again, I'm positive that's it.

EDIT:

And when they get their hold on me I feel like bowing down

Pretty sure it's "going down".

EDIT 2: Now I can't tell. It's either bowing or going... and I can't figure it out. o_O
 
Got my physical copy today!

I'll post the lyrics when I'm done transcribing them (I'm about halfway through the CD....after the title, I'm also including appropriate writing credits that I've got from the booklet.

Question for SeaStorm: Do you want the lyrics here? Or should I PM them to you to attach to the first post? Or, do you want to lock this thread and rename it "lyric conjectures" or something similar, and post mine in a new thread? Up to you.
 
Post your lyrics in a new thread (something like "official ATWB lyrics") and I'll make it a sticky so it stays at the top of the forum. Actually, I think this should stay the discussion thread for lyrics, and your new one should be locked after the first post so it's just a sticky reference for casual forum readers.

Feel free to put the lyrics here as well, to aid the discussion!
 
Got my physical copy today!

I'll post the lyrics when I'm done transcribing them (I'm about halfway through the CD....after the title, I'm also including appropriate writing credits that I've got from the booklet.

Question for SeaStorm: Do you want the lyrics here? Or should I PM them to you to attach to the first post? Or, do you want to lock this thread and rename it "lyric conjectures" or something similar, and post mine in a new thread? Up to you.

Thanks for transcribing them! Itll be nice to see who was closest.

On another note, this was a pretty fun discussion seeing what other people thought the lyrics were. I have only got lyrics by listening one time and it took like 2 hours. Was a fun discussion though!
 
Post your lyrics in a new thread (something like "official ATWB lyrics") and I'll make it a sticky so it stays at the top of the forum. Actually, I think this should stay the discussion thread for lyrics, and your new one should be locked after the first post so it's just a sticky reference for casual forum readers.

Feel free to put the lyrics here as well, to aid the discussion!
As you wish ;)

No but really, that's a cool idea. It will be done.