Over at The Vault of Horror (a blog of which I was previously unaware, much to my personal shame), the cheekily named "Cyber-Horror Elite," a gathering of thirty-two of the top horror critics and bloggers from across the web, have put together a list of the Top 50 Horror Films. Each of the participants were asked to submit a ranked Top 10, which Vault owner B-Sol then compiled into the resulting list of fifty.
As mentioned yesterday, at 22 minutes "The Dam" is my longest composition thus far. The piece uses the metaphor of water flowing from source to ocean to illustrate this process that we affectionately refer to as life. It comprises eight distinct movements, identified as follows :
1. Source
2. River
3. Rapids
4. Dam
5. Immersion
6. Surface
7. Flow
8. Ocean
As the title suggest, the focus is directed on one major obstacle/life-changing experience, symbolized by a dam on the river, which the protagonist/narrator has to conquer in order to reach his intended destination.
The storyline is inspired by my own life and my struggle to reach my goal of earning a living through my artistic output, as opposed to working a day job to support myself and invest what's left of my energies in my artistic pursuits on a part-time basis, as I've done for the best of the last ten years or so.
The second part expounds the situation before the obstacle is recognized and dealt with :
The lyrics have pretty much reached their definitive form and I'm feeling like publishing them, so without further ado :
1st verse
How long have I been here ? / Feels like it's been forever
Doing what I've been told / Taking in what I've been sold
Constantly pondering / Never remembering
When did I choose this boat ? / When did I choose this river ?
How long must I stay here ? / Not sure I want to be
Ever meandering / Throughout eternity
Whose aim am I serving ? / Whose game am I playing ?
Doing what I assume / Is expected of me
1st chorus
Waking up on a boat
That barely stays afloat
Going down with the mainstream
Though I cannot deny
It is I at the helm
Do I really have a choice ?
2nd verse
I used to have a dream / The ocean was calling
Drawn off course by the flow / Perpetually striving
Debased by the shallow / Never really reaching
I used to have a goal / Where is all of this leading ?
I'm heading for a dam / I'm falling prey to doubt
The current getting stronger / Rapids ahead of me
Evermore wondering / Never really knowing
This life I call my own / How else could it have turned out ?
2nd chorus
Waking up on a boat
That barely stays afloat
Going down with the mainstream
And I can't justify
Why should I go along ?
When I feel it is all wrong
Posted in COTD Tagged: COTD, dam, demo, flow, immersion, lyrics, music, ocean, poligraf, prog, prog rock, progressive, rapids, river, rock, source, surface, the dam
