The last few days have been rough. Grad school. Internship applications. Living in a city. Yuck. For as much as I love being fully informed, there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t want to jump in my 33 year old car and drive until I’m miles away from the nearest person. (Here‘s somebody who just about did that – one of the most enjoyable books I’ve ever read.)

Whilst wallowing in this state of mind, a gathering of angels appeared above my head… and they were playing Haken, who seemed to be echoing my very thoughts. This is what they said:

Eyes open wide as I awake
I sense no change within the air
Hope leaves my soul, I paralyse

This world of pain and suffering
Creeps into me and once again
I mourn the loss of innocence

If I could run away
Back to my innocent days

Someone’s calling me
Echoes of a childhood memory
Someone’s calling me
Echoes of a childhood memory

Passages of time
Buried in the chaos of my mind
Chronicles of life
Concealing a truth I left behind

Passages of time
Buried in the chaos of my mind
Chronicles of life
Concealing a truth I can’t deny

Moon begins to rise
Reflecting on a life once sanctified
Night begins to fall
Voices of my youth, immutable

Memories collide
My scattered soul is almost unified
Thoughts are in full flight
Enveloping a wisdom earned with time

Passages of time
Stripping back the layers of my mind
Chronicles of life
Unraveling a truth which I must find

Haken really doesn’t get enough credit for the brilliance of their lyrics. They aren’t obvious, but they are glorious. I always find something new in them. The above lyrics are from their song, “Crystallised.” This song is one of the best prog metal songs in the genre. Haken always seem to lift my spirits. They end the song with nothing but hope and joy:

I have returned
To the springtime in the garden
Seeds are sown, flowers grow
And the child is born again

Filled with delight
And the laughter is contagious
As we dance, as we sing
Celebrating ’til the end

Joy and respite
On the faces of the children
With a smile, realise
That their love will never end

I have received
Affirmation of the spirit
Falling snow takes me home
And the man is whole again

Mind open wide as I awake
I sense a change within myself
Hope feeds my soul I realise

I feel the earth under my feet
Son by my side, I am complete
Pride fills my heart in Paradise

Hearts open wide as I awake
I sense a change within myself
Love feeds my soul I realise

This world of pain and suffering
Ignites in me and once again
Sparks the rebirth of innocence

If I could run away
I’d choose to live for today

Someone’s calling me
Echoes of a childhood memory

The moon will rise
The night will fall
I hold your hand
But you let go

The sun will shine
The snow will thaw
All things must pass
Into the unknown

Escaping the past by embracing the future
Escaping the past by embracing the future
Escaping the past by embracing the future
Escaping the past by embracing the future

It even has Mike Portnoy on the gong!