"Wish They Were Here" genre: Psychedelic
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	(August 2002) This is about lost friends, and some refound. Obvious debts to Pink Floyd (Breathe and Comfortably Numb), both for style and subject matter. Gods of Music says the vocals are reminiscent of Ray Thomas of the Moody Blues.
	MP3.com CD: Friends Like These - buy it! CD: Friends Like These Credits: Many friends for vocal snippets
	Story Behind the Song This song is dedicated to Jeff, Pamela, Amy, and Frank, but especially Jeff. These four friends of mine met separate, untimely deaths when I was young. "Backyard patrol/moonshadow rounds" refers to strolling through suburban backyards at 3 in the morning. "True knowledge" is a phrase from Ken MacLeod's anarcho-communist SF novel "The Cassini Division." It is the end-state of philosphy and morality, after science has thoroughly dissolved myth-based pieties and sentiments. "Juggernaut" is the anglicized version of Jagannath ("Lord of the World"). Some say another name for Krishna, the eighth and principal avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu (the Preserver) while others say it is Shiva (the Destroyer). The temple of Jagannath contains a towering idol, and on festival days it is placed on a huge chariot and dragged through the streets. The devout are said to throw themselves under the wheels to be crushed in sacrifice to the idol -- or does that just happen accidentally? One sweltering day while I was mowing the lawn, I had a vision of an enormous alien machine leveling mountains, shredding forests, and pulverizing cities. Miles high, it was visible over the horizon and heading my way.... Most of the voice samples in the bridge come from various tapes made by college friends 25 years ago. "Watching yourself growing old is like watching the sun moving across the sky. You don't see that much, but before you know it, it's afternoon" - R. Kania, 2001, used by permission. Protons are extremely long-lived particles, yet they are predicted to eventually decay (into a positron and a pi meson). Experimental evidence suggests their mean lifetime is over 10^25 (that's a 1 followed by 25 0s) years. Lyrics [It's now approaching lunar sunrise and for all the people back on Earth, the crew of Apollo Eight has a message that we would like to send to you.] Rockets in flight, cameras at night, signals and secret handshakes Whoa-oh, we had it figured out Driving through clouds, avoiding the crowds, witness to silent earthquakes Whoa-oh, we had it figured out There's no problem, Officer Scott... We'll follow you at a respectful distance Backyard patrol never got caught... Moonshadow rounds conceiving a new existence Scraping away lies and decay, seeking out true conditions Whoa-oh, we had it figured out Death of a friend, innocence ends, smothering cheerful fictions Whoa-oh, what was it all about Just like a sparrow crushed in the road... a feather or two fluttering in the breezes I stare at the sun while illusions explode... true knowledge reveals a vision of cruel machines Did you not hear the Juggernaut call, whispering to you from across the far horizon Do you not see the Juggernaut now, waiting for you over that far horizon Wish they were here, wish they were here, wish they were here [Jeff, Pamela, Amy, Frank... They're not there anymore. How about you? Ah, you should have been there. It was a long night. I sense evil spirits. The elixir of eternal energy. That's not coming out. So be a space cadet. No, that's not good. Sorry. Persuasion. We are adults! Verstehen Sie das, scheisskopf? Diligence? Persuasion. How about you? Hey, can I ask you a question? Are you in the dark? The light of the wicked shall be put out. Are you in the dark? Remember the other light. Ah, we thought that might interest you. And God said, Let there be light. Remember the other light. The Light of God. The Light of God. The Light of God. The Light of God. It was good to see you, God.] Leathery star, sleep in your car, nothing could compromise you Whoa-oh, you never had a doubt See you again, cyclical friend, glad I could recognize you Whoa-oh, we had it figured out Watching yourself growing old... like watching the sun moving across the sky Don't see that much but before you know... the dusk is here and then appear the stars to say goodbye, goodbye [Even protons don't last forever.] I wish they were here

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