Ayreon - Phase I - Singularity
текст песни

Phase 1: Singularity

01 THE BLACKBOARD
8:49 this morning
The dew of morning still glistens on the salt grass that grows along the foundation of the old Lighthouse. It isn’t in active service anymore, but has been renovated to serve as a private dwelling. High in the tower inside, a young man is slumped on the floor in the corner of the room, apparently in some kind of trance. Someone has put a blanket over him. He is deathly pale, but the steady, almost imperceptible rise and fall of his chest shows that he still clings to life. Standing next to him are young woman and an older man. Both are obviously shocked and distressed. Their frequent glances toward the door give the impression that they’re waiting for someone who is yet to arrive. On the wall next to them is a blackboard covered with impenetrable piece of paper – it appears to be a note scribbled in haste by an unsteady hand. What follows here is the story of what happened.

Teacher:
Will we ever understand
This complex genius
This visionary thinker

Will we ever get this close again
Uniting the forces of our universe

Girl:
Will we ever understand
His isolation
Or his sense of wonder

We will never get this close again
It’s been to long…
I think he’s gone

02 THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING part 1
11 years earlier
The Father, a brilliant scientist, has devoted his life to finding the Theory of Everything, the equation that will fully explain and unite all physical forces of the universe. He’s obsessively working day and night, unaware that his wife and introverted son need far more attention than he has been giving them. The Mother has always supported her husband’s scientific pursuits, but the strain of dealing with their asocial child’s special needs has worn her down to the point of desperation.
Flute: Jeroen Goossens, Piano: Rick Wakeman

Father:
I’m so close to the answer
A dazzling symphony of cosmic strings
I feel the pulse, vibrating just out of reach
The music of space

One single master equation
Unification of the great and small
I hear the notes, but the arrangement is wrong
I’m starting to doubt, but I can’t give up now I’m so near

Mother:
Can’t you see that I need you out here
And what about our boy?
I think he’s got something to give
What secrets lie… beyond these hollow eyes

Father:
I’m sorry you feel neglected
But it’s clear that you don’t understand
I’m aware and I want to be there
I just need some more time, for the answer is blindingly near
Mother:
Are you trying to drive us away?
Just when we need you most
You might find he’s got something to give
What secrets lie beyond these eyes?

03 PATTERNS
(instrumental)
The son is so withdrawn because his mind is overwhelmed by analyzing the chaotic stimuli of the world around him, and the mathematical patterns he sees in everything – even in nature. His brain seems to operate on a completely different level than other people’s. There is something very special about him, indeed.
Violing: Ben Mathot

04 THE PRODIGY’S WORLD
The Mother is determined to connect with the Prodigy, but he is completely unresponsive. He is simly incapable of relating to her emotionally, even though on some level he wants to
Mother:
Talk to me
Prodigy:
I know you’re there
But I won’t see you
I hear your voice
But it can’t reach me
Mother:
Let me in
Prodigy:
It all seems to trivial
In the scheme of things

Prodigy:
Patterns emerge in nature’s dance
Numbers are born in the wheel of chance
Why do I see this?
What does it mean to me?

A grand design in all its majesty
Vibrating strings, quantum gravity
Why was I chosen?
What does it mean to me?
Tell me why!

05 THE TEACHER’S DISCOVERY
7 years ago
As the students work on a test in science class, a gust of wind from the open window blows a paper full of math equations off the Teacher’s desk. Unnoticed by the teacher, it