Album: Tarkus (1971)

License This Song 

• I. STONES OF YEARS
  Has the dawn ever seen your eyes?
  Have the days made you so unwise?
  Realize, you are.
  Have you talked to the winds of time,
  Then you'd know how the water rhyme.
  Taste of wine,
  How can you know where you've been?
  In time you're gonna see the sign,
  And realize your sin.
  Will you know how the seed is sown?
  All your times have been overgrown,
  Never known.
  Have you walked on the stones of years?
  When you speak, is it you that hears?
  Are your ears full?
  You can't hear anything at all.
  
  II. MASS
  The preacher said a prayer,
  Save ev'ry single hair on his head.
  He's dead.
  The minister of hate had just arrived too late to be spared.
  Who cared?
  The weaver in the web that he made!
  The pilgrim wandered in,
  Commiting ev'ry sin that he could
  So good...
  The cardinal of grief was set in his belief he'd saved
  From the grave
  The weaver in the web that he made!
  The high priest took a blade
  To bless the ones that prayed,
  And all obeyed.
  The messenger of fear is slowly growing, nearer to the time,
  A sign.
  The weaver in the web that he made!
  A Bishop rings a bell,
  A cloak of darkness fell across the ground,
  Without a sound!
  The silent choir sing and in their silence,
  Bring jaded sound, harmonic ground.
  The weaver in the web that he made!
  
  III. BATTLEFIELD
  Clear the battlefield and let me see
  All the profit from our victory.
  You talk of freedom, starving children fall.
  Are you deaf when you hear the season's call?
  Were you there to watch the earth be scorched?
  Did you stand beside the spectral torch?
  Know the leaves of sorrow turned their face,
  Scattered on the ashes of disgrace.
  Every blade is sharp; the arrows fly
  We're the victims of your armies lie,
  Where the blades of grass and arrows rain
  Then there will be no sorrow,
  Be no pain. Writer/s: GREGORY LAKE, KEITH NOEL EMERSON
  Publisher: BMG Rights Management, MUSIC SALES CORPORATION
  Lyrics licensed and provided by LyricFind

Comments: 11

• Jg from CtOne of the most brilliant pieces of music EVER written. PROFOUNDLY POWERFUL with lyrics to match. Only one way to play it. 0 db one whatever you've go.
• Keith Godchaux from NjAround the 15:25 minute mark, we all love Lake's guitar soloing on top of Emerson's Hammond melody; but it's more than just one solo: he plays different, but complimentary solos out of each channel. I had to hear it on headphones to fully appreciate the moment. It's like guitar weaving with lead melodic guitar lines instead of chords. I can't think of any other guitar player who has done this.
• Laurence from LondonI was at that gig in Brighton when the little polystyrene balls that shot out of one of the guns of the Tarkus went directly into the top of the grand piano and they had to stop the show to vacuum the piano. Pretty sure it was November 1972.
  I was 16 at the time, had left home and was penniless, and used to hang around at the stage door (of the Brighton Dome) when there were bands on always looking for a way to get in. On this particular night the piano tuner turned up at the door and as the doorman checked the list for his details I slipped in behind him and said I was the drum tuner, carrying on walking in backstage without looking back. I think I managed to confuse him long enough as no one chased me down. (Carl Palmer was probably unaware of my presence and potential services that night!)
  A friend that also came to the concert who I met later at the front collected up some of the polystyrene balls shot from the Tarkus, filled his pocket with them asking anyone he met to put their hands in his pockets - (actually it was quite an interesting experience!)
  There is more to this story but it just gets weirder, the early 70's in Brighton were like that, so I'll leave it at that.
• Stephanie from Wigtown, United KingdomWilliam Neal an artist now in Wigtown Scotalnd, www.williamneal.co.uk, did the Tarkus album cover.
  He has done a limited edition CD "Marginal Movement" introduced by Keith Emerson.
• Milton from Sao Paulo, BrazilWow! That guy is a monster of a keyboardist! Terrific!
• Rick from Denver, CoSavage , barbaric in spots...perfect for a dark frowning night as the leaves of sorrow turn thier face , scattered on the ashes of disgrace....Also I am an accomplished bassist of 30 years standing , and this song takes real work to master Whew !
• Ryan from Marion, IaThe story is pretty dumb, but the music is awesome. A defining song of not just ELP but the prog rock genre.
• Lester from New York City, NyThis is a great piece of music, and Greg Lake's vocals are excellent.
• Ricky from Ohswken, CanadaFitting snare drum section in this song.
• Alex from Fort Mill, ScTarkus is the name of the tank like armadillo on the cover of the album, the song in fact covers Tarkus's life: birth in a volcano "Eruption", to his fight with a manticore, leaving the ruins of the battlefield, and transforming to a aquatic version of himself after loosing the fight. This is probably ELP's best song, Greg Lake has an awesome guitar solo. Too bad Hendrix died before joining ELP, otherwise I could honestly say this would be the most talented band of the 70s.
• John from Guildford, EnglandThe piece was inspired by a drum pattern (in 10/8 time!) by Carl Palmer, though he is not credited as a composer.

More Songfacts:

You're A Friend Of MineClarence Clemons

Clarence Clemons, who played the sax in Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band, had the biggest solo hit of anyone in the group - aside from Springsteen - when "You're A Friend Of Mine" hit #18 in 1985.

I WishSkee-Lo

"I Wish" by Skee-Lo was the first hit song to use the word "baller" in the chorus ("I wish I was a baller..."). That term pervaded pop music over the next several year.

Wild BoysDuran Duran

Duran Duran's "Wild Boys" is based on the book of the same name by William Burroughs.

Pork and BeansWeezer

The video for Weezer's "Pork and Beans" features YouTube stars Chris Crocker, The Chocolate Rain Guy, The "Peanut Butter Jelly Time" Banana, and the Star Wars kid.

Soul Bossa NovaQuincy Jones

The Austin Powers theme is "Soul Bossa Nova," written by Quincy Jones in 1962 - the same year the first James Bond movie was released.

Dance Hall DaysWang Chung

Wang Chung's '80s classic "Dance Hall Days" is about how things can start simple but end up complex. First you "take your baby by the hand," but by the end she has an amethyst in her mouth.

Editor's Picks

Director Paul Rachman on "Hunger Strike," "Man in the Box," KissSong Writing

After cutting his teeth on hardcore punk videos, Paul defined the grunge look with his work on "Hunger Strike" and "Man in the Box."

Yoko OnoSongwriter Interviews

At 80 years old, Yoko has 10 #1 Dance hits. She discusses some of her songs and explains what inspired John Lennon's return to music in 1980.

Phone Booth SongsSong Writing

Phone booths are nearly extinct, but they provided storylines for some of the most profound songs of the pre-cell phone era.

Mark Arm of MudhoneySongwriter Interviews

When he was asked to write a song for the Singles soundtrack, Mark thought the Seattle grunge scene was already overblown, so that's what he wrote about.

Name the Character in the SongMusic Quiz

With a few clues (Works at a diner, dreams of running away), can you name the character in the song?

Penny Ford of Snap!Songwriter Interviews

The original voice of Snap! this story is filled with angry drag queens, video impersonators and Chaka Khan.