A Change Of Seasons

- mike portnoy

I. the crimson sunrise
(instrumental)

Ii. innocence
I remember a time
My frail, virgin mind
Watched the crimson sunrise
Imagined what it might find
Life was filled with wonder
I felt the warm wind blow
I must explore the boundaries
Transcend the depth of winter's snow
Innocence caressing me
I never felt so young before
There was so much life in me
Still i longed to search for more
But those days are gone now
Changed like a leaf on a tree
Blown away forever
Into the cool autumn breeze
The snow has now fallen
And my sun's not so bright
I struggle to hold on
With the last of my might
In my den of inequity
Viciousness and subtlety
Struggle to ease the pain
Struggle to find the sane
Ignorance surrounding me
I've never been so filled with fear
All my life's been drained from me
The end is drawing near....

Iii. carpe diem
'carpe diem, seize the day'
I'll always remember
The chill of november
The news of the fall
The sounds in the hall
The clock on the wall ticking away
'seize the day'
I heard him say
Life will not always be this way
Look around
Hear the sounds
Cherish your life while you're still around

"gather ye rosebuds while ye may,
Old time is still a-flying;
And this same flower that smiles today,
Tomorrow will be dying."

We can learn from the past
But those days are gone
We can hope for the future
But there might not be one
The words stuck in my mind
Alive from what i've learned
I have to seize the day
To home i returned
Preparing for her flight
I held with all my might
Fearing my deepest fright
She walked into the night
She turned for one last look
She looked me in the eye
I said, 'i love you...good-bye'

"it's the most awful thing you'll
Ever hear."
"if you're lying to me..."
"oh, you dearly love her."
"...just have to leave... all our lives."
"seize the day!"
"something happened.
"gather ye rosebuds while ye may."
"she was killed."

Iv. the darkest of winters
(instrumental)

V. another world
So far or so it seems
All is lost with nothing fulfilled
Off the pages and the t.v. screen
Another world where nothing's true
Tripping through the life fantastic
Lose a step and never get up
Left alone with a cold blank stare
I feel like giving up
I was blinded by a paradise
Utopia high in the sky
A dream that only drowned me
Deep in sorrow, wondering why
Oh come let us adore him
Abuse and then ignore him
No matter what, don't let him be
Let's feed upon his misery
Then string him up for all the world to see
I'm sick of all you hypocrites
Holding me at bay
And i don't need your sympathy
To get me through the day
Seasons change and so can i
Hold on boy, no time to cry
Untie these strings, i'm climbing down
I won't let them push me away
Oh come let us adore him
Abuse and then ignore him
No matter what, don't let him be
Let's feed upon his misery
Now it's time for them to deal with me

Vi. the inevitable summer
(instrumental)

Vii. the crimson sunset
I'm much wiser now
A lifetime of memories
Run through my head
They taught me how
For better or worse, alive or dead
I realize there's no turning back
Life goes on the offbeaten track
I sit down with my son
Set to see the crimson sunset
(gather ye rosebuds while ye may)
Many years have come and gone
I've lived my life, but now must move on
(gather ye rosebuds while ye may)
He's my only one
Now that my time has come
Now that my life is done
We look into the sun
'seize the day and don't you cry,
Now it's time to say good-bye
Even though i'll be gone,
I will live on, live on.'