Contagion 3 - October 2003

The conclusion of Noah’s quest. Having discussed the flashback (Skin Game – Bitter Harvest) in episode 2, we now pick up the story line where we left it in episode 1, in Never-Ending Night to be exact. Noah has realized that the virus has been unleashed through him and he must undo the damage he has done.

The City Of Lanterns

Oh my brother, kneel with me
And share this dream of paradise
Through this cold and freezing night
We will survive

Oh my sister, walk with me
And share this dream of paradise
Through this unforgiving night
We will survive
As the Lantern City lights
Burn ever bright

Noah’s source of faith: the City of Lanterns. ‘A vision of heaven’, as Clive put it. Noah tries to do what he feels is right in order to be accepted into this heaven. That’s the main reason why he sets out on his mission to undo the damage he has done.

At the same time, the City of Lanterns is a source of hope: even though darkness has come over the world, the lights of the City of Lanterns still burn ever bright. Mankind will survive this ordeal. Noah tries to share this faith with others: ‘Oh my brother, kneel with me and share this dream of paradise’ and ‘ Oh my sister, walk with me and share this dream of paradise’. 

The Dictionary Of Phrase and Fable by E. Cobham Brewer (1894) has an entry for the City of Lanterns, which reads: ‘A supposititious city in Lucian’s Veræ Historiæ, situated somewhere beyond the zodiac.’ Lucian was a Syrian-Greek writer (120-180 A.D.) whose ‘True Histories’ is a fantastic journey, considered as the earliest surviving example of Science Fiction and the first fictional account of extra-terrestrial life… Is the entity that’s manipulating Noah extra-terrestrial?

With his faith as a beacon, Noah moves ahead. If the virus is a ‘tidal wave’, an ‘eternal flood’, then he will ride the tide and conquer it! But his hope runs dry…

Mea Culpa

So here I am
Sitting on a pile of stones
Waiting for the rain to fall
To wash away the dust from my hands
So here I am
Sitting on a pile of broken bones
Waiting for the sun to shine
Just to find my way to another day

I hear you call to me
But there's nothing I can do
I hear you call to me
But I can't help you

So here I am
Nothing more to give the world
Hoping for another chance
As I try to make a stand against the tide

And now I walk in fire
I see the flames are grower stronger, dancing higher
And voices from the blue
Their screams will not be silenced, as I stand accused
I look for mercy in their eyes
But only find despising gazes

So here I am
Wasted and torn apart
Waiting for the end to come
Release me from the guilt I’ve had to bear
So here I am
Sitting on a pile of broken hearts
Waiting for the end to come
And take away the burden of my fear

I hear you call to me
But there's nothing I can do
I hear you call to me
But I can't help you
But I can't help you

So here I am, sitting on a pile of stones

There are several moments of desperation on this album, but this is the ultimate one. Clive described to us how he sees Noah sitting on the floor of a big, ruined empty church; a powerful image of Noah’s broken faith. He tried to make a stand against the tide in vain, now he has nothing more to give the world. A huge contrast with the mantra ‘share this dream of paradise’ in The City Of Lanterns.

‘I hear you call to me, but there’s nothing I can do’. Who is calling to him? The girl? Mankind? The blue fire of the virus is all around and the flames grow stronger and higher. He hears the screams of accusation of the infected coming out of the blue, he sees their despising gazes. He gets no mercy, even though he unleashed the virus by accident. He wants his life to end, to be released of carrying the burden of guilt. 

I Spy

I spy an innocence caught in your eyes
It shines and beckons me close
I bathe deep in the light of your eyes
They shine and banish the ghosts
How far do travellers go
To reach the safety they yearn for so?

I spy a vulnerable look in your eyes
It draws and beckons me close
I try to shield you away from venomous lies
To guide you away from the lows
How far do travellers go
To reach the safety they yearn for so?

I spy the memories trapped in your eyes
The scars are vivid and close
I bathe deep in the light of your eyes
They shine and banish the ghosts
How far do travellers go
To reach the safety they yearn for so?
How far do travellers go
To reach the safety they yearn for so?

Noah seems to have found the girl at last. He finds relief in the light in her eyes, which drives away the ghosts that haunt him. Has Noah found the safety he has yearned for so? Judging by this lyric, the girl is still very young, given the words ‘innocence’, and ‘vulnerable’. But she’s also scarred and the scars are recent (‘vivid and close’). Scarred by the persons who chased her (Witch Hunt)? Noah tries to protect her innocence (‘I try to shield you away from venomous lies’). Is this the key to the survival of mankind? The innocence of a young child as the source for a new start? And why this child especially?

Cutting The Cards

Some bitter puppeteer tore away my right to choose
Dealt me lies instead of cards
Watched me bluffing from the start
Some warring cavalier rode the truth into the ground
Dragged me screaming by the feet
Left me sprawling in defeat

Right - right to the end
We are joined till the universe fades into darkness again

Some deep deluded author wrote new chapters in my life
Threw my hat into the ring
Let the lady start to sing
So here we face each other, in the blackness of the night
I don't care how it appears
This ends now, this ends here

Right - right to the end
We are joined till the universe fades into darkness again

I can read your mind
Your future’s so defined
Beware you’ve crossed the line this time
Are you so sure of what you’ll find
A victim of your lies
A witness to your own demise
There’s nowhere else to turn

Right - right to the end
We are joined till the universe fades into darkness again

I can feel your craving
The way that you behave
I can hear the thunder roll
The pleading of a million souls
You’ve done this to yourself
You’ve done this to yourself
There’s nowhere else to turn

Right - right to the end
We are joined till the universe fades into darkness again
And you know, yes you know
We can’t survive alone… on our own!

With a mood shift that reminds strongly of Enemy Without / Open Your Eyes on The Visitor, Noah’s will to fight returns. Someone has been toying with him, used him as a pawn, and it’s been enough, this ends now, this ends here! Now who is this ‘deep deluded author’? What are the fates that design his life?

Besides the unspecified ‘puppeteer’ that manipulated him, Noah also seems to address mankind in this song: ‘You’ve done this to yourself’, ‘Beware you’ve crossed the line this time’. Mankind had gone astray and the virus was unleashed to correct this. The only way ahead is to stand together and make a new start. ‘We can’t survive alone – on our own!’. We are joined until the end of time.

Ascension

I feel vindicated
Looking back on what I've done
Not so complicated
When moments meet as one
Are you ready to part the veil?
And write a new beginning to this tale

Rising up
I see creation from the sky
I'm learning to fly
Rising up
I see creation from the sky
This freedom is mine

Standing on the mountain
The olive leaf in hand
Drinking at that fountain
So that I might understand
Are you ready to start once more?
With no idea of what’s in store
Are you ready to part the veil?
And write a new beginning to this tale

Rising up
I see creation from the sky
I'm learning to fly
Rising up
I see creation from the sky
This freedom is mine
Rising up
I see creation from the stars
We've travelled so far
Rising up
I see creation from the stars
We've travelled so far
Rising up
Rising up

There are several religious references in this last lyric. ‘Standing on the mountain, the olive leaf in hand’ is an obvious reference to the biblical Noah standing on the mountain Ararat, with an olive branch in his hand, that has been brought to him by a dove that he sent out to check whether the flood had receded.

‘The veil’ is a spiritual concept; the conscious mind is said to be separated from the so-called ‘Higher Self’ by this ‘veil’. One of the principle goals of the spiritual path that lies ahead is to ‘part the veil’ and see beyond it, accessing and using the powers of the Higher Self. This Higher Self is described as having knowledge and ability far beyond the conscious self, as always working for the good and not being troubled by the fears and anxieties of the material world.

And in many Christian songs and gospels appears the expression ‘drinking at the fountain that never runs dry’ as a metaphor for believing in God. 

The new found faith is Noah’s legacy to the world and it will hopefully become a better place. Noah’s quest has been fulfilled and he now ascends to the City of Lanterns. After all his travels, he has found peace and feels right about what he has done. He understands it all now. The pieces have come together. This had to happen. It’s a new beginning for mankind. And it’s a new beginning for Noah. Both don’t know what’s in store…

How the healing of the world happens and what the role of the girl exactly is, is left open. It’s up to our imagination. Or maybe Clive will shed some light on the questions that remain by bringing out the short story?

Next time, the final pieces: the two new lyrics that will be on Contagium!

By: Erik Beers