2112 Overture/The Temples of Syrinx
Rush

I. OVERTURE
-------------------------------------------------------------

I lie awake, staring out at the bleakness of Megadon. City and sky become one, merging into a single plane, a vast sea of unbroken grey. The Twin Moons, just two pale orbs as they trace their way across the steely sky. I used to think I had a pretty good life here, just plugging into my machine for the day, then watching Templevision or reading a Temple Paper in the evening.

My friend Jon always said it was nicer here than under the atmospheric domes of the Outer Planets. We have had peace since 2062, when the surviving planets were banded together under the Red Star of the Solar Federation. The less fortunate gave us a few new moons.

I believed what I was told. I thought it was a good life, I thought I was happy. Then I found something that changed it all...
Anonymous, 2112

And the meek shall inherit the earth.

II. THE TEMPLES OF SYRINX
-------------------------------------------------------------

... The massive grey walls of the Temples rise from the heart of every Federation city. I have always been awed by them, to think that every single facet of every life is regulated and directed from within! Our books, our music, our work and play are all looked after by the benevolent wisdom of the priests...

We've taken care of everything
The words you hear the songs you sing
The pictures that give pleasure to your eyes.

It's one for all and all for one
We work together common sons
Never need to wonder how or why.

We are the Priests, of the Temples of Syrinx
Our great computers fill the hallowed halls.
We are the Priests, of the Temples of Syrinx
All the gifts of life are held within our walls.

Look around this world we made
Equality our stock in trade
Come and join the Brotherhood of Man
Oh what a nice contented world
Let the banners be unfurled
Hold the Red Star proudly high in hand.

We are the Priests, of the Temples of Syrinx
Our great computers fill the hallowed halls.
We are the Priests, of the Temples of Syrinx
All the gifts of life are held within our walls.

III. DISCOVERY
-------------------------------------------------------------

... Behind my beloved waterfall, in the little room that was hidden beneath the cave, I found it. I brushed away the dust of the years, and picked it up, holding it reverently in my hands. I had no idea what it might be, but it was beautiful ...

... I learned to lay my fingers across the wires, and to turn the keys to make them sound differently. As I struck the wires with my other hand, I produced my first harmonious sounds, and soon my own music! How different it could be from the music of the Temples! I can't wait to tell the priests about it! ...

What can this strange device be?
When I touch it, it gives forth a sound
It's got wires that vibrate and give music
What can this thing be that I found?

See how it sings like a sad heart
And joyously screams out its pain
Chords that build high like a mountain
Or notes that fall gently like rain.

I can't wait to share this new wonder
The people will all see its light
Let them all make their own music
The Priests praise my name on this night.

IV. PRESENTATION
-------------------------------------------------------------

... In the sudden silence as I finished playing, I looked up to a circle of grim, expressionless faces. Father Brown rose to his feet, and his somnolent voice echoed throughout the silent Temple Hall. ...

... Instead of the grateful joy that I expected, they were words of quiet rejection! Instead of praise, sullen dismissal. I watched in shock and horror as Father Brown ground my precious instrument to splinters beneath his feet...

I know it's most unusual
To come before you so
But I've found an ancient miracle
I thought that you should know

Listen to my music
And hear what it can do
There's something here as strong as life
I know that it will reach you.

The Priests:

Yes, we know it's nothing new
It's just a waste of time
We have no need for ancient ways
The world is doing fine

Another toy will help destroy
The elder race of man
Forget about your silly whim
It doesn't fit the plan.

I can't believe you're saying
These things just can't be true
Our world could use this beauty
Just think what we might do.

Listen to my music
And hear what it can do
There's something here as strong as life
I know that it will reach you.

The Priests:

Don't annoy us further
We have our work to do.
Just think about the average
What use have they for you?

Another toy will help destroy
The elder race of man
Forget about your silly whim
It doesn't fit the plan.

V. ORACLE: THE DREAM
-------------------------------------------------------------

... I guess it was a dream, but even now it all seems so vivid to me. Clearly yet I see the beckoning hand of the oracle as he stood at the summit of the staircase ...

... I see still the incredible beauty of the sculptured cities and the pure spirit of man revealed in the lives and works of this world. I was overwhelmed by both wonder and understanding as I saw a completely different way to life, a way that had been crushed by the Federation long ago. I saw now how meaningless life had become with the loss of all these things ...

I wandered home though the silent streets
And fell into a fitful sleep
Escape to realms beyond the night
Dream can't you show me the light?

I stand atop a spiral stair
An oracle confronts me there
He leads me on light years away
Through astral nights, galactic days

I see the works of gifted hands
That grace this strange and wondrous land
I see the hand of man arise
With hungry mind and open eyes

They left the planet long ago
The elder race still learn and grow
Their power grows with purpose strong
To claim the home where they belong
Home, to tear the Temples down...
Home, to change..

VI. SOLILOQUY
-------------------------------------------------------------

... I have not left this cave for days now, it has become my last refuge in my total despair. I have only the music of the waterfall to comfort me now. I can no longer live under the control of the Federation, but there is no other place to go. My last hope is that with my death I may pass into the world of my dream, and know peace at last.

The sleep is still in my eyes
The dream is still in my head
I heave a sigh and sadly smile
And lie a while in bed
I wish that it might come to pass
Not fade like all my dreams

Just think of what my life might be
In a world like I have seen
I don't think I can carry on
Carry on this cold and empty life
Oh...no.

My spirits are low in the depths of despair
My lifeblood spills over..

VII. GRAND FINALE
-------------------------------------------------------------

ATTENTION ALL PLANETS OF THE SOLAR FEDERATION
ATTENTION ALL PLANETS OF THE SOLAR FEDERATION
ATTENTION ALL PLANETS OF THE SOLAR FEDERATION
WE HAVE ASSUMED CONTROL
WE HAVE ASSUMED CONTROL
WE HAVE ASSUMED CONTROL


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  1979 Interview, Hamilton, Ivor Wynne Stadium   Der Trommler   O Baterista   The Boys In Brazil   2112   2112 (Live)   2112 [DVD]   2112 Overture   2112 Presentation   2112 Soliloquy   2112: Discovery   2112: Grand Finale   2112: III. Discovery   2112: Overture/The Temples of Syrinx/Discovery/Pre...   2112: The Temples of Syrinx   2112xanaduworking man   A Farewell to Kings [R30]   A FAREWELL TO KINGS   A Farewell To Kings (A Farewell To Kings)   A PASSAGE TO BANGKOK   A Passage to Bangkok [*]   A Passage to Bangkok [Live]   Afterimage   ALIEN SHORE   Anagram   ANAGRAM (for Mongo)   Analog Kid   ANIMATE   Annihilation Gun   ANTHEM   Anthem (Fly By Night)   Anthem [Capitol Theatre, December 10, 1976, Passai...   Anthem [Live]   AVAILABLE LIGHT   BASTILLE DAY   Bastille Day (Caress Of Steel)   Bastille Day [Live]   Bastille Day [R30]   BEFORE AND AFTER   Beneath, Between & Behind   Beneath, Between & Behind   Beneath, Between And Behind   Beneath, Between, Behind   Best I Can   Between Sun & Moon   Between Sun & Moon (Live)   Between Sun and Moon   Between the Wheels   Between the Wheels [R30]   Big Money   Big Wheel   BRAVADO   Bravado (Live)   Bravest Face   BU2B2   BY-TOR AND THE SNOW DOG   By-Tor and the Snow Dog (Live)   By-Tor And The Snow Dog/Cygnus X-1/Working Man   Carnies   Ceiling Unlimited   Ceiling Unlimited [Remixed]   CHAIN LIGHTNING   CHEMISTRY   Cinderalla Man   CINDERELLA MAN   CIRCUMSTANCES   Clockwork Angels   Closer To The Heart   Closer To The Heart (A Farewell To Kings)   Closer to the Heart [DVD]   Closer to the Heart [Live Birmingham England, 1988...   Closer to the Heart [Rush in Rio]   Cold Fire   COUNTDOWN   Crossroads   CUT TO THE CHASE   Cygnus X - 1 Book ii: Hemispheres   CYGNUS X-1   Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage   Cygnus X-1 Book II   Cygnus X-1 Book II Hemispheres: Prelude/Apollo Bri...   Cygnus X-1 Book II: Hemispheres   Cygnus X-1 Book Ii: Hemispheres I Prelude   Cygnus X-1, Book II Hemispheres: Prelude/Appollo B...   Cygnus X-1, Book II: Hemispheres   Cygnus X-1, Book One: The Voyage   Cygnus X1   Der Trommler   DIFFERENT STRINGS   DIGITAL MAN   Distant Early Warning   Distant Early Warning (Grace Under Pressure)   Distant Early Warning (Live)   Distant Early Warning [DVD]   DOG YEARS   Double Agent   DREAMLINE   Dreamline (Live)   DRIVEN   Driven (Live)   Earthshine   Earthshine (Live)   Earthshine [R30]   Earthshine [Remix]   EMOTION DETECTOR   ENTRE NOUS   Everyday Glory   FACE UP   Faithless   Far Cry   FINDING MY WAY   Finding My Way (intro)   Finding My Way (Rush)   Finding My Way [Mpeg 1 from Rock Concert]   FLY BY NIGHT   Fly By Night (Fly By Night)   Fly by Night [DVD]   Fly By Night / In The Mood   Fly by Night/In the Mood   For What It's Worth   For What It's Worth   FORCE TEN   Force Ten (Phoenix, AZ)   Force Ten (Hold Your Fire)   Force Ten (Phoenix, AZ)   Force Ten [Live Phoenix Arizona, 1988]   Free Will   FREEWILL   Freewill (Live)   Freewill (Permanent Waves)   Freeze   Freeze -- Part IV Of 'Fear'   Freeze (Fear, Pt. 4)   Freeze (Part IV of "Fear")   Freeze (Part IV of Fear)   Freeze (Pt. IV of Fear)   GHOST OF A CHANCE   Ghost of a Chance [Live]   Ghost Rider   Ghost Rider (Live)   Ghost Rider [Remixed]   Grace To Grace   GRAND DESIGNS   HALF THE WORLD   Halo Effect   HAND OVER FIST   Headlong Flight   Heart Full Of Soul   Hemispheres Prelude   HERE AGAIN   Heresy   HIGH WATER   Home On The Strange   How It Is   How It is [Remixed]   I THINK I'M GOING BALD   I Think I'm Going Bald   I. Prelude   Ii Apollo: Bringer Of Wisdom   Ii. Apollo: Bringer Of Wisdom   Iii Dionysus: Bringer Of Love   Iii. Dionysus: Bringer Of Love   IN THE END   In The End [Live]   IN THE MOOD   In the Mood [Mpeg1 from Rock Concert]   Iv Armageddon: The Battle Of Heart And Mind   Iv. Armageddon: The Battle Of Heart And Mind   Jacob's Ladder   Jacob's Ladder   Kid Gloves   LA VILLA STRANGIATO   La Villa Strangiato (An Exercise In Self-Indulgenc   La Villa Strangiato (Instrumental) (Hemispheres)   LAKESIDE PARK   Lakeside Park (Caress Of Steel)   Lakeside Park [Capitol Theatre, Passaic, New Jerse...   Larger Bowl   LEAVE THAT THING ALONE   Leave That Thing Alone [DVD]   Lessons   LIMBO   LIMELIGHT   Limelight (Live)   Limelight (Moving Pictures)   LOCK AND KEY   LOSING IT   Losing It [*]   MADRIGAL   Main Monkey Business   Making Memories   Malignant Narcissism/De Slagwerker   Mandrigal   MANHATTAN PROJECT   Manhattan Project (Power Windows)   MARATHON   Marathon [DVD]   Marc Live   MIDDLETOWN DREAMS   MISSION   Moving To Bohemia   Mr. Soul   My Favorite Headache   Mystic Rhythms   Mystic Rhythms (Grace Under Pressure)   Mystic Rhythms (Live)   Mystic Rhythms [Live]   Mystic Rhythms [R30]   NATURAL SCIENCE   Natural Science [Rush in Rio]   Natural Science: I. Tide Pools/II. Hyperspace/III....   NEED SOME LOVE   NEUROTICA   New World Man   New World Man (Live)   New World Man (Signals)   New World Man [*]   No country for old hens   NOBODY'S HERO   Nobody's Hero   Nobodys Hero   Nocturne   Nocturne [Remixed]   Not Fade Away (The Crickets cover)   One Little Victory   One Little Victory (Live)   One Little Victory [#]   One Little Victory [Remix]   One Little Victory [Remixed]   OPEN SECRETS   Out Of The Cradle   Outro   Panacea   Peaceable Kingdom   Peaceable Kingdom [Remixed]   PRESTO   Priests Of Syrinx   Prime Mover   R30 Overture   Red Barchetta   Red Barchetta (Moving Pictures)   Red Barchetta [*]   red lenses   Red Sector 'A'   Red Sector 'A' (Live)   Red Sector A   Red Sector A (Grace Under Pressure)   Red Sector A [Clockwork Angels Tour]   RED TIDE   RESIST   Resist (Live)   Rivendell   ROLL THE BONES   Roll the Bones (Live)   Runaway Train   Rush   Rush - Subdivisions   Rush - Tom Sawyer   SCARS   SECOND NATURE   Secret Touch   Secret Touch [R30]   Secret Touch [Remixed]   Seven And Seven Is   Seven Cities Of Gold   SHOW DON'T TELL   Show Don't Tell (Presto)   Show Don't Tell   Since You've Been Gone   Since You've Been Gone   Slipping   SOMETHING FOR NOTHING   Something for Nothing [*]   Something For Nothing [Live]   Spindrift   Spirit of Radio (Live)   Stars Look Down   STICK IT OUT   Still   Subdivisions   Subdivisions (Signals)   Subdivisions [Clockwork Angels Tour]   Subdivisions [Live Birmingham England, 1988]   Summertime Blues   Summertime Blues [R30]   SUPERCONDUCTOR   Sweet Miracle   Sweet Miracle [Remixed]   TAI SHAN   TAKE A FRIEND   Tears   TERRITORIES   TEST FOR ECHO   THE ANALOG KID   The Analog Kid [Clockwork Angels Tour]   The Anarchist   The Angel's Share   The Angel's Share   THE BIG MONEY   The Big Money (Power Windows)   The Big Money [Clockwork Angels Tour]   The Big Money [Live Birmingham England, 1988]   THE BIG WHEEL   The Body Electric   The Body Electric [Clockwork Angels Tour]   THE CAMERA EYE   The Camera Eye [*]   THE COLOR OF RIGHT   The Enemy Within   The Enemy Within (Part I of Fear)   The Enemy Within (Part One Of Fear)   THE FOUNTAIN OF LAMNETH   The Fountain of Lamneth: In the Valley/Didacts and...   The Garden   THE NECROMANCER   The Necromancer: Into Darkness/Under the Shadow/Re...   The Pass   The Pass (Live)   The Present Tense   The Seeker   THE SPEED OF LOVE   The Sphere: A Kind Of Dream   THE SPIRIT OF RADIO   The Spirit Of Radio (Permanent Waves)   The Spirit of Radio [DVD]   The Spirit of Radio [DVD][Take]   The Spirit Of Radio [Live]   The Stars Look Down [Remixed]   The Temples Of Syrinx   The Temples Of Syrinx (2112)   The Trees   The Trees (Hemispheres)   The Trees (Live)   The Trees [R30]   THE TWILIGHT ZONE   The Weapon   The Weapon (Part Ii Of Fear)   The Weapon (Part Two of Fear)   The Weapon [*]   THE WEAPON Part II of 'Fear'   The world is the world is   The Wreckers   TIME STAND STILL   Time Stand Still (Hold Your Fire)   Time Stand Still [Live Birmingham England, 1988]   Time Stands Still   Tom Sawyer   Tom Sawyer (Live)   Tom Sawyer (Moving Pictures)   Tom Sawyer [*]   Tom Sawyer [Clockwork Angels Tour]   Trees   TURN THE PAGE   V Cygnus: Bringer Of Balance   V. Cygnus: Bringer Of Balance   Vapor Trail   Vapor Trail [Remixed]   VIRTUALITY   VITAL SIGNS   Vital Signs (Live)   Vital Signs [*]   WAR PAINT   Way the Wind Blows   WHAT YOU'RE DOING   What You're Doing (Rush, All The World's A Stage)   What You're Doing [Live]   What You're Doing   What You’re Doing   WHERE'S MY THING   Where's My Thing?   Window To The World   Wish Them Well   Witch Hunt   Witch Hunt [*]   WITCH HUNT part III of 'Fear'   Workin' Them Angels   Workin' Them Angels   Working At Perfekt   Working Man   Working Man (Rush)   Working man [Laura Secord Secondary School, 1974, ...   Working Man/Finding My Way   XANADU   Xanadu [DVD]   Xanadu [R30]   YOU BET YOUR LIFE   YYZ [*]   YYZ [Live]

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