The Metamorphosis Trilogy
In the autumn of 2023, Henrik wrote lots of lyrics, and four of the pieces will be parts of a trilogy (a fun tribute to Rush who ended up with four parts to their “Fear Trilogy” back between 1981-2002) about stages and changes in life. So, there’s a concept going on – but to confuse you the order of the pieces are neither chronological nor logical…!
Part II : Youth “the Good Times” when we were/are carefree
Part IV deals with Old Age where weary souls who once were rebels, face a cynical world and find themselves “Dancing with Shadows”
Part III and our Midlife Crisis hits us, but we could start a new chapter in life, find a new road from the ashes of our past – like a “Phoenix Rising“
Part I deals with Adulthood when pressures amount, but we are still here for a good time, although “Not Here for a Long Time“
The songs (lyrics and info):
GOOD TIMES
(the Metamorphosis trilogy, part II – Youth)
Kristian has been playing around with some riffs while warming up (or when bored waiting for Henrik to tune his bass while Erik is testing how much sound he can get out of the drum set), and then introduced a full new composition a few minutes after all the old material from 35 years ago was recorded and released on Spotify and YouTube. We started jamming to the parts and quickly agreed on an arrangement. Now we just had to come up with individual parts to complement Kristian’s composition, and most difficult of all; remember it all (not easy for amateurs who have other full-time jobs and only play together once in a while). But after a couple of months, we thought we had it down well enough to record while playing it as a band in studio (as we always do to get a dynamic group/band feel). Henrik thought the mood of Kristian’s song could match well with some lyrics he had written called “Good Times”. When trying to find a vocal melody, only a very few re-writing tweaks were needed to make it flow. And here it is:
(verse)
Straight from the cocoon – like a butterfly
Spread your wings – color the sky
Through the winds of time
Flutter through the air
Search and you’ll find – Listen and you’ll hear
(chorus)
Working tomorrow – for a better today
a lesson in procrastination!
Good times, those were the days
Times of fascination
Jump the hurdles – roles you play
Careless self-realization
Good times, bad times – come what may
Follow your own persuasion
(verse)
From a seed – to a lofty tree
View from above – I feel strong and free
The prime of youth – no time for sorrow
Trees today, they are
the forest of tomorrow
(bridge)
Cross that bridge – close the gap
Enter the age of reason
That youthful itch – the sketchy map
Enter a new season
(verse)
Shape the Future – in your own mold
Disconnected – From the old
Technology divide – Generation out of touch
Experience takes time – Why hurry so much?
(chorus)
Working tomorrow – for a better today
a lesson in procrastination!
Good times, those were the days
Times of fascination
Jump the hurdles – roles you play
Careless self-realization
Good times, bad times – come what may
Follow your own persuasion
(outro)
Hunting high and low – for the Good Times
credits:
Kristian: Guitars, acoustic and lead guitar
Øyvind: Guitars, lead guitar, and E-bow (!)
Erik: Drums, percussion, and phone voice (we kid you not)
Henrik: Bass, vocals and ukulele
Music: Kristian
Lyrics: Henrik
Arrangement: 4theMoney
Mixing, mastering, sound engineer: Øyvind
DANCING WITH SHADOWS
(the Metamorphosis trilogy, part IV – old age)
So, while the rest of us thought we were working on an instrumental and on new song “Echoes of Gunfire”, Øyvind suddenly and surreptitiously sent us a click track and full composition for a new song. Baffled, we simply obliged – come on, he does own our studio and decides where, what and when we play…Anyway, with Henrik having moved to South Sudan, this had to be a different project where we actually couldn’t jam the song until we felt we had the parts and arrangement down. It had to be an “online project” with each of us doing our separate parts in the studio, except Henrik who put down his parts in his apartment in Juba. At first, it was a bit messy – the parts were cool by themselves, separately, but didn’t…”gel” – or flow… Some more listening and re-writing parts to fit each other better, and it all came together. Then the “magic in the kitchen” happened once again – meaning Kristian and Øyvind adding “guitar spice”, and Erik some tasty percussion. Voila”! A new song grows on us…and hopefully on the four of you following our band…relentlessly, not so passionately, but somewhat (no, not loyally but) curiously?!
(verse)
In the twilight of my years, the clock’s refrain
In the theatre of life, a disillusioned disdain
As (all these) wrinkles map the journey,
etched in pain
Lost in the echoes of a world gone insane
(chorus)
Dancing with Shadows,
a worn-out mime gone blind
Fading echoes bouncing off the walls of time
Morals of the past caught in the firing line
Accusations, a chamber of lies,
Regret in every rhyme
(verse)
Drowning in the tides of the daily grind
A weary soul and careless state of mind
A political charade, a masquerade
of the scripted kind
A theater of puppets with
(all the) strings left behind
(chorus)
Dancing with Shadows,
a worn-out mime gone blind
Fading echoes bouncing off the walls of time
Morals of the past caught in the firing line
A book of confessions, a web of lies
Disillusion in every rhyme
(Bridge)
Empty promises, a labyrinth of lies
A puppeteer’s laughter
when the marionettes rise
Lost in the corridors where honesty dies
A righteous facade of suits and ties
(verse)
Once a young rebel, now a weary sage
Lost in the fog of a cynical age
Flickering candlelight on the unwritten page
Nocturnal futility, of a life in the final stage
(chorus)
Dancing with Shadows,
a worn-out mime gone blind
Fading echoes bouncing off the walls of time
Morals of the past caught in the firing line
Wild speculations, a theater of lies
Blurred lines in every rhyme
…Dancing with shadows …
Echoes… Blurred lines…
Fading shadows…
credits:
Kristian: Guitars, lead guitar
Øyvind: Guitars, lead guitar, and E-bow
Erik: Drums, percussion, and vocals
Henrik: Bass, vocals
Music: Øyvind
Lyrics: Henrik
Arrangement: 4theMoney
Mixing, mastering, sound engineer: Øyvind
NOT HERE FOR A LONG TIME
(the Metamorphosis trilogy, part I – adulthood)
…there’s no music to this one yet, but here are the lyrics
(verse)
There comes a time
You’re pushing on – but the spark is gone
Not feeling that fine
You carry that stone
The ball and chain – The weary brain
Even at home
(chorus)
Open your eyes – find that spark
See the world – as an amusement park
We’re not here for a long time
But we’re here for a good time
(verse)
The World’s a stage
We have to perform – follow the norm
The World’s a cage
Ticking away
The streets are busy – you’re feeling dizzy
The games they play
(chorus)
Turn the switch – light up the dark
Charge ahead – to our amusement park
We’re not here for a long time
But we’re here for a good time
OUTSOURCING THE SOURCERESS
(short intro to Metamorphosis part III)
About Outsourcing the Sorceress: Henrik wrote a little guitar piece for nylon string back in 2013 that he never really knew what to do with. He kept playing it and liking it, and finally wrote some lyrics to it in the autumn of 2023. While the band was procrastinating like mad adding and changing parts and tracks on Good Times, he bought a proper microphone and recorded the nylon string guitar and vocals at home for the short (1min) song. It is both a stand-alone little ballad and the intro to part III of the Trilogy. Øyvind added some atmospheric E-bow and here we are!
(verse)
I know how it feels
The shoulder you cry on
I know how it feels
With you around – to come undone
I loved the nights
How we danced until dawn
I know how it feels
To dance alone – now that you’re gone
credits:
Øyvind: E-bow (!)
Henrik: Classical guitar, fretless bass, and vocals
Music: Henrik
Lyrics: Henrik
Arrangement: 4theMoney
Mixing, mastering, sound engineer: Henrik
PHOENIX RISING
(the Metamorphosis trilogy, part III – midlife crisis)
…there’s no music to this one yet, but here are the lyrics
(verse)
From ashes of the past
Trapped in the cold
Through echoes of despair
You put life on hold
Lost in the shadows, find a road
A phoenix rising, a tale untold
(chorus)
Through the cracks of the heart
A light could shine
Story of life, a poem sublime
A breath of air – a moment in time
Counting the waves
Finding peace of mind
(verse)
Through chaos and pain, A harmony
In the silence of the night, your mind is free
From the burdens of sorrow
Face reality
A metamorphosis, Eyes that see
(chorus)
Through the cracks of the heart
A light will shine
An orchestra of dreams
A melody divine
A breath of air – A moment in time
Counting the waves
Finding peace of mind
(Bridge)
With open eyes, I now stand strong
I don’t need redemption,
but I will right the wrong
When twilight comes, I move along
Looking ahead to where I belong
(verse)
A new chapter, A fresh start
Healing the wounds, Embrace a new heart
An awakening, a work of art
Expect the unexpected – painting your part
(chorus)
Through the cracks of my heart
A light does shine
Maturing with age
Like a good wine
A breath of air – a moment in time
Counting the waves
Finding peace of mind
But there’s more:
Besides the Metamorphosis Trilogy, there is of course more music coming. We have an instrumental almost ready, and also a verse, chorus and bridge ready for yet another song, Kristian has three parts almost ready for a third song, and we have plenty of lyrics that need music, so we will keep jamming and composing to see what we come up with in the following…decade(s)!
The first one that’s almost ready…is:
ECHOES OF GUNFIRE
This was a new and fun (?) process for us. We had the lyrics and decided to just jam out a verse and chorus based on the mood of the text. Mellow verse and more angry and aggressive chorus. In a very short time, we had composed/jammed out a chord progression for the verse, and the basic aggressive riff for the “gunfire” chorus. Henrik wrote the lyrics in November 2023, as a tribute to friends experiencing war in Khartoum, Sudan. Then in October, the war in/on Gaza made it even more important to try to describe how all wars always hurt children and families. In July 2024 we jammed and composed the music. Then we added the intro and bridge from a groove Henrik composed some 10 years ago.
(verse)
Wars waged, hearts turned cold
Laughter silenced, where the bombs fall
Innocence shattered, a tragedy to all
Searching the rubble, praying for that call
The tears of mothers, of fathers and the old
The world is watching, but do nothing at all
The fear and trauma, you still stand tall!
Your heart’s still warm, but the nights are cold…
(chorus)
Echoes of gunfire – canvas painted red
Dreams buried – innocence shed
Truth the first victim – lies widespread
A propaganda show in a world misled
(verse)
Caught in the crossfire, a world gone insane
Young souls haunted, cynical disdain
When bigshots clash, the young bear the pain
Entitlement and greed is the tragic refrain
…bridge…
(verse)
Children’s nightmares, planes in the sky
Gunfire and mortar, today’s lullaby
Hold your son tight, as the jets fly by
Smile of comfort, inside you cry
Buried in the ruins, hope and dreams die
Sanity gone, no matter how you try
Time disappears, so many goodbyes
Cries of desperation, there is no justified WHY!
(chorus)
Echoes of gunfire – canvas painted red
Dreams buried – innocence shed
Truth the first victim – lies widespread
A propaganda show in a world misled
credits:
Kristian: Guitars, acoustic and lead guitar
Øyvind: Guitars, lead guitar
Erik: Drums, percussion, background vocals
Henrik: Bass, vocals
Music: 4theMoney
Lyrics: Henrik
Arrangement: 4theMoney
Mixing, mastering, sound engineer: Øyvind