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And We Are Become As Rats

from Crossing the Divide by The Benzene Ring

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lyrics

i. Story of the Rats
“Thousands gathered there
The last remaining plain
Fractious and weak and gnashing our teeth
Choosing to leave or remain

“I was one that ascended then
The poisoned air thinned as we flew
The strange man refused to show methods he’d use to vanish us into the blue

“We were twisted by the distance
Our skeletons all rearranged
Our frantic escape altered our shape
While the storm dissolved all that remained
Can we change what we’ve become?
Should I have stayed in the fire?

“We were fools to believe in him
Trust blindly his strange device
He talked a lot, said we’d turn back the clock
Were we men or were we mice?
Our friends remained below
Consumed by angry storms
Horrified shrieks faded into the deep
Hazy and translucent forms

“We were twisted by the distance
Our skeletons all rearranged
Our frantic escape altered our shape
While the storm dissolved all that remained
Can we change what we’ve become?
Should I have stayed in the fire?
The pathway back has crumbled to ash
Am I trapped in here until I die?

“The machine comes to life
Screaming with sparks and fire
Blinding shafts of rain
Levers and dials, arcs of electricity
We’re crossing the divide

“The machine comes to life
Screaming with sparks and fire
Blinding shafts of rain
Levers and dials, arcs of electricity
We’re crossing the divide

ii. Reflection in the Darkened Pool
“Whose paws are these?
Whose claws, whose teeth?
What strange disease infects us?
Crawl up to the darkened pool
What twisted form is reflected?

“Fragmented voices cry
Confessed from lowly vantage
Our storied shrives
Our pasts, our lives
By paths above they vanished

iii. Crossing the Divide
“You must have seen him where you’re from
It must be why you came to tell us what you know
He said he would come back, return, save us, change us
Bring us back to where you must have come from
Tell us why you came to save us
Did you know?
He said he would come back, return, change us, bring us home

“Can we change what we’ve become?
Should I have stayed in the fire?
The pathway back has crumbled to ash
Am I trapped in here until I die?
The ground, shaking, collapses into the boiling sea
The poisoned air thins as we rise
How can we say our goodbyes?”

Lift my head up to the ceiling
Thoughts start crawling through my mind
Like rats scratching at the threshold
I’m crossing the divide

Lift my head up to the ceiling
Thoughts start crawling through my mind
Like rats scratching at the threshold
I’m crossing the divide

Story of the rats!
Rats! Rats! Rats!

credits

from Crossing the Divide, released November 13, 2015

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The Benzene Ring New York

The Benzene Ring is a Brooklyn prog-rock band. They explore lush textures and intricate, ambitious compositions. Their music appeals to fans of Yes, Sunny Day Real Estate, Hum, The Mars Volta, Porcupine Tree, and Kayo Dot. Crossing the Divide, called “a true masterpiece,” and an "enormous, truly enormous prog-epic!", features Jeff Aldrich, Eric Hertenstein, Hwarg, and Daniel Gibson. ... more

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