Lyrics The Agonist

The Agonist

Globus Hystericus

What says the tree to his friends the rocks?

When he lives and breathes and they sit and mock

And he grows strong for centuries long

But finally dies and begins to rot

'We will last intact this way!

And you my friend will soon decay'

'But i can breathe - am commensal;

the shade, the fruits, the nests on bough

And if, with this, my time finite

I'm glad to have spent it doing right'

But rocks prefer to simply sit

To win none, lose none, just exist

But nary should an ocean rise,

They'd become sand and dissapear with the tides

When trees ignite a cyclical life

From plant to animal to Earth and back;

Whom, even when their roots are plowed

Have left exponential impact

Steel, concrete, technology (etc)

May stand intact for centuries

I say with actions...

But faced with wind, flood or quake

Like toys will crumble, bend and break

... what you do with words

And so the greedy human kind

To conquer trees tall, mountains high

Erects gigantic splinters of steel

That shame forests, make mountains kneel

And progress spreads like moss on stone

Evolution dictates that men are prone

To outdo those that came before

'You see? We'll last forever more!'

We improve what nature made

We'll challenge mountains, transplant lakes

There is no confirmed master plan

We do it just because we can

But foolish is the one who

Complacently thinks himself King

Because when time erodes the past

What remains are nature's things

Quite Shakespearean duals

Those between parent and offspring are!

As Chronos devours his Son

Gaia to Mankind so starts

Steel, concrete, technology (etc)

May stand intact for centuries

I say with actions...

But faced with wind, flood or quake

Like toys will crumble, bend and break

... what you do with words

We won't outlive our generation,

But our impact surely will

This - the Rocks' humilitation

When they witness we are still

Alive in what we've left for others

Like Nature gives, so selflessly

So pay respect to our true Mother

And take your rank amongst the trees