"The Necromancer" as written by and Gary Lee Weinrib Neil Elwood Peart....
As grey traces of dawn tinge the eastern sky, the three travelers, men of Willow Dale, emerge from the forest shadow. Fording the River Dawn, they turn south, journeying into the dark and forbidding lands of the Necromancer. Even now the intensity of his dread power can be felt, weakening the body and saddening the heart. Ultimately they will become empty, mindless spectres, stripped of will and soul. Only their thirst for freedom gives them hunger for vengeance
Silence shrouds the forest
As the birds announce the dawn
Three trav'llers ford the river
And southward journey on
The road is lined with peril
The air is charged with fear
The shadow of his nearness
Weighs like iron tears
Shreds of black cloud loom in overcast skies. The Necromancer keeps watch with his magic prism eyes. He views all his lands and is already aware of the three helpless invaders trapped in his lair
Brooding in the tower
Watching o'er his land
Holding ev'ry creature
Helplessly they stand
Gaze into his prisms
Knowing they are near
Lead them to the dungeons
Spectres numb with fear
They bow defeated
Enter the Champion. Prince By-Tor appears to battle for freedom from chains of long years. The spell has been broken...the Dark Lands are bright, the Wraith of the Necromancer soars away in the night
Stealthily attacking
By-Tor slays his foe
The men are free to run now
From labyrinths below
The Wraith of Necromancer
Shadows through the sky
Another land to darken
With evil prism eye
Silence shrouds the forest
As the birds announce the dawn
Three trav'llers ford the river
And southward journey on
The road is lined with peril
The air is charged with fear
The shadow of his nearness
Weighs like iron tears
Shreds of black cloud loom in overcast skies. The Necromancer keeps watch with his magic prism eyes. He views all his lands and is already aware of the three helpless invaders trapped in his lair
Brooding in the tower
Watching o'er his land
Holding ev'ry creature
Helplessly they stand
Gaze into his prisms
Knowing they are near
Lead them to the dungeons
Spectres numb with fear
They bow defeated
Enter the Champion. Prince By-Tor appears to battle for freedom from chains of long years. The spell has been broken...the Dark Lands are bright, the Wraith of the Necromancer soars away in the night
Stealthily attacking
By-Tor slays his foe
The men are free to run now
From labyrinths below
The Wraith of Necromancer
Shadows through the sky
Another land to darken
With evil prism eye
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I just love the fade in of the guitar and then the overlay kicks in and it has such a great feel. The lyrics are so uplifting, then the solo at the end just COMPLETELY captures the spirit of freedom and joy. Love the last solo, so melodic and not more than it needs to be, just perfect.
Love the 'evil prism eye' reference to Suaron as well!
Nice work Alex!
The Necromancer is about three travelers (from Willowdale, so obviously Geddy, Alex, and Neil) that approach a dark land ruled by the evil Necromancer. The Necromancer tries to capture them and bring them into his lair, like he does with everyone that intrudes onto his land. The Necromancer is meant to represent the record companies and media that urged them to change. In the song, they are going to be captured, but By-Tor saves them. This is meant to represent their music (by-tor and the snow dog). So, basically, their music and creativity saved them from being captured by evil. This was their way of saying "no" to the record companies when they pressured them to change.
i think it's kinda funny that once "the wraith of the Necromancer soars away in the night" the dark lands are then turned bright. in other words, if it wasn't for the media and record companies, music would be much better off!!
i want to see this and The Fountain of Lamneth performed live so badly. i know that will probably never happen, but as a 19 year old, one can only dream.