Part 1:
Cold and misty morning, I heard a warning borne in the air
About an age of power where no one had an hour to spare,
Where the seeds have withered, silent children shivered, in the cold
Now their faces captured in the lenses of the jackals for gold.
I'll be there
I'll be there
I will be there.

Suffering in silence, they've all been betrayed.
They hurt them and they beat them, in a terrible way,
Praying for survival at the end of the day.
There is no compassion for those who stay.
I'll be there
I'll be there
I will be there.

There must be someone who can set them free:
To take their sorrow from this odyssey
To help the helpless and the refugee
To protect what's left of humanity.
Can't you see
Can't you see
Can't you see.

I'll be there
I'll be there
I will be there;
To heal their sorrow
To beg and borrow
Fight tommorow.

Step inside! Hello! We've the most amazing show
You'll enjoy it all we know
Step inside! Step Inside!

We've got thrills and shocks, supersonic fighting cocks.
Leave your hammers at the box
Come Inside! Come Inside!
Roll up! Roll up! Roll up!
See the show!

Left behind the bars, rows of Bishops' heads in jars
and a bomb inside a car
Spectacular! Spectacular!

If you follow me there's a speciality
some tears for you to see
Misery, misery,
Roll up! Roll up! Roll up!
See the show!

Next upon the bill in our House of Vaudeville
We've a stripper in a till
What a thrill! What a thrill!
And not content with that, with our hands behind our backs,
We pull Jesus from a hat,
Get into that! Get into that!
Roll up! Roll up! Roll up!
See the show!

Part 2:
Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends
We're so glad you could attend
Come inside! Come inside!
There behind a glass is a real blade of grass
be careful as you pass.
Move along! Move along!

Come inside, the show's about to start
guaranteed to blow your head apart
Rest assured you'll get your money's worth
The greatest show in Heaven, Hell or Earth.
You've got to see the show, it's a dynamo.
You've got to see the show, it's rock and roll ....

Right before your eyes we pull laughter from the skies
And he laughs until he cries then he dies then he dies
Come inside the shows about to start
Guaranteed to blow your head apart

You gotta see the show
It's a dynamo
You gotta see the show
It's rock and roll


Soon the Gypsy Queen in a glaze of Vaseline
Will perform on guillotine
What a scene! What a scene!
Next upon the stand will you please extend a hand
to Alexander's Ragtime Band
Roll up! Roll up! Roll up!
See the show!

Performing on a stool we've a sight to make you drool
Seven virgins and a mule
Keep it cool. Keep it cool.
We would like it to be known the exhibits that were shown
were exclusively our own,
All our own. All our own.
Come and see the show! Come and see the show! Come and see the show!
See the show!







Lyrics submitted by thedanman344

Karn Evil 9: First Impression song meanings
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  • +1
    General Comment

    The song Karn Evil 9 as a whole is about a future in which all of humanities imperfections are removed. First impressions is about a future in which everything evil, corrupt or dangerous, or which can cause wars, corruption and the like, are no longer existant except as a display in a carnival show. This includes sex, violence, religeon, death, sadness and so on. We also get our first hint as to what will happen in the end of 3rd impressions during the line "Just behind that glass is a real blade of grass, be carefull as you pass, move along, move along" You see, grass is natural. Nature is viewed as imperfect in this future and this is the only remaining piece of grass. And unlike the other displays, the blade of grass is viewed as dangerous rather than entertaining.
    All of this is reenforced at the end of First Impressions when he says "We would like it to be known the exhibits that were shown were exclusively our own, All our own. All our own. " which shows that none of these things exsist outside this carival.

    Now, this then leads into 3rd impressions. In third impressions, the final imperfection is destroyed: man. The computers that man made in the goal of perfection now view humans as imperfect. A war is fought and one man is spared. He thinks that he has won, and that, since all the other humans were recorded onto tape, that humanity can be restored. However, it is then revealed that the computer simply let him live, assumably to put on display in the carnival as a one of a kind example of the imperfections of man. Then, the final line the computer states "I'm perfect, are you?" and the rest fades out into computer noises as imperfection is whiped out.

    So, the song is about the dangers of reaching for perfection as in a world where everything imperfect has been removed, there is no place for humanity, who is flawed by nature.

    malec2bon January 18, 2008   Link

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