Fix what’s wrong, but don’t rewrite what the artist wrote. Stick to the official released version — album booklet, label site, verified lyric video, etc. If you’re guessing, pause and double-check.
Respect the structure
Songs have rhythm. Pages do too. Leave line breaks where they belong. Don’t smash things together or add extra empty space just for looks.
Punctuation counts (but vibe-editing doesn’t)
Correct typos? Yes. Re-punctuating a whole verse because it ‘looks better’? Probably not. Keep capitalization and punctuation close to the official source.
Don’t mix versions
If you’re editing the explicit version, keep it explicit. If it’s the clean version, keep it clean. No mashups.
Let the lyrics be lyrics
This isn’t the place for interpretations, memories, stories, or trivia — that’s what comments are for. Keep metadata, translations, and bracketed stage directions out unless they’re officially part of the song.
Edit lightly
If two lines are wrong… fix the two lines. No need to bulldoze the whole page. Think ‘surgical,’ not ‘remix.’
When in doubt, ask the crowd
Not sure what they’re singing in that fuzzy bridge? Drop a question in the comments and let the music nerds swarm. Someone always knows.
The song title is also the name of a Rembrandt painting also known as "The Night Watch." As the "narrator" of The Universal Migrator continues backwards in time, he finds one of his previous incarnations was one of the members of the titular shooting company.
I like to think of this song as Arjen Lucassen's answer to King Crimson's "Night Watch," about the same Rembrandt painting. While King Crimson's song gives us a 20th century critique of the painting, Ayreon's song brings us back to the moment it's being painted. It captures the masterpiece in all its glory, allowing us to see it as it was intended by the artist and the subjects. It even carries the title of the painting as it should be, not the title of "Night Watch" that it's come to be known by.
It might be sacrilege to dis King Crimson in front of a bunch of prog fans, but I prefer Ayreon's version. Maybe it's because I'm a Rembrandt fan and a history buff.
My Interpretation
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John Lennon? Is that you??
The song title is also the name of a Rembrandt painting also known as "The Night Watch." As the "narrator" of The Universal Migrator continues backwards in time, he finds one of his previous incarnations was one of the members of the titular shooting company.
I like to think of this song as Arjen Lucassen's answer to King Crimson's "Night Watch," about the same Rembrandt painting. While King Crimson's song gives us a 20th century critique of the painting, Ayreon's song brings us back to the moment it's being painted. It captures the masterpiece in all its glory, allowing us to see it as it was intended by the artist and the subjects. It even carries the title of the painting as it should be, not the title of "Night Watch" that it's come to be known by.
It might be sacrilege to dis King Crimson in front of a bunch of prog fans, but I prefer Ayreon's version. Maybe it's because I'm a Rembrandt fan and a history buff.