Lay Your Ghosts to Rest

Based on the previous track (Astral Body) and Extremophile Elites (track 5), I believe Prospect 2 is the Space Flight Navigator. He had an out of body experience in Astral Body, during which he says "I slowly start to cut the pieces of flesh from my body...under it all, I know the devastation I have caused upon myself and this world." I feel like Lay Your Ghosts to Rest starts here.

In Astral Body, he "digs in and dissects", which he continues here. Under it all first he finds the regret for his devastation, but he keeps going because "Under it all, a new world...a new world make with the hands of madness." His hands of madness are doing the dissecting to find this new world.

"Every mirror is a past idea smashed upon recognition." Usually, we see ourselves in mirrors. But he says every mirror is a past idea, like a past idea of himself, reflecting "examples of what the outside world sees" (Astral Body). These past ideas of himself are smashed upon recognizing this outer form. Hence the cutting until he is new. "Smooth out the eyes, smooth out the lips...cut until all that is left is new material." He is remaking himself.

The line "These selfish reasons... the letter is all I left for explaining" appears in parenthesis in the booklet, and are not sung. He says this cutting and mirror smashing, the regret, the making of a new self, a new world...these are selfish reasons, and he left only a letter behind before embarking on this journey.

"Will it be found? Will the right hands deliver, the heartache I left?" He is talking about his letter of explanation, wondering if the right hands will find it, deliver his words to the right person, bringing heartache. Honestly, it sounds a little like the thoughts of someone about to commit suicide, pondering their suicide note. It's irresistible to draw the parallels with all the talk of cutting flesh and making a new world with hands of madness. Not to mention the book-end tracks, Goodbye to Everything. However, I interpret it as the inevitable death of self on the path to self-enlightenment, and the birth of a new being. The person we were when we begin a journey is never the same as the person who finishes. Somewhere along the way, the old dies and the new is born.

"Cut until all that is left is new material, myself. Day in, day out. Deep down I know what I must do." He knows he must go on this journey he has begun. Maybe he has lived with himself for too long, the outward appearance of his matter.

"So much happens behind closed doors, so much happens behind our closed doors." This is true. People act very different behind closed doors when they are alone, or with their loved ones. The letter and heartache referenced earlier imply that he has left someone behind who will miss him dearly, maybe a significant other. I think he is still referencing his "devastation" mentioned in Astral body. So much has happened, hidden behind physical doors, and maybe behind the figurative doors of his mind and his thoughts.

"This key will open them, expose us all." He his on a journey to dig in and cut away, and make a new world. He knows his devastation, considers all that he has kept hidden behind doors and within himself, and says This Key will lay it all out. Like a cleansing confession.

"Crusty-eyed symphony, awakened by my grunts and moans" He awakes in pain and regret, "Why do I do this to myself? I suppose the choice was all mine." This brings us back to this choice he made to embark on a journey. "God, felt so much better before the mirror glimpse" he catches himself in the mirror, sees his matter, the outward appearance he is trying to cut away.

"On the surface, I know what I must do." He resolves to follow through. "What I must do" repeats x4.

Then we get Folder 502, "the precaution documents," part of ship's autorun protocol. Next to the lyrics in the book, there's an image of a ship's computer screen with the header "Folder 502 Initiative" detailing the current location, with the destination: "Galactic Center" whose course is plotted. The ship is "Awaiting Command."

The documents are "the failsafe way back "home"" He asks if he shoul "end it right here and right now?" Maybe here he really is contemplating suicide,or maybe he is referring to taking the failsafe back "home". End the mission, and return to his old life. But then he says "That would be far too selfish," (either ignominous return, or suicide) and carries on.

"I shall end what I've begun. The creation of more, More of us: The skin and bones of destruction" He will follow through, create more of "us" which I think may reference the Galactic Drifter and Walking Mirror in Extremophile Elite.

"An army of weak souls, weak minds, weak life." References back to the "skin and bones of destruction"

There's another aside that appears only in the booklet: "(Written in a language I can understand. My brilliance seems questioned with these instructions. Fairly obvious for precaution documents I suppose. The "Night Owls" always send me back. Seems to be in their DNA) .fade out."

The Folder 502 is comprehensible and the instructions are so stupidly simple, it casts doubt on his "brilliance". But he figures that is typical for precaution, fail-safe documents. He references the "Night Owls" which may be depicted in the art for track 7, The Black Box (pg 13).

"I wake to my own whimper. Ship is counting down. Must regroup myself."

It's happening. Maybe he drifted off, but he awakes again to sounds of his own distress (before, grunts and moans). But the ship is counting down, about to take off toward its destination of the Galactic Center.

By the way, at the Galactic Center is a dense cluster of thousands of older stars, around a supermassive black hole. The Navigator seems to know, and is counting on, the fact that this will likely be a one way trip.

It cuts to the bass, the sound of the countdown as systems engage and then... "The end starts NOW".

"Cut 'til all that is left is new material, Myself." He repeats his mission, to cut away at himself until he is completely new. He is resolved.

"Prospect 2: Under it all A new world A new world make with the hands of madness These hands They will always do the cutting Piece by piece the pain gets worse If only I could see myself right now"

He's cutting pieces of his skin off so that all that remains is new "material". Think of it as a full transformation. He is a new person, therefore he should have a new identity.

"The gathering of flesh Transforming my face into an unrecognizable state Smooth out the eyes Smooth out the lips Every mirror is a past idea smashed upon recognition (These selfish reason… the letter is all I left for explaining)"

He cut off all of the skin on his face, leaving it in an unrecognizable state. He has a letter, explaining why he did it.

Will it be found? Will the right hands deliver? The heartache I left

Will the letter (I'm assuming) be found by someone? Will the right hands deliver the same fate upon the earth as it did on his own planet? (Remember, his planet was destroyed)

Cut until all that is left is new material Myself Day in, day out Deep down I know what I must do

He keeps cutting his skin until everything on the surface is new. Deep down, he knows what he must do, and that is to destroy planet earth

So much happens behind closed doors So much happens behind our closed doors This key will open them Expose us all

I think he's talking about how a lot of stuff happens in the government behind curtains, that civilians don't know about. His idea to bring the earth to it's demise will reveal the true motives and morals of humans

Crusty-eyed symphony Awakened by my grunts and moans Why do I do this to myself? I suppose the choice was all mine God felt so much better before the mirror glimpse On the surface I know what I must do

"crusty-eyed symphony" - he's just waking up, with that feeling of crusty eyes. He was grunting and moaning during his sleep, and he woke himself up. He felt a lot better about his situation with his skin before he actually looked in the mirror and saw what he looked like. He knows what he must do (destroy earth) and he's growing okay with the idea.

Folder 502: The precaution documents The failsafe way back "home". Should I end it right here and now? That would be far too selfish I shall end what I've begun The creation of more More of us The skin and bones of destruction An army of weak souls Weak minds Weak life

He found a folder on the ship showing a "failsafe" way back home, or out of harms way. He's finally coming to the decision to destroy earth.

(written in a language I can understand. My brilliance seems questioned with these instructions. Fairly obvious for precaution documents I suppose. The "Night Owls" always send me back. Seems to be in their DNA) .fade out.

The "Night Owls" are from BTBAM's song "Fossil Genera". In Fossil Genera, the government is overthrown by the night owls, and they take control of every aspect of everyone's lives. From this, we know the folder he found was made by the Night Owls. It should also be noted that in Fossil Genera, they mention building "weapons that none of you could even begin to think would harm the outside world"

I wake to my own whimper Ship is counting down Must regroup myself

He wakes up to his own grunts and moans again. The ship is counting down to landing, so he must get ready.

The end starts now

Just like it says, the end starts now

Prospect 2 is heading to destroy earth

I love the reference to Fossil Genera (the "Night Owls")