This song is written as the perspective of the boys in the street, as a whole, and what path they are going to choose as they get older and grow into men. (This is why the music video takes place in an orphanage.) The seen, and unseen collective suffering is imbedded in the boys’ mind, consciously or subconsciously, and is haunting them. Which path will the boys choose? Issac Hayes is the voice of reason, maybe God, the angel on his shoulder, or the voice of his forefathers from beyond the grave who can see the big picture and are pleading with the boys not to continue the violence and pattern of killing their brothers, but to rise above. The most beautiful song and has so many levels. Racism towards African Americans in America would not exist if everyone sat down and listened to this song and understood the history behind the words. The power, fear, pleading in RZA and Ghostface voices are genuine and powerful. Issac Hayes’ strong voice makes the perfect strong father figure, who is possibly from beyond the grave.
Shrinking pathways painted red,
Blurry vision or fairytale
Sinking image in my head,
Am I awake behind the veil?
Take a peek and see through me,
Seek the devil in the details
An open book is where you'll find
All the undiscovered secrets hidden under
The Veil
Locked inside alone in silence,
You're going mad, losing your senses
Stuck in this hell,
I wanna taste what's real again,
Find a way to end this
Have you lost your way?
Forced to sail,
Watching through the veil
Don't let your dreams fade away
I know somewhere there is a key
To reach something that I adore
I'm not afraid of the blur,
I want a bite of the lure
I don't know where this is going
But once again I fall into this prison
Tearing down the walls in front of me,
Break these chains
Buried alive I crawl back up,
Break free
This is the day that I reach for the light
To finally set rest to this lonely night
Have you ever truly dreamed?
Been so drawn to it?
Have you lost your way?
Forced to sail,
Watching through the veil
Don't let your dreams fade away
Have I lost my way?
Just trying to find my purpose,
Reaching the surface,
Waking up to brighter days
Have you ever truly dreamed?
Have you ever truly dreamed?
Have you ever truly dreamed?
Have you ever truly dreamed?
Blurry vision or fairytale
Sinking image in my head,
Am I awake behind the veil?
Take a peek and see through me,
Seek the devil in the details
An open book is where you'll find
All the undiscovered secrets hidden under
The Veil
Locked inside alone in silence,
You're going mad, losing your senses
Stuck in this hell,
I wanna taste what's real again,
Find a way to end this
Have you lost your way?
Forced to sail,
Watching through the veil
Don't let your dreams fade away
I know somewhere there is a key
To reach something that I adore
I'm not afraid of the blur,
I want a bite of the lure
I don't know where this is going
But once again I fall into this prison
Tearing down the walls in front of me,
Break these chains
Buried alive I crawl back up,
Break free
This is the day that I reach for the light
To finally set rest to this lonely night
Have you ever truly dreamed?
Been so drawn to it?
Have you lost your way?
Forced to sail,
Watching through the veil
Don't let your dreams fade away
Have I lost my way?
Just trying to find my purpose,
Reaching the surface,
Waking up to brighter days
Have you ever truly dreamed?
Have you ever truly dreamed?
Have you ever truly dreamed?
Have you ever truly dreamed?
Lyrics submitted by EternalTearsOfSorrow
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