Sentinel_NZ
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Posts: 233
Joined: June 2021 |
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Posted: Feb. 06 2025, 13:49 |
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Heaven's Open must be not only Mike's finest lyrical hour, but mark him as one of the great rock lyricists, comparable to the other traditional masters such as Springsteen, Mellencamp, MacGowan and the like.
This is that morning,
It's waiting for you.
The face of destiny
Standing before you.
This is zero hour, now is for you.
Can you feel that power inside of you?
This priceless moment
In your possession.
Answers to mysteries
Stand in succession.
This is zero hour and there's no way back.
Can you feel that power? In its arms you're wrapped
All through the night-time
'Til the sun comes in.
Now Heaven's open.
Just fly right in.
Now you stand in that garden,
This is that vision.
Out on the world's edge,
It's your baptism.
This is zero hour and your hands are free.
Can you feel that power? It's ecstasy!
All through the night-time,
'Til the sun comes in.
Now Heaven's open.
Fly right in.
Waiting for night-time
'Til the sun comes in.
All through the night-time,
Let the blue sky in.
Heaven's open,
The sun comes in.
Heaven's open.
Let that blue sky in!
You know, sun comes in.
Now, heaven's open.
Fly right in.
Mike Oldfield - Heaven's Open
These sentiments are simply stunningly expressed - incredibly inspiring. By comparison, here is what I would say is Bruce Springsteen's best lyric: ("Better Days", 1992). Springsteen's rhyming ability, use of metaphors and imagery, and general poetic lyricism comfortably outshines Oldfield's, but Mike's message is uniquely uplifting and spiritually enthralling or as he puts it, "it's ecstasy!"
Well my soul checked out missing as I sat listening
To the hours and minutes tickin’ away
Yeah, just sittin’ around waitin’ for my life to begin
While it was all just slippin’ away.
I’m tired of waitin’ for tomorrow to come
Or that train to come roarin’ ’round the bend
I got a new suit of clothes a pretty red rose
And a woman I can call my friend
These are better days baby
Yeah there’s better days shining through
These are better days baby
Better days with a girl like you
Well I took a piss at fortune’s sweet kiss
It’s like eatin’ caviar and dirt
It’s a sad funny ending to find yourself pretending
A rich man in a poor man’s shirt
Now my ass was draggin’ when from a passin’ gypsy wagon
Your heart like a diamond shone
Tonight I’m layin’ in your arms carvin’ lucky charms
Out of these heard luck bones
These are better days baby
These are better days it’s true
These are better days
There’s better days shining through
Now a life of leisure and a pirate’s treasure
Don’t make much for tragedy
But it’s a sad man my friend who’s livin’ in his own skin
And can’t stand the company
Every fool’s got a reason to feelin’ sorry for himself
And turn his heart to stone
Tonight this fool’s halfway to heaven and just a mile outta hell
And I feel like I’m comin’ home
These are better days baby...(etc)
Bruce Springsteen - Better Days
However, I still say overall the finest rock lyricist of all must be Jon Anderson - not for his Yes works, or even his solo work, all of which is utterly awful IMO, but for his sublime and peerless collaborations with Vangelis, the greatest of which is Horizons, arguably the greatest progressive rock anthem of all, with the utterly mesmerizing and wonderful lyrics which start off like this:
In amongst the rings of confusion
Silencing the thought powers one by one
It seems all so incredible
Our own ability to confuse - to sacrifice
To enlighten like a Shakespearian play
We foolish and happily hold on to sanity
While all around the pushing
And prodding of our feelings
The twisting and turning of our hearts
Displaying an almost indefinable strength
Of purpose - a reason a reason a reason
Where no reasons seems to exist
Yet, as in a vision, a voice transcending
All our imagination, jewel of life
Guiding light heralding a joyous new dawn
Clear and gifted time
Divine Nature - Super Nature
The supreme gift of knowledge and space
In this cacophony of life...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSIr5mx3YA8
In a way, it's a shame that when Mike Oldfield and Jon Anderson joined forces, even though the songs they produced - especially Shine, less so In High Places, which is not as successful in my opinion - were excellent, they didn't quite achieve the kind of at times seemingly alchemical musical magic that Jon & Vangelis managed at their best, either lytically or musically.
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