SHADOWICON LYRICS

1. Before The Storm

[Instrumental]

[In 60 BC, Caesar entered into a political alliance with Crassus and Pompey that was to dominate Roman politics for several years. Their attempts to amass power for themselves through populist tactics were opposed within the Roman Senate by the conservative elite. Caesar’s achievements granted him unmatched military power and threatened to eclipse Pompey's standing. The balance of power was further upset by the death of Crassus in 53 BC. Political realignments in Rome finally led to a stand-off between Caesar and Pompey, the latter having taken up the cause of the Senate. Ordered by the senate to stand trial in Rome for various charges, Caesar marched from Gaul to Italy with his legions, crossing the Rubicon in 49 BC. This sparked a civil war from which he emerged as the unrivalled leader of the Roman world.

As Caesar gained more and more political power some members of the Roman senate (Senatus Populusque Romanus) began fearing that the rule of the patrician’s elite might be coming to an end. A group of senators, led by Marcus Junius Brutus, plotted the assassination attempt on the dictator on the Ides of March (15 March) 44 BC, hoping to restore the constitutional government of the Republic.

On that day Caesar was due to appear at a session of the Senate. Mark Antony, having vaguely learned of the plot the night before from a terrified Liberator named Servilius Casca, and fearing the worst, went to head Caesar off. The plotters, however, had anticipated this and, fearing that Antony would come to Caesar's aid, had arranged for Trebonius to intercept him just as he approached the portico of Theatre of Pompey, where the session was to be held, and detain him outside.]

2. On The Ides Of Marxh

[On the Ides of March (March 15) a group of senators called Caesar to the forum for the purpose of reading a petition. However, the petition was a fake. As Caesar began to read the false petition, Tillius Cimber, who had handed him the petition, pulled down Caesar's tunic. According to Suetonius, Caesar then cried to Cimber, "Why, this is violence!" Within moments, the entire group, including Brutus, was striking out at the dictator. Caesar attempted to get away, but, blinded by blood, he tripped and fell; the men continued stabbing him as he lay defenceless on the lower steps of the portico. According to Eutropius, around sixty or more men participated in the assassination. He was stabbed 23 times.

According to Plutarch, after the assassination, Brutus stepped forward as if to say something to his fellow senators; they, however, fled the building. Brutus and his companions then marched to the Capitol while crying out to their beloved city: "People of Rome, we are once again free!". They were met with silence, as the citizens of Rome had locked themselves inside their houses as soon as the rumour of what had taken place had begun to spread.

A wax statue of Caesar was erected in the forum displaying the 23 stab wounds. A crowd who had amassed there started a fire, which badly damaged the forum and neighbouring buildings. In the ensuing chaos Mark Antony, Octavian (later Augustus Caesar), and others fought a series of five civil wars, which would end in the formation of the Roman Empire.]

Welcome Caesar to the Senate floor,
You’re in for a meeting like never before!
Play the part, walk to your final act - your requiem!

Do you know what’s behind the set?
Can you read from the eyes you’ve met?
On this day we cherish the God of war.

Warned by the seer to stay away,
You should’ve listened, they’re not all astray.
Every step you take may be your last; a thing of the past!

Do you know what’s behind the lies?
Can’t you see you’re the one they despise?
On this day we cherish the God of war

You live with traitors by your side
Watching you waste your days and nights
Take the seer’s advice and cherish your life
Beware, beware the Ides of March!

An innocent meeting or so it would seem,
In a place so private, none can hear you scream.
A crowded room, a quick violent stare; a knife surprise!

Tripping, falling, there’s no chance for escape
23 wounds are more than it takes.
A tyrant is down; no help for him now

[CHORUS]

Welcome Caesar to the Senate floor,
You’ve been in a meeting like never before!
Played your part in your final act
Your requiem!

3. A New Chapter

[In 44 BC, Caesar was assassinated by senators who opposed Caesar's assumption of absolute power and wanted to restore constitutional government. Initially it was thought that a new republic will emerge from the chaos that followed. But in the aftermath a Second Triumvirate, consisting of Caesar's designated heir, Octavian, and his former supporters, Mark Antony and Lepidus, took power. However, this alliance soon descended into a struggle for dominance. Lepidus was exiled, and when Octavian defeated Antony and Cleopatra of Egypt at the Battle of Actium in 31 BC, he became the undisputed ruler of Rome.]

Now a new age dawns
The Republic’s time is ending
The people fear the end draws near

Listen friends and hear my tale
Of power and of betrayal
The stage is set the world will never forget

Where legends dwell and myths are born
In the aftermath when the world is torn

Listen friends and hear my tale
Listen all!
Welcome to the show...

4. Lex Titia

[The Second Triumvirate is the name historians give to the official political alliance of Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus (later known as Augustus), Marcus Aemilius Lepidus, and Mark Antony, formed on 26 November 43 BC with the enactment of the Lex Titia, the adoption of which marked the end of the Roman Republic. The Triumvirate existed for two five-year terms, covering the period 43 BC – 33 BC. The Lex Titia was a Roman law passed on November 27, 43 BC, that granted triumvirates the right to rule for a period of five years. It is commonly known as the law that formalized and legalized the second triumvirate of Octavian, Mark Antony and Lepidus (the first triumvirate had existed outside of the law).]

People of Rome behold,
There is something important, that has to be told:
Lex Titia – the new law of Rome.
Rise of the trinity - a new chapter has begun.

Three's company
Prepared to rule the world
Three's company
They conquer with the sword

Rotten within,
Just layers of … sin!
Our republic is no more!
Dictators side by side, governing our days,
But they don’t care about us.
Forced control of our land, our homes, our lives,
What will we become?!

Whatever will happen, whatever will come
Nothing else matters, just glory of Rome.
Three's company - prepared to rule the world
Three's company - they conquered with the sword
Whatever will happen, whatever will come
Nothing else matters, just glory of Rome.

[CHORUS]

5. Endless Shades Of Pain

[The Battle of Philippi was the final battle in the Wars of the Second Triumvirate between the forces of Mark Antony and Octavian (the Second Triumvirate) against the forces of Julius Caesar's assassins Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus in 42 BC, at Philippi in Macedonia. The Second Triumvirate declared this civil war to avenge Julius Caesar's murder.]

Legions awaiting for new dawn to come,
Redemption or one’s final breath?
The army of thousands, but yet all alone
Every man on his own...

A change of an era hangs in the air
Can anyone sense that it’s here?
Their eyes are reflecting a new kind of dreams
A vision of future, it’s not what it seems...

A strike through the hand of Mars
New blood in the sea of lies
A mask, a death parade
Their endless shades of pain.

Gaze in their eyes my innocent child,
Defeat is what you will see.
A message in time, a lesson to learn,
The final betrayal, their fortune has turned.

The cost of their lives, the price they have paid,
An empire made out of sand.
Always ahead, but never in front,
Forgotten they died all alone.

[CHORUS]

6. Eastbound

[After the battle, a new arrangement was made between the members of the Second Triumvirate: while Octavian returned to Rome, Antony went on to govern the east. Lepidus went on to govern Hispania and the province of Africa. The triumvirate's enemies were subjected to proscription including Mark Antony's archenemy Cicero who was killed on December 7 43 BC.]

Now the battle has been won
I shall remain in the East
Far and near, high and clear,
The winners will write history

So much death under the sun
So many brothers deceased
In Egypt I shall go from here
To write my own history

The alliance formed - my lover you shall be

No fate I want, no world; no world without you (no faith no world without you)
Such lovely fantasy full of mystery (mystery)
When Fortune smiles, no escape without you (no faith no world without you)
This is the deepest secret nobody knows

Wind and rain, the bone chill of cold,
The prophecy of the Old

What you keep saying - you still propose
Is to finally crush all my foes
In Egypt where my soul shall dwell
Until my last dying breath in hell

The alliance formed - let history be judge

[CHORUS]

An alliance doomed - let history be judge

No fate I want, no world; no world without you (no faith no world without you)
Such lovely fantasy full of misery (misery)
When there’s no end, no escape without you (no faith no world without you)
We’ll lie forgotten in the sands of time

7. King Of Kings

[Caesarion, was born in Egypt in 47 BC and was the son of Julius Caesar. Cleopatra VII hoped that her son would eventually succeed his father as the head of the Roman Republic as well as Egypt.
During the tense period of time leading up to the final conflict between Mark Antony and Octavian (future Emperor Augustus), Antony, who at that time shared control of the Republic in a triumvirate with Octavian and Lepidus, granted various eastern lands and titles to Caesarion and to his own three children with Cleopatra (in 34 BC). Caesarion was proclaimed "King of Kings." Most threatening to Octavian (whose claim to power was based on his status as Julius Caesar's grandnephew and adopted son), Antony declared Caesarion to be Caesar's true son and heir.]

A new life conceived by Sand and Steel,
Uniting former foes against their will.
Son of the goddess, the "King of the Kings",
The ruler of the dawn is here.

Arise from the desert, my dearest son,
Sit by me on a golden throne.
Merge the great nations of East and West
These lands are all for you to own.

Heir to the throne, all the legions of Rome,
My heart sees divinity in you.
Bright eyes see, what night conceals - the secrets of a man.
Carry out my hidden plan - you’re blood bound to these lands.
Scheme so mysterious, eager for the fray;
It’s written in the sand.

Stand out against all odds
The dawn of a new day has begun.
Royal blood streams through your own veins,
Great deeds are yet to be done.

[CHORUS]

8. The Alliance

[The Caesarians Octavian (Caesar's principal, though not sole, heir), Mark Antony, and Marcus Lepidus under the Second Triumvirate had stepped in to fill the power vacuum caused by Julius Caesar's assassination. After the Triumvirate had defeated Marcus Junius Brutus and Gaius Cassius Longinus at the Battle of Philippi (42 BC) and Lepidus was expelled from the Triumvirate (36 BC), Octavian and Antony were left as the two most powerful men in the Roman world. For a time, Rome saw peace. Antony had been having an affair with the queen of Egypt, Cleopatra. When Cleopatra received word that Rome had declared war, Antony threw his support to Egypt. Immediately, the Senate stripped Antony of all his official power and labelled him as an outlaw and a traitor. Octavian summoned all of his legions, numbered at almost 200,000 Roman legionaries. Cleopatra and Antony did the same, assembling roughly the same number in mixed heavy Roman and light Egyptian infantry. The stage was set for the largest conflict the Roman world had ever seen.]

The queen of sand, the chosen one,
Goddess on earth, sent from above.
The queen of kings, a tear of Ra,
An ocean princess.

A man of arms, a legionnaire, a fool in love,
…blinded by the light.
A destiny – united; a passion – unrevealed
All it took was one look into…

Her eyes.
Two saints gone astray.
A sign sent from the sky,
A moment, caught in time.

Two souls, one mind - the alliance!
A bond of life - the alliance!

A trail of tears, a pact of death,
Sworn enemies, becoming friends.
Against the world, on a path of dreams,
Towards a dead end.

A change in course of time, a point of no return,
Against the rest of the world!
A unity – unbreakable.
One voice.

The lies,
Repeating once again.
When dreams come to life,
United till the end.

[CHORUS]

9. Battle Of Actium

[The Battle of Actium was the final engagement in the Final War of the Roman Republic. It was fought between the forces of Octavian and the combined forces of Mark Antony and Cleopatra. The battle took place on September 2, 31 BC, on the Ionian Sea, near the Roman colony of Actium in Greece. Octavian's fleet was commanded by Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa, while Antony's fleet was supported by the ships of his lover, Cleopatra VII, queen of Ptolemaic Egypt.

Octavian's victory enabled him to consolidate his power over Rome and its domains. As a result he adopted the title of Princeps ("first citizen") and he was given the title of Augustus by the Senate. As Augustus he would retain the trappings of a restored Republican leader, however, historians generally view this consolidation of power and the adoption of these honorifics, as the end of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the Roman Empire.

The two fleets met outside the Gulf of Actium, on the morning of September 2, 31 BC, when Mark Antony led 230 warships through the straits toward the open sea. Octavian's fleet was waiting beyond the straits, led by the experienced admiral Agrippa, commanding from the left wing of the fleet, Lucius Arruntius commanding the centre and Marcus Lurius commanding from the right[3]. Octavian's armies observed the battle from shore to the north of the straits, and were under the command of Titus Statilius Taurus.

Mark Antony and Gellius Publicola commanded the right wing of the Antonian fleet, while Marcus Octavius and Marcus Insteius commanded the centre, with Cleopatra's squadron positioned behind them. Gaius Sosius launched the initial attack of the battle from the left wing of the fleet, while Antony's chief lieutenant Publius Canidius Crassus was in command of the triumvir's land forces.

The majority of Mark Antony's warships were quinqueremes, huge galleys with massive rams, that could weigh up to three hundred tons. The bows of the galleys were armored with bronze plates and square-cut timbers, making a successful ramming attack with similar equipment difficult. Unfortunately for Antony, many of his ships were undermanned; a severe malaria outbreak had taken place when they were waiting for Octavian's fleet to arrive and he had burned the ships he could no longer man, while clustering the remainder tightly together. With many oarsmen dead, the powerful, head-on ramming tactic for which the quinqueremes had been designed was rendered impossible. The morale of his troops had also suffered after supply lines had been cut.

Octavian's fleet was largely made up of smaller, fully-manned Liburnian vessels, armed with better-trained, fresher crews. His ships were lighter and could out-maneuver the quinqueremes, where one objective was to ram the enemy ship and at the same time kill the above deck crew with a shower of arrows and catapult-launched stones, which were large enough to decapitate a man. Prior to the battle, one of Mark Antony's generals, known as Quintus Dellius, had defected to Octavian, bringing with him Mark Antony's battle plans. Antony had hoped to use his biggest ships to drive back Agrippa's wing on the north end of his line, but Octavian's entire fleet, aware of this strategy, stayed out of range. Shortly after mid-day, Antony was forced to extend his line from the protection of the shore, and finally engage the enemy.

Seeing that the battle was going against Antony, Cleopatra's fleet retreated to open sea without engaging. Mark Antony relocated to a smaller vessel with his flag and managed to escape, taking a few ships with him as an escort to help break through Octavian's lines. Those that remained left behind, however, were all captured or sunk by Octavian's forces.

Another theory suggests that Antony knew he was surrounded and had nowhere to run. Antony gathered his ships around him in a quasi-horseshoe formation, staying close to the shore for safety. If Octavian's ships tried to approach Antony's, the sea would push them into the shore. Antony may have known that he would not be able to defeat Octavian's forces, so he and Cleopatra stayed in the rear of the formation. Eventually, Antony sent the ships on the northern part of the formation to attack. He had them move out to the north, spreading out Octavian's ships which up until now were tightly arranged. He sent Gaius Sosius down to the south to spread the remaining ships out to the south. This left a hole in the middle of Octavian's formation. Antony seized the opportunity and with Cleopatra on her ship and him on a different ship, sped through the gap and escaped, abandoning his entire force.]

[Pt. 1: Set Sail to Destiny]

[Instrumental]

[Pt. 2: On the Eve of Battle]

Before the dawn,
Far across the sea,
The story of Actium begins.

I await my redemption,
Extend me your helping hand.
Bring me salvation,
Escort me to the shores of ancient (lands).

Calling...
I’m calling you,
Try, to ease my pain!

Erase the sins I’ve made,
Oh gods give me mercy.
Help me find my peace,
A chance to set those spirits (free).

Wake me up from this horrible dream!

A journey of my life, a moment lost in time.
My final act, betrayal, what have I done?!
Escort the souls up to the heaven’s gate,
Drain my blood and let me die in shame.

A journey of my life, a moment lost in time.
My final act, betrayal, what have I done?!
I stand before you, but cannot explain,
It is my weakness that conducts my fears.

A journey of my life, a moment lost in time.
My final act, betrayal, what have I done?!
Escort the souls up to the heaven’s gate,
Drain my blood and let me die in shame.
Die in shame…
Die in shame.

[Pt. 3: To Arms]

[Instrumental]

[Pt. 4: The Final Engagement]

A new dawn comes, I am reborn.
A crest of life, a new beginning.
I’ll close my eyes,
And dream away
I fear the dark at night

Take me there, where I belong
Open my eyes and make me strong.

I will not stop, until the day
That I’ll be taken from this life.
It is the end,
They’ve died in vain
How can I accept this pain?

Take me there, where I belong
Open my eyes and make me strong
My final wish, before I die
Is to see that they have reached the sky.

I hear the thunder
In the sky
Let the world just pass me by

[CHORUS]

[Pt. 5: Fallen]

[Instrumental]

10. Deceptive Dreams

[The political consequences of this battle were far-reaching. After Mark Antony lost his fleet, his army, which had been equal to that of Octavian, deserted in large numbers. Under cover of darkness some 19 Legions and 12,000 cavalry fled before Antony was able to engage Octavian in a land battle. Despite a victory at Alexandria on July 31, 30 BC, more of Mark Antony's armies deserted, leaving him with insufficient forces to fight Octavian. Mark Antony then fled from the battle. Thus, Octavian's victory at the Battle of Actium gave him sole and uncontested control of the Roman Mediterranean and he became "Augustus Caesar" and the "first citizen" of Rome.]

Running – on the road to nowhere
Time is - passing on
Now that – all hope is gone and
The end will be violent
So little time, my agony

Now the dark creeps in
Soon I will sleep
For all eternity

Somewhere out there (there)
Lie all our dreams (dreams)
Once enchanted
Now deceptive
Drifting through dark
The change in seasons
Give me reasons
For this treason

Darkness – covers these lands
Silence – the end is near
Something – hides in (the) shadow
Someone breaths and waits
Forgotten life, a mercy of night

Now the dark creeps in
Soon I will sleep
For all eternity

[CHORUS]

Now the dark creeps in
Soon I will sleep
For all eternity

[CHORUS]

11. The Haunting

[With no other refuge to escape to, Antony committed suicide by stabbing himself with his sword in the mistaken belief that Cleopatra had already done so (30 BC). When he found out that Cleopatra was still alive, his friends brought him to Cleopatra's monument in which she was hiding, and he died in her arms.]

It’s been a long, long time since I slept in peace, so calm
Now only a shadow remains
You asked me once if I can conquer the great blue sky
In silence I can hear your cries

Sometimes I just wish that I could turn back the time and just give it all up

My heart lies in utter darkness now
So ignorant and blind
Beaten in my own game
Over and over again
I can’t stop but wondering
What would be if I were free from her spell

Some days I just wish that I could turn back the time and start from anew

Now I walk alone in shame full of misery and pain
As I contemplate my final plan
All these echoes from the past in time they shall pass
As I free myself from this hell

Once a general, now a fool
I shall leave this world now...

Some days I just wish that I could turn back the time and just give it all up

[CHORUS]

Once a general, now a fool
I shall leave this world now...
Once a general, now a fool
I shall leave this world now...

Past the White Rock, past the Land of Dream,
I shall walk the Elysian Fields
Kept my soul clean, kept my soul pure,
A prayer of my soul.

12. End Of Days

[That very day; Cleopatra committed suicide. His children by Cleopatra were spared. The ancient sources, particularly the Roman ones, are in general agreement that Cleopatra killed herself by inducing an asp to bite her. The oldest source is Strabo, who was alive at the time of the event, and might even have been in Alexandria. He says that there are two stories: that she applied a toxic ointment, or that she was bitten by an asp. The site of their tomb or tombs is uncertain, but may lie near the temple of Taposiris Magna in Alexandria.]

Now that everything is lost
Everything I held dear
All gone in the madness of this world
Don’t let me fall apart
Don't let me live a lie

Kiss my lips and poison my heart
Whisper your love and poison my soul
Anubis be my guide tonight
Let my thoughts run out of line
So we can start this show tonight

Drums pounding in the distance
Heralding the end of days
A whisper of a warning,
They grow louder every day
They bring the nightmare that’s at bay
My final act
My betrayal

My ancestors in the past
Have foreseen a future that would last
So Fathers where are you now
I’m just wondering why

There are drums in the distance
Heralding the end of days
A whisper of a warning,
They grow louder every day
There will be no new dawn
For me a child of (the) Gods
Now the drums are beating faster
“It’s coming now, It’s coming now” they warn

There comes a time when you decide
A time to make a sacrifice
And pay the final price in blood
So sacred and divine

Is there glory in such an act?
Endless death or eternal fame
And as the final curtain falls
I’m just wondering why

There were drums in the distance
Heralding the end of days
A whisper of a warning,
They grow louder every day
There will be no new dawn
For I was child of (the) Gods
Father please come get me now
And take me to a better place
Yes there were drums in the distance
Heralding the end of days
Come and see my final act
Of despair and of regret
Won’t see a brand new dawn
For I was child of (the) Gods
All for this day, this twisted glory
Still I’m wondering why

There were drums in the distance
Heralding the end of days
A whisper of a warning,
They grow louder every day
There will be no new dawn
For I was child of (the) Gods
Father please come get me now
And take me to a better place
Yes there were drums in the distance
Heralding the end of days
Come and see my final act
Of despair and of regret
Won’t see a brand new dawn
For I was child of (the) Gods
All for this day, this twisted glory
Still I’m wondering why

Can’t hear it, can’t see it, can’t feel it, can’t hide it
Don’t need this damnation
When all I sought was salvation
Can’t hear it, can’t see it, can’t feel it, can’t hide it
Don’t need forgotten glory
Still can’t help but wonder why

Have the Gods forsaken,
Have the Gods forsaken me?
Have the Gods forgotten,
Have the Gods forgotten me?

In a life it’s hardest to know which bridges to burn and which ones to cross
All these paths can surely make one scream when it all seems like a dream
Somewhere out there there is truth and there are lies, all well hidden in disguise
For what follows ends in my goodbye, still can’t help but wonder why

13. Immortal

[Cleopatra's son by Caesar, Caesarion, was proclaimed pharaoh by the Egyptians, but Octavian had already won. Caesarion was captured and executed, his fate reportedly sealed by Octavian's phrase: "Two Caesars are one too many." This ended not just the Hellenistic line of Egyptian pharaohs, but the line of all Egyptian pharaohs. The Egyptian empire – once mighty and powerful – fell. Nothing but a shadow of its former glory it remained nothing but an empire in ruins…]

In secret I - now rule my land
In secret now - I command the damned

In the halls of our fathers
We shall meet again
In the halls of our fathers
We shall remain insane...

Another day is dawning,
Another sunrise coming
To mark the fall of all
Come, come, come and hear thy call

The starless sky dims this night, (this night tonight)
And the moon is left alone to shine in vain, (to shine in pain)
From the far away I can hear the rain drawing nearer.

Can feel the end of my reign.

On this night
Will you fight?
Will our world burn bright?
Immortal
Forever
Now that we are free

As faith tosses coins in the air, turning hope into despair
For the shadows see it all and they rarely forget,
Near the borders of insanity
We will find our immortality

[CHORUS]

And now I stand alone,
No one to take me home
Even death will not wait
All is gone, let me rage against my fate.

All we do not see
Lost and forgotten yet immortal forever

See the end of the sons of Ra.

[CHORUS]

Alone we walk this path,
of death and of decay
Alone we contemplate,
our faith and our betrayal
And as our life transcends,
to another realm
It’s hard to let it go;
So hard to let it go!
I can see that
this is now the end
... the end
…the end

In our blindness we move forward
Clinging to the lies we’ve harboured
Never could admit mistakes
Despite the fears, what it takes
Is there someone who can tell me
How this future came to be?
And as the worlds now fall apart
My visions fade away in dark
Each escape that I’ve taken
Never sleep yet never waken
Can this question last forever?
Hidden dreams it’s now or never
This is the end, the end, the end







SHADOWICON LYRICS