Arjen Anthony Lucassen (born 3 April 1960) is a Dutch singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist musician and record producer best known for his long-running progressive metal/rock opera project Ayreon. Lucassen started his career in 1980 as the guitarist and backing vocalist of Dutch band Bodine as Iron Anthony, before joining Vengeance in 1984. After eight years he left the band, wanting to go into a more progressive direction, and released two years later an unsuccessful solo album entitled 'Pools of Sorrow - Waves of Joy under the moniker Anthony.
In 1995, Lucassen released an album uncredited to any artist called Ayreon: The Final Experiment, in which he sang, wrote every song and played most of the instruments. The album conducted to the creation of Ayreon; despite being relatively unknown at first, the project gained notable attention and praise with the release of its third album Into the Electric Castle, establishing Lucassen as a notable composer of rock operas. Following Ayreon's success, Lucassen has been involved in many other projects: he is the creator, composer and current guitarist/keyboardist of Star One, Guilt Machine, and The Gentle Storm, and the creator and former guitarist of Ambeon and Stream of Passion. He composes and writes most of his songs, but leaves the lyrics to his musical partners in some of his projects.
Lucassen plays a wide variety of instruments: his main instruments are guitar and keyboards, however he also plays bass, banjo and many others. Overall, in his career and including all his bands and projects (as principal instrumentalist/creative force or as a member), Lucassen has released twenty-six studio albums, four live albums, two EPs and seventeen singles. He has also made many minor participations alongside various artists including Shadow Gallery, After Forever, Within Temptation and Avantasia, and appears in over 50 albums
See Emily Play
Arjen Anthony Lucassen Lyrics
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She's often inclined to borrow somebody's dreams till tomorrow
There is no other day
Let's try it another way
You'll lose your mind and play
Free games for may
See Emily play
Soon after dark Emily cries
Gazing through trees in sorrow, hardly a sound till tomorrow
There is no other day
Let's try it another way
You'll lose your mind and play
Free games for may
See Emily play
Put on a gown that touches the ground
Float on a river forever and ever
Emily, Emily
There is no other day
Let's try it another way
You'll lose your mind and play
Free games for may
See Emily play
The lyrics of "See Emily Play" by Arjen Anthony Lucassen paints a vivid picture of a young girl named Emily who struggles to understand the reality of life. The first two lines, "Emily tries but misunderstands, She's often inclined to borrow somebody's dreams till tomorrow," suggest that Emily is a dreamer who struggles to deal with the harsh realities of life. She often borrows or lives in someone else's dreams until tomorrow, hoping to escape reality. The line "There is no other day, Let's try it another way" indicates Emily's desire to find a different way of living, where she can be free of the constraints of everyday life.
The second verse continues with Emily's struggles as she cries while gazing through the trees. The line "hardly a sound till tomorrow" perhaps suggests that Emily has given up on trying to vocalize her feelings or communicate with others. She is lost in her own world of dreams and ideas, yet the lyrics "You'll lose your mind and play, Free games for may, See Emily play" suggest that she finds a way to release herself from all her worries and stress through playing free games, finding somewhat of an escape from reality.
The chorus of the song, "Put on a gown that touches the ground, Float on a river forever and ever, Emily, Emily" portrays a peaceful image that could be seen as the ideal world for Emily. In this world, she can float freely and dress in a beautiful gown, escaping the harshness of daily reality. Overall, the song evokes an image of a young girl who struggles to comprehend how the world works and seeks a way out through fantasy and dreams.
Line by Line Meaning
Emily tries but misunderstands
Emily attempts to understand but often misses the point
She's often inclined to borrow somebody's dreams till tomorrow
She tends to adopt others' aspirations and live in the future
There is no other day
This moment is all we have
Let's try it another way
Let's experiment and take risks
You'll lose your mind and play
Abandon rational thinking and indulge in freedom
Free games for may
Enjoyment without obligations or consequences
See Emily play
Observe her vivacious and carefree demeanor
Soon after dark Emily cries
In solitude and distress, her emotions surface
Gazing through trees in sorrow, hardly a sound till tomorrow
Obscured from others' view, she mourns quietly
Put on a gown that touches the ground
Hide beneath a garment to escape the world
Float on a river forever and ever
Drift aimlessly through existence
Emily, Emily
Calling out to her lost and despondent self
Contributed by Tyler I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.