Catley has started his musical career in band Magnum (founded in 1972). Following Magnum's demise in 1995 and the short-lived Hard Rain project, Catley joined up with Ten vocalist and songwriter Gary Hughes to release the album The Tower (1997), shortly followed by the supporting live album Live At The Gods (1997). Hughes again wrote the material for 1999's Legends release, and the critically acclaimed concept album Middle Earth (2001), which was inspired by J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.
Despite rejoining Magnum following their reformation in 2002, Catley has continued his solo career with keyboardist Paul Hodson writing and producing 2003's When Empires Burn, his heaviest solo release to date. His latest solo album, Spirit Of Man (2006) saw yet another change in songwriting as Dave Thompson and Paul Uttley of Lost Weekend, and Vince O'Regan of Pulse did the honours.
As well as his career with Magnum and as a solo artist, Catley has lent his vocal talents to other projects by such artists as Clive Nolan and Oliver Wakeman, Gary Hughes, Ayreon and Tobias Sammett of Edguy (Avantasia).
Magnum's latest album, Princess Alice & The Broken Arrow was released in 2007 to excellent reviews and Catley has announced plans to record a new solo album towards the end of the year, set for release in 2008.
The Prophecy
Bob Catley Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
A tainted Eden lie
From now the serpents gather
As they sentence men to die
They welcome fallen paradise
While haunting every breath
But the broken, cold and desolate soul
Defies a righteous death
For men in arms are soldiers
They fight for their belief
The struggle never ending
To find the prince of peace
Come the time, the only crime
Is letting truth be heard
When a stone inspires a castle
The meek forever feared
My angel
Be my guardian now
Sweet angel
May the song be a sweet, forgiving sound
Grant us now
The prophecy, the right to carry on
Forgive us now
The truth, the battle for the rising sun
Give us now
The prophecy and the gift of purity
And show us now
Show the door to set the sinner free
We had to find a way
To make the serpent shine
The reaper sighs, the fall of a man
In a gilded temple shrine
Then rise a golden future
From the gold distorted past
We say a prayer for the innocent
In a dream too good to last
My angel
Fight the foe for me now
Sweet, sweet angel
May the word be a sweet, forgiving sound
Grant us now
The prophecy, the right to carry on
Forgive us now
The truth, the battle for the rising sun
Give us now
The prophecy and the gift of purity
And show us now
Show the door to set the sinner free
Grant us now
The prophecy, the right to carry on
Forgive us now
The truth, the battle for the rising sun
Give us now
The prophecy and the gift of purity
And show us now
Show the door to set the sinner free
Grant us now
The prophecy, the right to carry on
Forgive us now
The truth, the battle for the rising sun
Give us now
The prophecy and the gift of purity
And show us now
Show the door to set the sinner free
Grant us now
The prophecy, the right to carry on
Forgive us now
The truth, the battle for the rising sun
Give us now
The prophecy and the gift of purity
And show us now
Show the door to set the sinner free
The lyrics of Bob Catley's song "The Prophecy" talk about a world that is tainted and corrupted, where serpents gather and sentence men to death. The song goes on to talk about the struggle of soldiers fighting for their beliefs and searching for the prince of peace. It is a plea for the truth to be heard and for the innocence to be protected. The singer looks to his guardian angel for help, asking for forgiveness and the gift of purity. The song ends with a message of hope, with the singer praying for a golden future and for the sinner to be set free.
The lyrics of "The Prophecy" are open to interpretation, but one possible meaning is that the song is a call for revolution against a corrupt system. The serpents could represent those in power, while the soldiers fighting for their beliefs represent the common people. The plea for the truth to be heard could represent the need for transparency and accountability, while the prayer for a golden future could represent a hope for a better world.
Overall, "The Prophecy" is a powerful and evocative song that touches on themes of corruption, struggle, and hope.
Line by Line Meaning
We knew it would be like this
We had a feeling that things would turn out the way they have.
A tainted Eden lie
The paradise we thought we had is now stained and corrupted.
From now the serpents gather
Evil forces are now coming together.
As they sentence men to die
They are condemning people to death.
They welcome fallen paradise
They embrace the destruction of our once-perfect world.
While haunting every breath
Their presence is felt everywhere and is suffocating.
But the broken, cold and desolate soul
Even though we are beaten down and hopeless...
Defies a righteous death
... we will not accept being destroyed for doing what is right.
For men in arms are soldiers
Those who fight for what they believe in are warriors.
They fight for their belief
They are willing to battle for what they hold true.
The struggle never ending
The fight will never be truly over.
To find the prince of peace
We search for a leader who can bring us tranquility.
Come the time, the only crime
When the moment arrives, the one unforgivable act...
Is letting truth be heard
... is preventing the sharing of information.
When a stone inspires a castle
Even the smallest spark can ignite great change.
The meek forever feared
Those who are gentle and kind are often seen as threats.
My angel
My protector, my guide.
Be my guardian now
Please safeguard me in this moment.
Sweet angel
My loving and kind-hearted savior.
May the song be a sweet, forgiving sound
Let the melody bring about feelings of redemption.
Grant us now
Please bestow upon us.
The prophecy, the right to carry on
The vision of the future that we need to move forward.
Forgive us now
Please pardon our transgressions.
The truth, the battle for the rising sun
Our fight for righteousness and hope.
Give us now
Please grant us.
The prophecy and the gift of purity
The clear vision of the future and the purity of purpose.
And show us now
Please demonstrate to us.
Show the door to set the sinner free
Guide us to the path of salvation.
We had to find a way
We were required to seek out a solution.
To make the serpent shine
To bring about change by making the enemy show its true colors.
The reaper sighs, the fall of a man
Death comes for us all, and we are but human.
In a gilded temple shrine
Even our most sacred places can fall into disrepair.
Then rise a golden future
But there is hope for a brighter tomorrow.
From the gold distorted past
Despite the corruption that has come before.
We say a prayer for the innocent
We keep hope alive for those who are blameless.
In a dream too good to last
Even our most beautiful imaginings may be fleeting.
Fight the foe for me now
Please battle our enemy on our behalf.
Grant us now
Please bestow upon us.
The prophecy, the right to carry on
The vision of the future that we need to move forward.
Forgive us now
Please pardon our transgressions.
The truth, the battle for the rising sun
Our fight for righteousness and hope.
Give us now
Please grant us.
The prophecy and the gift of purity
The clear vision of the future and the purity of purpose.
And show us now
Please demonstrate to us.
Show the door to set the sinner free
Guide us to the path of salvation.
Grant us now
Please bestow upon us.
The prophecy, the right to carry on
The vision of the future that we need to move forward.
Forgive us now
Please pardon our transgressions.
The truth, the battle for the rising sun
Our fight for righteousness and hope.
Give us now
Please grant us.
The prophecy and the gift of purity
The clear vision of the future and the purity of purpose.
And show us now
Please demonstrate to us.
Show the door to set the sinner free
Guide us to the path of salvation.
Grant us now
Please bestow upon us.
The prophecy, the right to carry on
The vision of the future that we need to move forward.
Forgive us now
Please pardon our transgressions.
The truth, the battle for the rising sun
Our fight for righteousness and hope.
Give us now
Please grant us.
The prophecy and the gift of purity
The clear vision of the future and the purity of purpose.
And show us now
Please demonstrate to us.
Show the door to set the sinner free
Guide us to the path of salvation.
Contributed by Annabelle H. Suggest a correction in the comments below.