Tomb Of The Forgotten Father
Boyd Rice & Friends Lyrics
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As I continued downward, it seemed my hypothesis was correct, and proceeding, I passed through every historical epoch: medieval times, ancient Rome, Phoenicia, Sumeria. At length, I came to a room that was empty, scorched, and altogether desolate. It looked like the end of the line, yet still the stairs led further downward, and descending, I entered into a vast cavern, very dark yet illuminated by an eerie glow.
My path had come to an end, seemingly deep inside the earth. Before me was what appeared to be a tomb constucted from large carved slabs of luminescent rock. The tomb was modelled after the temple I'd seen with Doug. Was this the grave of the Forgotten Father, the final resting place of the mysterious patriarch who'd vanished at the dawn of time? Turning, I retraced my steps and went back upwards, anxious to see if the upper floors in fact went into future times. And, indeed, they did.
I passed through level after level of strange and wondrous things, coming finally to a large room empty and filled with fog. Pausing but briefly, I forged ahead and found myself back in the depths of the earth, standing before the same glowing tomb. I turned to leave, but stopped short. The stairs I'd just climbed were no more.
The lyrics of "Tomb of the Forgotten Father," by Boyd Rice & Friends, seem to describe a surreal experience in which the singer finds himself descending through different historical epochs, until he eventually reaches a tomb that may belong to a mythical or forgotten patriarch. The journey downwards, through different eras, appears to be seamless, as there are no visible exits or entrances, just stairways leading to different rooms. The rooms are decorated according to the historical period they represent, from the 1950s to medieval times, ancient Rome, Phoenicia, and Sumeria, among others. Each room seems to have no exit, but the stairs keep leading downward, until the singer reaches the cavern where the tomb is located, deep inside the earth.
The imagery presented in the lyrics is highly symbolic and abstract, leaving room for many possible interpretations. The tomb, for instance, may represent the final destination of human existence, a place of ultimate knowledge or ultimate nothingness, depending on the perspective of the interpreter. The lack of doors or windows in the rooms may suggest a sense of confinement or entrapment, but also a sense of timelessness and continuity. The descending and ascending motions of the singer suggest a cyclical pattern of existence or a quest for enlightenment through exploration and self-discovery.
Line by Line Meaning
And then I found myself in a room with no doors or windows, only stairways leading to the rooms above and below.
I ended up in a room with no visible means of entrance or exit but with numerous stairways leading up and down.
I proceeded downstairs and came into a room totally bedecked with vintage '50s furnishings. It too had neither doors or windows.
I went down a floor and found a room that was fully decorated with 1950s furniture but also had no means of entrance or exit.
I again proceeded downstairs and entered into a room decorated in the style of early 1900s. It appeared that for every floor I descended I was also descending back into time.
I continued down and found a room that was decorated in the early 1900s style, and I noticed that each floor I went down was taking me further back in time.
As I continued downward, it seemed my hypothesis was correct, and proceeding, I passed through every historical epoch: medieval times, ancient Rome, Phoenicia, Sumeria.
I kept going down, and it seemed like my hypothesis was confirmed because I kept passing through different historical periods such as medieval times, ancient Rome, Phoenicia, and Sumeria.
At length, I came to a room that was empty, scorched, and altogether desolate. It looked like the end of the line, yet still the stairs led further downward, and descending, I entered into a vast cavern, very dark yet illuminated by an eerie glow.
Eventually, I reached an empty, scorched, and barren room that looked like it was the end of the line, but I kept descending through the stairs and found myself in a vast, dark cavern that was illuminated by a strange glow.
My path had come to an end, seemingly deep inside the earth. Before me was what appeared to be a tomb constucted from large carved slabs of luminescent rock. The tomb was modelled after the temple I'd seen with Doug. Was this the grave of the Forgotten Father, the final resting place of the mysterious patriarch who'd vanished at the dawn of time?
I finally reached the end of the path, and it seemed like I was deep inside the earth. In front of me was a tomb made of luminescent rocks and modeled after the temple I had seen with Doug. I wondered if this was where the Forgotten Father was buried, the mysterious patriarch who had vanished at the beginning of time.
Turning, I retraced my steps and went back upwards, anxious to see if the upper floors in fact went into future times. And, indeed, they did.
I turned around and went back up, eager to see if the upper floors would take me to future periods, and they did.
I passed through level after level of strange and wondrous things, coming finally to a large room empty and filled with fog.
I went through multiple floors filled with strange and fascinating things until I reached a large foggy room that was empty.
Pausing but briefly, I forged ahead and found myself back in the depths of the earth, standing before the same glowing tomb. I turned to leave, but stopped short.
I stayed in the foggy room for a short moment before continuing and found myself back at the glowing tomb in the depths of the earth. I tried to leave but couldn't.
The stairs I'd just climbed were no more.
The stairs I had just used to climb out of the tomb disappeared, making it impossible for me to leave.
Contributed by Michael V. Suggest a correction in the comments below.