overture
Cyril Ornadel; Julie Andrews; Rex Harrison; Robert Coote; Stanley Holloway Lyrics
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The city of Vienna is experiencing the largest lightning storm in its long history.
Within a large disheveled room,
Ludwig Von Beethoven is slumped over his piano
And on the piano sits the just completed manuscript for his tenth symphony.
It is his final, and he is certain, his greatest work.]
Since the time when ra and isis
And apollo dreamed athena
And men began to understand
That when darkness folds on darkness
In the restless tides of night
And lightning raises shadows
And for moments gives them life
It's been said by those who ponder
That it surely is a sign
That a life touched by the stars
Is now running out of time
And that somewhere in that darkness
In the heart of that great storm
The world returns a soul
That the gods caused to be born
And this was such a storm
The kind one rarely sees in life
For in a room now filled with shadows
The great Beethoven was spending
His last night
[From the shadows a beautiful spirit, fate,
And her deformed dwarf son, twist,
Emerge to inform Beethoven of what he has already deeply suspected,
That this is to be his last night on earth.
They are accompanied by numerous spirits and ghosts from his past.]
The "Overture" is a powerful song that narrates the final moments of Ludwig Von Beethoven's life. Set in the city of Vienna during a fierce lightning storm, the lyrics describe a desolate room where the great composer slumps over his piano, with his last and final masterpiece manuscript resting on it. Through the use of vivid imagery, the songwriter skillfully evokes a sense of mystery and foreboding, suggesting that Beethoven's death is imminent. The lyrics also allude to the belief that lightning storms and darkness are symbolic of a person's journey towards the afterlife, and that spirits and ghosts from the past emerge during such times.
The song takes on an even more poignant tone when Fate and her dwarf son Twist appear in the room, accompanied by a host of spirits and ghosts from Beethoven's past. They inform the composer that this is his final night on earth, adding a sense of urgency and finality to the proceedings. In essence, the "Overture" is a tribute to the musical genius of Beethoven, a man whose talents and contributions to music have stood the test of time. The song highlights the notion that great artists, like Beethoven, exist on a higher plane than the rest of us, and their deaths symbolize a return to the realm of the gods.
Line by Line Meaning
Since the time when ra and isis
Through the ages, from the time of ancient gods and goddesses like Ra and Isis
Raised the sphinx out of the sand
When they brought forth the enigmatic Sphinx from the desert sands
And apollo dreamed athena
And when Apollo had a vision of Athena, the goddess of wisdom
And men began to understand
Human beings began to comprehend the mysteries of the world
That when darkness folds on darkness
When layers of darkness overwhelm the night
In the restless tides of night
In the ever-changing, turbulent movements of the night
And lightning raises shadows
And when bolts of lightning illuminate the shadows
And for moments gives them life
A momentary glimpse of existence for those shadows
It's been said by those who ponder
Wisdom passed down from those who reflect deeply
That it surely is a sign
That this phenomenon is surely a portent
That a life touched by the stars
That a life influenced by celestial bodies
Is now running out of time
Is now approaching the end of its time on earth
And that somewhere in that darkness
And it is believed that in the midst of that darkness
In the heart of that great storm
In the center of that immense tempest
The world returns a soul
The universe reclaims a soul
That the gods caused to be born
That was brought forth by divine will
And this was such a storm
And this current storm was of that magnitude
The kind one rarely sees in life
The kind that is a rare occurrence in one's lifetime
For in a room now filled with shadows
Because inside a room now shrouded in darkness
The great Beethoven was spending
The great composer Ludwig Von Beethoven was passing
His last night
His final evening on this earth
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: JIMMY HOROWITZ, ROBIN MILLER, LEO ROST
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind