The Tragic Period
Exhorder Lyrics

Here's a tale in history
Introducing a historical tale

About a period of tragedy
Describing a sorrowful time in history

A man who thought of horrid things
A man who had dark ideas

But really sought what happiness brings
In truth, he was searching for happiness

Terror instilled within the souls
Fear and dread suffused peoples' spirits

Of men and women, young and old
People of all ages and gender

Come and listen to me, my friend
Invitation to listen to a story

He'll make your morale descend
The story will bring a cloud of despair

One Boston day, it's sad to say
Starts with a sad story in Boston

A newborn child was granted miserable life
A baby was born to a life of hardship

Abandoned by his father and
The father left him behind

Left alone by death of father's wife
The baby's mother had also died

Foster child
The baby became a foster child

Tobacco exporter gave him a chance
A tobacco exporter adopted him

History defiled
A corrupted past

Twisted by literature, dark and opium enhanced
Influenced by literature and drug addiction

Irregularity
Unconventional behavior

So far ahead of his time
He had a unique perspective on things

A spark of a breed
He had an uncommon, one-of-a-kind talent

Regarding all of his literature creed
He had strong beliefs about writing

Infamy of tales and poetry
His stories and poems were notorious

Connecting his themes to his wildest dreams
He wrote about his most fantastical ideas

The maelstrom grew but no one knew
His chaos and turmoil went unnoticed

He descended far beyond its spinning walls
He spiraled into abyss and insanity

Into the pit, the black abyss
He descended into the dark depths of his mind

His house was collapsing as he searched for El Dorado
His personal life was falling apart

Perched upon Pallas was life, hard and callous
The harsh reality of existence

The shadows of burden lifted nevermore
He was plagued by dark thoughts with no relief

The vulture eye of death concealed
Death looming over him

By wooden planks below the floor
A reference to his story, 'The Tell-Tale Heart'

The quest for solace evolved into sorrow
His search for comfort left him more melancholic

Lingering obsessions
His compulsions that persisted

Intoxication, stimulation, creation
References to his drug use and creativity

Hindering addictions
His drug problems negatively impacted his life

Apparently the message in a bottle was lost
There is no clear resolution

For I could see no conclusion
The story doesn't have an ending

But all of us remaining in the shrouded past
We must learn from the past

Must remember to further ourselves by obtrusion
We must push forward and achieve in life

Inebriated grin leads the mighty pen
His writing reflected his inebriation

Across the paper as his fears come alive
His fears and anxieties manifested on paper

Satiric whim ignites the brim
He used sarcasm to express his feelings

Of insanity as Pluto arrives
'Pluto' likely refers to a black cat in his stories

Swaying cognac barriers
Drinking got in the way of his work

And the beating of his hideous heart
Another reference to 'The Tell-Tale Heart'

Increasing ever so constantly
His heart rate was increasing

Conjuring the ne'er forgotten lore
His creativity conjured old myths and legends

'Tis only this and nothing more
This is the end of the story