Album sleeve artwork for his four Marillion albums and most of his solo albums has been done by Mark Wilkinson.
Fish is not to be confused with Phish, Chris Squire (“The Fish”), Barry Melton ("the Fish" of Country Joe & the Fish), Grossa or Bradley Fish.
He has worked with many other artists, including Tony Banks (Genesis) and Arjen Anthony Lucassen’s (Ayreon) as the Highlander in Into the Electric Castle.
2. Fish is a Chinese experimental electronic musician.
3. fish is the name of a Soundcloud account used by electronic musician Gupi.
Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors
Fish Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Just hear me out.
If I could have your attention?
Just quietin' down for a voice in the crowd.
I get so confused and I don't understand.
I know you feel the same way you've always wanted to say,
But you don't get the chance.
Just a voice in the crowd.
I don't know the score anymore;
It's not clear anymore.
I can't tell right from wrong anymore;
I just don't understand.
I was sitting here thinking of exchanging a new world for old;
Like changing the channels on TV,
Or the dirt that we stand in, to gold.
When I was young
My father told me just bad guys die,
At the time just a little white lie.
It was one of the first but it hurt me the most,
And the truth stung like tears in my eyes;
That even the good guys must die.
There's no reasoning, no crimes, and I never knew why.
Even now, it still makes me cry.
If there's somebody up there, could they throw me down a line?
Just a little helping hand, just a little understanding.
Just some answers to the questions that surround me now.
If there's somebody up there, could they throw me down a line?
Just a little guiding light to tell wrong from right.
Just some answers to the questions that I'm asking you.
I keep a vigil in a wilderness of mirrors,
Where nothing here is ever what it seems.
You stand so close but you never understand it.
For all that we see is not all that it seems; am I blind?
And you sit there and talk revolution,
But can you tell me just who's in command?
When you tell me the forces we're fighting,
Then I`ll join you and gladly make plans,
But for now only our t-shirts cry freedom,
And our voices are gagged by our greed.
Our minds are harnessed by knowledge,
By the hill and the will to succeed,
And if that's not what you believe,
Would you just let me know
I'm not standing alone,
That I'm not just a voice in the crowd?
If there's somebody up there, could they throw me down a line?
Just a little helping hand, just a little understanding.
Just some answers to the questions that I'm asking you.
If there's somebody up there, just throw me down a line?
Just a little guiding light to tell wrong from right.
Just some answers to the questions that I'm asking you.
I'll keep a vigil in a wilderness of mirrors,
Where nothing is exactly how it seems.
You're reaching out, you're so close you can touch it,
But it all disappears when it's always so near.
But one day, we will find that we stand in the light.
Until then, I'll keep a vigil in a wilderness of mirrors.
Nothing here is ever what it seems.
I'm scared to shout, in case I draw attention from the powers
That preside over our minds and our lives,
When they find what I want is the deadliest weapon; that is truth.
Day by day it`s getting louder,
And day by day it`s getting stronger.
But when I can`t scream no more and I need reassurance,
I listen to the crowd.
And the boy stood and stared at the hill;
And the hill - it stared back.
The song "Vigil in a Wilderness of Mirrors" by Fish could be seen as a plea for help from someone lost in a complex world, looking for answers and guidance. The song opens with the singer asking the listener to give him their attention and to listen to what he has to say. He then admits to feeling confused and disoriented, unable to differentiate between right and wrong. He reminisces about a time when the world seemed simpler, and his father had told him that only bad guys die, only to find out that even good people can die inexplicably. He calls out for someone, anyone, in the hope of being thrown down a line, a little guiding light to tell right from wrong. The chorus repeats the refrain of keeping a vigil in a wilderness of mirrors, representing a world where nothing is what it seems to be.
The second verse sees the singer questioning the motives of those proclaiming a revolution, asking who is in charge and who they are fighting against. He feels that their voices are being stifled by greed, and their minds are held captive by knowledge, shackled by the desire to succeed. The third verse, like the first two, ends with the singer grasping for a way out of the wilderness, begging for some answers, a little understanding.
The last lines of the song take on a more hopeful tone, suggesting that even when things seem hopeless, there is always the chance of finding the light, of standing in the truth. With the repetition of the chorus, the song ends with the image of the boy standing and staring at the hill and the hill staring back, representing the uncertainty of the world, but also the resilience of the human spirit.
Line by Line Meaning
Listen to me,
Please pay attention to what I am about to say.
Just hear me out.
Please listen to me without interrupting.
If I could have your attention?
Is it possible for me to have your undivided attention?
Just quietin' down for a voice in the crowd.
I am trying to silence everyone so that one voice in particular is heard.
I get so confused and I don't understand.
I am feeling uncertain and perplexed.
I know you feel the same way you've always wanted to say,
I am certain that you are experiencing the same emotions and thoughts as I am.
But you don't get the chance.
Unfortunately, you never get to express them out loud.
Just a voice in the crowd.
I am just one voice among many.
I don't know the score anymore;
I have lost track of what is happening.
It's not clear anymore.
It's becoming muddled and difficult to comprehend.
I can't tell right from wrong anymore;
I am unable to differentiate between what is right and what is wrong.
I just don't understand.
There are too many unanswered questions.
I was sitting here thinking of exchanging a new world for old;
I was daydreaming about trading in the current state of the world for a better one, maybe the way things used to be.
Like changing the channels on TV,
The process being as simple as changing the channel on a TV set.
Or the dirt that we stand in, to gold.
I was thinking how amazing it would be to turn the dirt at our feet to gold.
When I was young
During my youth
My father told me just bad guys die,
My father convinced me that only bad people die.
At the time just a little white lie.
At the time I believed this to be a small insignificant lie.
It was one of the first but it hurt me the most,
This was one of the first lies that I was ever told and it was the one that hurt me the most.
And the truth stung like tears in my eyes;
When I finally discovered the truth it was an emotionally painful experience.
That even the good guys must die.
I discovered that even those who are considered 'good' can die despite being innocent.
There's no reasoning, no crimes, and I never knew why.
There was no logic or explanation to the idea of people dying, even when they had done nothing wrong and it always puzzled me.
Even now, it still makes me cry.
This knowledge of the inevitability of death still brings up powerful emotions in me.
If there's somebody up there, could they throw me down a line?
Is there a higher power out there, and if so, could they communicate with me?
Just a little helping hand, just a little understanding.
All I need is just a little bit of guidance or empathy.
Just some answers to the questions that surround me now.
All I want are answers to the many questions that I have and that encircle me.
Just some answers to the questions that I'm asking you.
If you have any answers to the questions that haunt me please give them to me.
Just a little guiding light to tell wrong from right.
I am in need of a beacon of hope that can show me what is the correct path to follow.
You stand so close but you never understand it.
You are close to me, but despite this, you never understand the struggles I am going through.
For all that we see is not all that it seems; am I blind?
Since things are not always as they appear, it has crossed my mind that maybe I am not seeing things clearly.
And you sit there and talk revolution,
You talk about revolution and change.
But can you tell me just who's in command?
I would like to know who is meant to be in charge here, who is meant to lead the revolution?
When you tell me the forces we're fighting,
If you could tell me who or what it is that we are fighting against.
Then I'll join you and gladly make plans,
If I knew what we were working towards and what/who we were up against I would happily join forces with you and assist in coming up with a plan.
But for now only our t-shirts cry freedom,
For now, all we have are t-shirts that display the word 'freedom,' which isn't actually getting us anywhere.
And our voices are gagged by our greed.
Our selfishness and desire for power has silenced our voices.
Our minds are harnessed by knowledge,
Our limited mindset is hindering us from thinking beyond our horizons.
By the hill and the will to succeed,
Our goals of achieving success have limited our thinking and blinded us to other possibilities.
And if that's not what you believe,
If you don't share the same beliefs as me.
Would you just let me know
Could you please tell me.
I'm not standing alone,
I am not the only one who feels/thinks this way.
That I'm not just a voice in the crowd?
That I am not merely a voice among the many.
You're reaching out, you're so close you can touch it,
You are so near to it, you could almost touch it.
But it all disappears when it's always so near.
Despite being near, whatever it is that we're striving for always seems to slip out of our grasp.
But one day, we will find that we stand in the light.
One day, we will finally reach our goals and will bask in the radiance of success.
Until then, I'll keep a vigil in a wilderness of mirrors.
Until we reach that point, I will remain watchful in this confusing world where things are never what they appear to be.
Nothing here is ever what it seems.
This world is full of illusions and things are not always as they appear.
I'm scared to shout, in case I draw attention from the powers
I'm afraid to speak out because I don't want to alert those in power to my intentions and goals.
That preside over our minds and our lives,
Those who have control over our thoughts and the direction of our lives.
When they find what I want is the deadliest weapon; that is truth.
If they realize that what I am after is the truth, the thing that has immense power- It can dismantle their entire world-view and bring them down.
Day by day it`s getting louder,
Every day the noise/voices become more intense and discordant.
And day by day it`s getting stronger.
They are getting stronger every time I hear them.
But when I can`t scream no more and I need reassurance,
When I am too exhausted to shout and need something to reaffirm my conviction.
I listen to the crowd.
I listen to the clamor and voices of the multitudes around me.
And the boy stood and stared at the hill;
The boy looked intently at the hill in front of him.
And the hill - it stared back.
The hill seemed to look directly back at him.
Lyrics © WORDS & MUSIC A DIV OF BIG DEAL MUSIC LLC
Written by: JOHN COLTRANE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind