1. Jeff Wayne is a composer k… Read Full Bio ↴There are two artists using this name:
1. Jeff Wayne is a composer known mostly for his musical version of H.G. Wells' The War Of The Worlds. In the production of The War Of The Worlds he put together all of the music himself and contributed some vocals to the final track of the original 1978 release.
He also wrote several advertising jingles in the 1970s which appeared on television in the United Kingdom, notably the Gordon's Gin commercial, which was systematically covered and re-covered by the Human League. Other well-known themes he wrote include Good Morning Britain (TV-am) and LBC radio.
2. Jeff Wayne is an Irish singer who, early in his entertainment career, worked with Joseph Locke.
The Artilleryman Returns
Jeff Wayne Lyrics
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I felt unable to leave him to the mercy of the red weed, and decided to bury him, decently
Nathaniel! Nathaniel!
The parson's eyes flickered open
He was alive!
Don't touch me!
But it's me, Beth! Your wife!
No! You're one of them - a devil!
He's delirious!
Lies! I saw the devil's sign!
What are you saying?
The green flash in the sky
His demons were here all along, in our hearts and souls
Just waiting for a sign from Him
And now they're destroying our world!
But they're not devils, they're Martians
We must leave here!
Look, a house still standing, come Nathaniel, quickly
We took shelter in a cottage, and black smoke spread, hemming us in
Then a fighting machine came across the field
Spraying jets of steam that turned the smoke into thick, black dust
Ulla!
Dear God, help us!
The voice of the Devil is heard in our land!
Listen, do you hear them drawing near
In their search for the sinners?
Feeding on the power of our fear
And the evil within us?
Incarnation of Satan's creation of all that we dread
When the demons arrive those alive would be better off dead!
There must be something worth living for
There must be something worth trying for
Even some things worth dying for!
And if one man can stand tall
There must be hope for us all
Somewhere, somewhere in the spirit of man
Once there was a time when I believed
Without hesitation
That the power of love and truth could conquer all
In the name of salvation
Tell me what kind of weapon is love when it comes to the fight?
And just how much protection is truth against all Satan's might?
There must be something worth living for
There must be something worth trying for
Even some things worth dying for
And if one man can stand tall
There must be some hope for us all
Somewhere, somewhere in the spirit of man
People loved you, and trusted you, came to you for help
Didn't I warn them this would happen?
Be on your guard, I said, for the Evil One never rests
I said exorcise the devil!
But no, they wouldn't listen, the demons inside them grew and grew
Until Satan gave his signal and destroyed the world we knew!
No Nathaniel, oh no, Nathaniel
No Nathaniel, no, there must be more to life
There has to be a way that we can
Restore to life the love we used to know
(No) Nathaniel, no, there must be more to life
There has to be a way that we can
Restore to life the light that we have lost
Now darkness has descended on our land
And all your prayers cannot save us
Like fools we've let the devil take command
Of the souls that God gave us
To the altar of evil like lambs to the slaughter were led
When the demons arrive the survivors will envy the dead!
There must be something worth living for
(No, there is nothing!)
There must be something worth trying for
(I don't believe it's so!)
Even some things worth dying for
If just one man could stand tall
There would be some hope for us all
Somewhere, somewhere in the spirit of man
Forget about goodness and mercy, they're gone!
Didn't I warn them? Pray, I said! Destroy the devil, I said!
They wouldn't listen! I could have saved the world!
But now it's too late, too late!
No Nathaniel, oh no, Nathaniel
No Nathaniel, no, there must be more to life
There has to be a way that we can
Restore to life the love we used to know
(No) Nathaniel, no, there must be more to life
There has to be a way that we can
Restore to life the light that we have lost
Dear God!
A cylinder's landed on the house
And we are underneath it, in the pit!
The Martians spent the night making a new machine
It was a squat, metallic spider with huge, articulated claws
But it, too, had a hood in which a Martian sat
I watched it pursuing some people across a field
It caught them nimbly and tossed them into a great metal basket upon its back
Beth! She's dead! Buried under the rubble Why?
Satan! Why did you take one of your own?
There is a curse on Mankind
We may as well be resigned
To let the devil, the devil take the spirit of man
As time passed in our dark and dusty prison
The Parson wrestled endlessly with his doubts
His outcries invited death for us both - and yet, I pitied him
The Spirit of Man is a song that features in the musical version of H.G. Wells’ “War of the Worlds”. In the story, the song is sung by Beth, Nathaniel, and the Parson. They are in a ruined churchyard, and Nathaniel believes that Beth is a devil, he sees the devil's sign in the green flash in the sky, which he interprets as a demonic invasion of the earth. The parson is also believed to have been dead but suddenly opens his eyes, he's delirious and thinks that Beth is one of the devils that they believe are the Martians. The song speaks of the hopelessness they all feel as they believe that the Martians are more powerful than they ever thought and are destroying their world. Nathaniel is convinced that the Martians and their actions are a symbol of Satan's power and the evil that lurks within the hearts of men.
The lyrics of the song convey the feeling of despair and the helplessness of humanity in the face of the Martians, who are an unstoppable force of destruction. The song highlights the humanity that exists within everyone, even in the face of an unprecedented crisis, everyone still desires to hold onto hope that things will get better. The song talks about the need for people to come together and fight against the Martians and their destructive ways; to hold on to the spirit of man and fight until the very end.
Line by Line Meaning
I suddenly noticed the body of a parson lying on the ground in a ruined churchyard
In the midst of chaos and destruction, I unexpectedly came across a lifeless parson lying in a desolate cemetery
I felt unable to leave him to the mercy of the red weed, and decided to bury him, decently
I couldn't bear to abandon him to the destructive red weed, so I made the decision to give him a proper burial
Nathaniel! Nathaniel!
Calling out desperately to Nathaniel, hoping for a response
The parson's eyes flickered open
Miraculously, the parson regained consciousness and opened his eyes
He was alive!
To my astonishment, he was still alive and breathing
Nathaniel, I saw the church burst into flame, are you all right?
Nathaniel, I witnessed the church engulfed in fire. Are you safe?
Don't touch me!
In a state of delirium, he vehemently refuses any contact
But it's me, Beth! Your wife!
Attempting to remind him of my identity as his wife, Beth
No! You're one of them - a devil!
In his confused state, he accuses me of being one of the devil's minions
He's delirious!
Recognizing that his mind is in a state of irrationality and confusion
Lies! I saw the devil's sign!
Persisting in his distorted perception, he claims to have witnessed the sign of the devil
What are you saying?
Pleading for clarification and understanding
The green flash in the sky
Referring to a peculiar green light that appeared in the sky
His demons were here all along, in our hearts and souls
Realizing that the true demons were within us, residing in our deepest emotions and spirits
Just waiting for a sign from Him
These demons were dormant, waiting for a signal or indication from a higher power
And now they're destroying our world!
These demons have unleashed chaos and destruction upon our world
But they're not devils, they're Martians
Attempting to correct his misconception, explaining that the source of destruction is not demonic, but rather extraterrestrial Martians
We must leave here!
Realizing the urgency to flee from this devastated place
Look, a house still standing, come Nathaniel, quickly
Spotting a surviving house nearby, urging Nathaniel to hurry and seek shelter
We took shelter in a cottage, and black smoke spread, hemming us in
Seeking refuge in a small cottage, only to find ourselves surrounded and trapped by suffocating black smoke
Then a fighting machine came across the field
Suddenly, a formidable machine emerged and advanced through the field
Spraying jets of steam that turned the smoke into thick, black dust
Emitting powerful jets of steam, instantly transforming the smoke into dense, obscuring dust
Ulla!
A cry or exclamation heard from the Martians
Dear God, help us!
Desperately invoking divine assistance in this dire situation
The voice of the Devil is heard in our land!
Acknowledging the overwhelming presence and influence of evil forces in our world
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JEFF WAYNE, GARY OSBOURNE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Mroziuk
Why is this piece always left out? It's absolutely amazing and it just fits so well with the song before it and the one that comes after.
Strigon Shitposting
Such a small piece but always manages to hook me in even further. Maybe it’s Richard Burton’s delivery? I have no idea.
Stokey
When it foreshadows the Martain demise its done brilliantly
Dinkle Irl
This specific track is criminally underrated
will
The base line is amazing
KIM
Masterpiece. ❤️.
Y u stillhere
Who else thinks war of the worlds is just underrated enough to make you mad? People say Oh I’m A sI-fI fAn but they don’t even know about war of the worlds???
hammer1349
And that last part, about the elimination of bacteria etc ultimately led to their doom.
Chris Rogers
IT'S classic and I buy double album bk IN summer of 83 I Like Opening piece of Music
And Rea
For whoever is wondering why this sounds familiar it's because the melody is very similar to : Macho - I'm a man