The Eve of the War
Jeff Wayne Lyrics

No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century
People of that time could not have perceived or believed that foreign life in outer space was keeping an eye on Earth.

That human affairs were being watched from the timeless worlds of space
Unknown to us, there are superior beings studying us and observing our state of affairs from a timeless distant planet.

No one could have dreamed that we were being scrutinized
Nobody back then could have fathomed that we were the subjects of close examination by beings who are far more advanced than we are.

As someone with a microscope studies creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water
Just as microorganisms are studied under a microscope, these beings are observing humans with high-powered equipment.

Few men even considered the possibility of life on other planets
Only a few people have entertained the notion that there might be other forms of life on other planets.

And yet, across the gulf of space
Despite the immense distance between us and them.

Minds immeasurably superior to ours regarded this Earth with envious eyes
These advanced beings view Earth with a desire that we cannot comprehend since they possess an intellect beyond our capacity.

And slowly and surely
Their plans are being meticulously designed and implemented, inexorably leading to a calamitous outcome.

They drew their plans against us
The beings from the distant planet have devised a hostile plan against the people of the world.

At midnight, on the 12th of August
On a specific night, the 12th of August precisely at midnight.

A huge mass of luminous gas erupted from Mars and sped towards Earth
An enormous mass of glowing gas exploded from the planet Mars and traveled at a high speed towards us.

Across two hundred million miles of void
In a 200 million-mile expanse devoid of any matter.

Invisibly hurtling towards us
It was impossible to see the missile's movement, yet it was rapidly advancing towards us.

Came the first of the missiles that were to bring so much calamity to Earth
This was the first rocket/meteor that caused immense damage and chaos on Earth.

As I watched, there was another jet of gas
At that moment, an additional spray of gas appeared within my sight.

It was another missile, starting on its way
That jet of gas was the precursor of another missile starting its journey towards Earth.

And that's how it was for the next ten nights
Over the succeeding ten nights to come.

A flare, spurting out from Mars
A beam emerging from the planet Mars.

Bright green, drawing a green mist behind it
The beam produced by the missile glows in luminous green, leaving a trail of mist in its wake.

A beautiful, but somehow disturbing sight
The bright green light is an unusual and fascinating spectacle, yet, there is a sense of unease and apprehension about what it means.

Ogilvy, the astronomer, assured me we were in no danger
The scientist, Ogilvy, stated unequivocally that we were not in peril as the chance of intelligent life on Mars was nearly impossible.

He was convinced there could be no living thing on that remote, forbidding planet
Ogilvy was certain that there was no way a living creature could exist on Mars since it was an uninviting, distant planet.

The chances of anything coming from Mars
The likelihood of anything invading Earth from Mars.

Are a million to one, he said (ahh)
According to Ogilvy, the chances of an attack from Mars are extremely remote.

But still, they come
Nevertheless, the invaders have arrived.

Then came the night the first missile approached Earth
On a specific night, the first missile neared Earth.

It was thought to be an ordinary falling star
Initially, it was assumed that it was a star that was quickly plummeting.

But the next day there was a huge crater in the middle of the common
The next day, what was left was a sizable hole in the grassy area.

And Ogilvy came to examine what lay there
Ogilvy headed there to investigate the crater.

A cylinder, thirty yards across, glowing hot
The cylinder was a mammoth-sized object, 90 feet in diameter, and was blazing on the exterior.

With faint sounds of movement coming from within
There were soft sounds of activity emanating from its interior.

Suddenly the top began moving, rotating, unscrewing
Suddenly, its lid began swiveling erratically, gradually unfastening.

And Ogilvy feared there was a man inside trying to escape
Ogilvy believed that there might be a human or an intelligent creature inside the cylinder, attempting to vacate the vessel.

He rushed to the cylinder, but the intense heat stopped him
Ogilvy approached the cylinder, but the extreme heat emanated from the object, preventing him from getting too close.

Before he could burn himself on the metal
So he backed off, as he didn’t want to endure any critical injuries from the hot metal surface.

It seems totally incredible to me now that
Reflecting back, it’s still incredulous to believe.

Everyone spent that evening as though it were just like any other
That momentous night felt mundane, and everyone went about their everyday routine without any notion of imminent danger.

From the railway station came the sound of shunting trains
The sound of traincars from the railway station within earshot.

Ringing and rumbling, softened almost into melody by the distance
The sound of traincars going to and fro was dulled by the distance and turned into background music.

It all seemed so safe and tranquil
Everything felt secure and peaceful, not a thing seemed to be amiss.