World Inside the Crystal
Kathy Mar Lyrics

Beside the world we live in
There exists a world alongside our reality

Apart from day and night
Outside the boundaries of time

Is a world ablaze with wonder
A place full of awe-inspiring magic

Of magic and delight
A universe of enchantment and bliss

Like a magic crystal mirror
Just as a reflecting crystal of marvels

My computer lets me know
My machine opens up a window to this world

Of the other world within it
A dimension concealed within my device

Where my body cannot go
A place unreachable by my physical form

You can only see the shadows
We can solely view their traces

Of electrons on a screen
The particles' shadows that are projected on a monitor

From the world inside the crystal
Gifts from a distant world within the computer

That no human eyes have seen
Unseen by our mortal eyes

The computer is a gateway
Our computer is an entrance

To a world where magic rules
A world governed and influenced by enchantments

Where the only law is logic
A place where the only rule is rational thinking

Webs of words the only tools
Our sole tools are phrases woven into each other

Where we play with words and symbols
Where we use language and signs for amusement

And creation is the game
And game is about creating something new

For our symbols have the power
Our signs possess the strength

To become the things they name
To transform into whatever they describe

Now you who do not know this world
For those who are unaware of this realm

Its dangers or its joys
Its potentially risky situations or pleasurable aspects

You take the things we build there
You utilise the things we construct there

And you use them as your toys
You employ these things as your amusements

You trust them with your fortunes
You believe in their power to safeguard your wealth

Or let them guard your lives
You depend on these things to protect your existence

From the chaos of creation
From the disorderliness of constructing something new

Just their final form survives
Only the end product remains

Call us hackers, call us wizards
Label us 'hackers' or 'wizards'

With derision or respect
With either contempt or admiration

Still our souls are marked by something
However, our spirits are distinguished by something special

That your labels can't affect
Which your characterizations can't influence

Though our words are touched by strangeness
Despite the peculiarity of our language

There is little we can say
Our descriptions are meagre

You would only hear the echo
You would merely hear the reverberation

Of a music far away
Of a far-off melody

Chorus: You can only see the shadows
We can only witness the traces of this world

From the world inside the crystal
Given to us from the realm within the computer

That no human eyes have seen
Unseen by our mortal eyes