The Eve Of The War
Liam Neeson Lyrics


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No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century
That human affairs were being watched from the timeless worlds of space
No one could have dreamed that we were being scrutinized
As someone with a microscope studies creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water
Few men even considered the possibility of life on other planets
And yet, across the gulf of space
Minds immeasurably superior to ours regarded this Earth with envious eyes
And slowly and surely
They drew their plans against us

At midnight, on the 12th of August
A huge mass of luminous gas erupted from Mars and sped towards Earth
Across two hundred million miles of void
Invisibly hurtling towards us
Came the first of the missiles that were to bring so much calamity to Earth

As I watched, there was another jet of gas
It was another missile, starting on its way

And that's how it was for the next ten nights
A flare, spurting out from Mars
Bright green, drawing a green mist behind it
A beautiful, but somehow disturbing sight
Ogilvy, the astronomer, assured me we were in no danger
He was convinced there could be no living thing on that remote
Forbidding planet

The chances of anything coming from Mars
Are a million to one, he said
The chances of anything coming from Mars
Are a million to one, but still, they come

Then came the night the first missile approached Earth
It was thought to be an ordinary falling star
But next day there was a huge crater in the middle of the common
And Ogilvy came to examine what lay there

A cylinder, thirty yards across, glowing hot
With faint sounds of movement coming from within
Suddenly the top began moving, rotating, unscrewing
And Ogilvy feared there was a man inside trying to escape
He rushed to the cylinder but the intense heat stopped him
Before he could burn himself on the metal

The chances of anything coming from Mars
Are a million to one, he said
The chances of anything coming from Mars
Are a million to one, but still, they come

Yes, the chances of anything coming from Mars
Are a million to one, he said
The chances of anything coming from Mars
Are a million to one, but still, they come

It seems totally incredible to me now that
Everyone spent that evening as though it were just like any other
From the railway station came the sound of shunting trains
Ringing and rumbling, softened almost into melody by the distance





It all seemed so safe and tranquil

Overall Meaning

The opening lines of Liam Neeson and Gary Barlow's song, The Eve of the War, presents a chilling and ominous warning of impending doom for the human race. The lyrics convey the message that the possibility of life on other planets was not considered by many at the close of the 19th century. However, unbeknownst to humanity, minds from far superior worlds were watching in envy from the timeless world of space. They were watching the world with the intent of drawing their plans against us. The lyrics are foreboding, as they suggest that while humans were oblivious to the threat, invaders from Mars were already making plans to take over the planet.


The second verse describes the first moments of attack on Earth. The lyrics talk of a huge mass of luminous gas that erupted from Mars and sped towards Earth at midnight on August 12th. The first of many missiles that were to bring calamity to Earth begins a relentless assault on the planet. Despite the initially beautiful sight of the green mist that follows the missiles, it is still a cause for concern. Ogilvy, an astronomer, had previously stated that there was no existence of living things on Mars. However, the arrival of the first missile left a huge crater that unlocks the possibility of something mysterious lying beneath, giving birth to suspicion and fear.


The lyrics of The Eve of the War paint a picture of impending doom, successfully evoking a sense of unease as the singers recount the series of attacks and the pervasive attitude of denial of looming danger. The song paints a picture of an unstoppable force that is gradually closing in, leaving humanity with a bleak hopelessness.


Line by Line Meaning

No one would have believed in the last years of the nineteenth century
At the end of the 19th century, people could not have imagined what was about to happen.


That human affairs were being watched from the timeless worlds of space
Aliens were observing humans from afar.


No one could have dreamed that we were being scrutinized
People were unaware they were being studied closely by extraterrestrial beings.


As someone with a microscope studies creatures that swarm and multiply in a drop of water
The aliens observed humans with the same intensity and dispassion that a person studies microscopic organisms in a sample of water.


Few men even considered the possibility of life on other planets
Most people then did not entertain the idea of extraterrestrial lifeforms.


And yet, across the gulf of space
Despite this, the aliens were monitoring planet Earth from their distant world.


Minds immeasurably superior to ours regarded this Earth with envious eyes
The aliens were intellectually superior to humans and envied the Earth.


And slowly and surely
The aliens were carefully developing a plan.


They drew their plans against us
The aliens plotted an attack against humanity.


At midnight, on the 12th of August
The aliens launched their attack at midnight on August 12th.


A huge mass of luminous gas erupted from Mars and sped towards Earth
The attack involved a massive discharge of gas from Mars that traveled towards Earth at high speed.


Across two hundred million miles of void
The gas traveled across an enormous distance of space - two hundred million miles - to reach the Earth.


Invisibly hurtling towards us
The gas was invisible to the human eye as it hurtled towards Earth.


Came the first of the missiles that were to bring so much calamity to Earth
The initial gas discharge was only the first in a series of missiles that would cause great harm on Earth.


As I watched, there was another jet of gas
From Earth, the singer watched as another gas missile was fired from Mars.


It was another missile, starting on its way
This gas missile marked the start of another wave of attacks against Earth.


And that's how it was for the next ten nights
For ten nights, the attackers repeatedly launched gas missiles from Mars towards Earth.


A flare, spurting out from Mars
Each missile was launched with a bright burst of light from Mars.


Bright green, drawing a green mist behind it
The gas missiles were a bright green colour and left a green mist in their wake.


A beautiful, but somehow disturbing sight
The missiles may have appeared beautiful but their intended purpose suggested something more sinister.


Ogilvy, the astronomer, assured me we were in no danger
The artist was told by astronomer Ogilvy not to worry, as he was confident there was no danger to humanity.


He was convinced there could be no living thing on that remote
Ogilvy was certain that there was no intelligent life on Mars.


Forbidding planet
Ogilvy thought Mars was profoundly inhospitable, an unlikely home for a sentient being.


The chances of anything coming from Mars
Ogilvy recognised the astronomical odds of extraterrestrial life existing but was still dismissive of the threat posed by the gas missiles.


Are a million to one, he said
Ogilvy's estimation was that the chance of attack from another planet seemed incredibly low.


But still, they come
Despite the astronomer being dismissive of such an outcome, the attacks materialized.


Then came the night the first missile approached Earth
The first missile to directly target Earth arrived in the evening.


It was thought to be an ordinary falling star
Initially, people mistook the missile for a typical shooting star or meteorite.


But next day there was a huge crater in the middle of the common
The following day, a massive hole was discovered in the landscape at the point of impact.


And Ogilvy came to examine what lay there
The astronomer arrived on-site to study the aftermath of the attack.


A cylinder, thirty yards across, glowing hot
The source of the attack was an enormous and hot cylinder that spanned thirty yards in length.


With faint sounds of movement coming from within
Sounds could be heard emanating from inside the cylinder, indicating something was inside the machine.


Suddenly the top began moving, rotating, unscrewing
Without warning, the cover of the cylinder started to turn, slowly revealing the contents of the mysterious machine.


And Ogilvy feared there was a man inside trying to escape
The astronomer worried that a person was trapped inside the cylinder, desperately trying to escape the machine.


He rushed to the cylinder but the intense heat stopped him
Ogilvy was unable to approach the cylinder because of the significant heat radiating from the machine's exterior.


Before he could burn himself on the metal
He did not want to be badly hurt by coming too close to the hot cylinder.


Yes, the chances of anything coming from Mars
After witnessing the first attack up close, expectations that Earth would be targeted became more real.


It seems totally incredible to me now that
The sighting of the cylinder made the singer reflect on how incredible the whole experience was and the bravado people had displayed earlier in the face of an extraterrestrial threat.


Everyone spent that evening as though it were just like any other
Despite the first attack having occurred, people carried on with their day as though nothing had happened.


From the railway station came the sound of shunting trains
Like any other evening, life went on as usual and the everyday sounds of trains passing by could be heard in the distance.


Ringing and rumbling, softened almost into melody by the distance
The noises from the trains, though familiar, felt slightly more distant and muffled than usual.


It all seemed so safe and tranquil
The evening felt uneventful, safe and peaceful, but the entire world would soon be deeply affected by the attacks from Mars.




Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group
Written by: JEFF WAYNE

Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
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Comments from YouTube:

T00n Visi0n

This remix is now 10 year old! At 0:00 the intro is so damn good and once it drops…damn it is energetic! Drumsound and Bassline Smith are legends!

BBI

after 2 yrs this is still my favourite drum&bass track ever. wow, just full power on this, so hard

BBI

01:48 drop

Tony 123

@BBI after six years it soudns like shit

BOBBY TOOL

@Tony 123 ngl i came here full of nostalgia but the drop really didnt age well haha

Jellosnark

War of the Worlds intro + UKF = something that I definitely enjoy listening to, even if it may not be completely Drum&bass.

WTP2k

Jeff Wayne + Liam Neeson + Drumsound & Bassline Smith. Proper loving it.

Dood Monkey

The Jeff Wayne musical remake of the War of the Worlds with the Moody Blues is an amazing album

Mattias Van Meir

this is insane! it's like blood sugar from pendulum! LOVE IT!

Karza3

Favourite actor, favourite music genre. This can't possibly be bad

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