The Mountain
PFM Lyrics


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Red Bellows of flame have blackened my stones
Convulsing my frame and cracking my bones.
Hell's dragons of steel who roar in their chains
Crawl into my caves to suck out my veins.
I've split the sky ten million years
And I've been called a hunderd different names.
I know the stories of the wind,
I've argued with the thunder and the rain ...
Till eagles flew from Urizen
Revealing how my mother's
Face was horribly changed
By the apes ...

Where once shepherds dined the diamond
Worm screams.
The ash of my pine is choking my strams
"O-Yam-Tsu-Mi"* I invoke your name.

But "O-Yam-Tsu-Mi" lay broken and ill
By the plight and the pain of his mountains
And hills
By his waterfall weeps




Once again ...
* Ancient Japanese God of Mountains

Overall Meaning

The song "The Mountain" by PFM depicts a personification of a mountain, talking about its struggles and experiences over the years. The opening lines describe how the mountain has been subjected to destruction and chaos caused by fire and steel dragons that sucked out its veins from the caves. The mountain seems to be in torment, with its frame convulsing and bones cracking. However, it has existed for ten million years and has been given various names by people over the years.


The mountain further claims to know the stories of the wind and has had arguments with the thunder and the rain. It speaks of eagles flying from Urizen and revealing the horrible changes in its mother's face because of the apes. The scenery has changed, and now the ash from the pine trees is choking the streams, and the cries of the worm that once dined on diamonds can be heard. The mountain invokes the name of "O-Yam-Tsu-Mi", an ancient Japanese God of Mountains, seeking solace, but the God lies broken and ill due to the plight and pain of the mountains and hills.


Line by Line Meaning

Red Bellows of flame have blackened my stones
My stones have turned black from the heat of the raging flames.


Convulsing my frame and cracking my bones.
The intensity of the flames have weakened my foundation, resulting in tremors and cracks in my structure.


Hell's dragons of steel who roar in their chains
The machines that humans use to extract resources from me are noisy and disturbing, making them seem like dragons from hell.


Crawl into my caves to suck out my veins.
Humans dig deep into my caves and mines to extract resources from me, leaving me drained of my wealth.


I've split the sky ten million years
I am a mountain, standing tall and proud for millions of years, reaching high enough to touch the sky.


And I've been called a hundred different names.
Humans have given me many different names across various cultures and traditions, but my essence remains the same.


I know the stories of the wind,
I have stood here for millions of years, experiencing the passing winds that carry stories from far and wide.


I've argued with the thunder and the rain ...
I have withstood fierce storms with thunder and rain, fighting to maintain my form and resist the forces of nature.


Till eagles flew from Urizen
I have seen many things in my long life. Eagles flying free is one such sight that I have been fortunate enough to witness.


Revealing how my mother's face was horribly changed
The erosion over millions of years has changed the appearance of the landscape and beauty of the mountain, revealing the effects of time on my mother's face.


By the apes ...
This change was brought forth due to the impact of apes and their activities on the ecosystem over the ages.


Where once shepherds dined the diamond
The land that was once inhabited by shepherds now houses diamond mines, showing how greed has overtaken the once peaceful existence.


Worm screams.
The mining activities have led to immense ecological damage and associated problems, with the helpless worms screaming out in agony.


The ash of my pine is choking my streams
The pollution from human activities is contaminating my pure streams and making it difficult for my ecosystem to thrive.


"O-Yam-Tsu-Mi"* I invoke your name.
I call out to the ancient Japanese God of Mountains, O-Yam-Tsu-Mi, seeking protection and solace for my suffering.


But "O-Yam-Tsu-Mi" lay broken and ill
Even the mountain God is unable to protect me from the intense exploitation that I am facing.


By the plight and the pain of his mountains and hills
The other mountains and hills are facing a similar plight, bringing about the pain and suffering of the mountain God.


By his waterfall weeps
The mountain God is mourning the fate of his mountains, shedding tears for the pain and suffering that they are going through.


Once again ...
This suffering has been going on for a long time, and despite calls for help, nothing seems to be changing.




Contributed by Ruby S. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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Most interesting comment from YouTube:

@TONE11111

LYRICS:
Red Bellows of flame have blackened my stones Convulsing my frame and cracking my bones.
Hell's dragons of steel who roar in their chains Crawl into my caves to suck out my veins.

I've split the sky ten million years And I've been called a hundred different names.
I know the stories of the wind, I've argued with the thunder and the rain ...
Till eagles flew from Urizen
Revealing how my mother's face was horribly changed
By the apes ...

Where once shepherds dined the diamond worm screams.
The ash of my pine is choking my streams "O-Yam-Tsu-Mi"* I invoke your name.

But "O-Yam-Tsu-Mi" lay broken and ill By the plight and the pain of his mountains and hills
By his waterfall weeps Once again ...


* Ancient Japanese God of Mountains



All comments from YouTube:

@sarasota75

The most amazing thing.......... they came to my country Guatemala 6 years ago and was epic.

@mauromontobbio8522

A goose bumping closing lead guitar part.... a guitar very close to the sound of other two prog guitar monsters like Robert Fripp and Steve Hackett. Super Franco Mussida!

@hexenhuisje

Glad my dad had this lp when I was a kid....difficult to find this little gem...

@heavy6161

No puedo creer que solo haya 182 👍 con el mío! Está fue una banda legendaria

@aghoeing

That closing guitar section blows me away playing on only four chords.

@TadmorsTube

What a great song. One of their best.

@sarasota75

omg!!!!!!!!! love it ♥

@jeffreygorey5540

When that bass guitar kicks in, ohh man.

@francoisbenoit5335

jeffrey gorey that bass guitar with that bass drum ... ohh ya together synchronized.

@MikeFlood-oe3tu

e-x-a-c-t-l-y

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