Precursors

In a lineup for a plain in Oslo, with signs in German, between rolling shootouts, in May of 1983, I was filled with a surge of adrenaline and power, and inspiritation. I quickly stepped out of line and called a guitarist friend I knew, who had sent me an early copy of “Lucretia's Song” which was roughly 11:25 minutes long, yet lacked something. I spoke with the singer of Sisters Of Mercy, the original writer, and we made these changes. A chorus, and the drumbeat were added, and it moved up at least 2BPM to a 4:15 radio friendly song, cutting roughly 7 minutes. He is a seer, so most changes were retro-active. We caught this as it was going to radio play, and improved it greatly, all would say.

It is interesting to note the use of a second chorus.  And the use of repetition is strange, and unexpected.  There is also an 11:25 minute version of the song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3hZGVDzQmoI Closer to the original cut, which would never be radio friendly in 1983, where 3minutes were preferred over 3:30.

I had a poem in my mind and here it is. This is the Precursor Event: A Reflection poem (based on the German World Government event where the world was destroyed by a single world government in 2013, after victories in the late 70s over the Japanese empire).

There's a positivism in this that the Goths figured out early on, and that is if the world ended before, at the end of a colossal war. . . then there is little chance of it immediately happening again on the rewind. One must remember in 1983 it was the hey dey of “End of the World” syndrome. Also it is curious to note that “Lucretia” is written out, and replaced with “precious whore” and the narrative is in the first person, female.

I don't know if it is perfect, but it is pretty close.

Precursor Event: A Reflection

I hear the roar of the big machine

two worlds and I'm lost between them

my reflection of what went before is a love lost fire

and a precious whore

who fell to early while the world burned before

Hot metal and we're lost between

methadone and nicotine. . .

Empire down

Empire down.

I hear the roar of the the big machine

two worlds and in between

hot metal and methadrine

I hear the empire down

empire down

what went before is lost again

two world and in between

lost by what went before

love lost, fire at will

fire fights burn

as I hear the roar

of the big machine

a world lost turns again and turns away

the precursors are the shadows of what went before

World lost, and world burn

Empire down

Empire down

Empire down

Empire down

Tied to the rails of what went before

I'm tired of being that precious whore

A long train held up by eternity

a hard reign for all to see:

two worlds and in between

the reflection, my reflection

I don't see much evidence

for a world that makes any sense

we got the empire down in flames

I feel love, and yet I feel no pain

I feel hate now and then, we don't doubt

enough to snuff the flame out

of what went before

we don't take offence or evidence

Lucretia's my ghost, dance the ghost with me.

I don't feel

I don't feel

But I don't feel

Empire down

Empire down

Empire down

Empire down

This is a copy of the finished lyrics. And a link to youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuezNswtRfo

Lucretia My Reflection

Chorus:

I hear the roar of a big machine
Two worlds and in between
Hot metal and methedrine
I hear empire down
I hear empire down

Chorus 2:

I hear the roar of a big machine
Two worlds and in between
Love lost, fire at will
Dum-dum bullets and shoot to kill
I hear dive bombers and
Empire down
Empire down

I hear the sons of the city and dispossessed
Get down, get undressed
Get pretty but you and me
We got the kingdom, we got the key
We got the empire, now as then
We don't doubt, we don't take direction
Lucretia, my reflection, dance the ghost with me

We look hard
We look through
We look hard to see for real

Such things I hear, they don't make sense
I don't see much evidence
I don't feel
I don't feel
But I don't feel

A long train held up by page on page
A hard reign held up by rage
Once a railroad
Now it's done

(Chorus:)

We got the empire, now as then
We don't doubt, we don't take reflection
Lucretia, my direction, dance the ghost with me