The Incline
Lyrics by Alec Davis
Aware of time but not life
Aware of life but not time
Why can’t I have it all?
YUNA
Our world divided, endangered
Our clan decided it’s time for us to leave
For generations we built the means
To abandon our race, our home
These four ships will sail, our ships will sail
Someday this dismal tale will end our way
Our ships will sail, we will prevail
We begin our journey in the new dawn
I never thought I’d see this in my lifetime
When finally we reach these distant shores
My children will have to carry on alone
How many years will pass while we cross the empty void ahead?
Nora and Nadia, will they remember the world we fled?
Crystal skies, gentle waves, will they recall the warm breeze?
I hope they will at least until we reach the other side
How long will they wait?
How long until they come for us?
One hour? One minute? One second?
As soon as we all set sail
The Others will hunt us down for all our riches, our knowledge, our way of life
For years our four ships were safe
We built them away from prying eyes
But no longer
It’s time they were found
The Others will chase us into the seas
Can we outrun them, or end up on our knees?
Once we reach the dark and deeper depths we will be safe
With luck we won’t all drown
How long until the world collides and suffers, and boils, and it burns?
As soon as we all set sail
The Others will hunt us down
To call us villains, deceivers, to prove us wrong
For years we have tried to help
But they shot it back and centred us around their conspiracy theories
So far I’ve lost more than most:
Some people we lost to the Others’ ideals
Lies lead to belief to destroying their minds
They poisoned our lives, they tore us apart
We were forced to banish these few long before we depart
Among these lost souls, my husband Lexi
He tried to take my girls and hoped he could flee
I sensed something wrong with his actions his words
A friend was a seed of the Others’ decree
Then during the night he kidnapped the girls
He didn’t succeed and escaped with his life
I let him live but maybe he should have died
I let him live, however I did try
I remember it so well
The first time we laid eyes on it
Our little house floating above the tender waves, hidden from the world
We were at peace for so long
But then one day you changed, you turned, our lives were burned
Can I call this place my home now?
These walls look the same but his ghost remains
Can I call this place my home now?
I know I’m not to blame so why do I feel ashamed?
I remember it so well
The first day that we brought them home
Our twin girls, oblivious that soon I would be raising them alone
We were at peace for so long
But in a day we’ll leave it all, before it falls
Can I call this place my home now?
These toxic memories is all that I can see
Can I call this place my home in my history?
Will my girls forgive me?
We hide in its shadow
The vessel looks down on us, waiting
Heads ready to launch, feet ready to anchor
We hide in its shadow, praying
From today we are nomads
There is nowhere that we belong now
Nowhere to rest our weary souls
And so this journey will take its toll
We’ll soldier through, fight off the pain
Bury the tears till we touch the shore
From today we are nomads
Is there somewhere that we belong now?
We climb and we don’t look down
Higher and higher we go
Under its sails, we buckle up, breathe in breathe out
We look down on its shadow, waiting
The morning sun it drifts behind our sister ship
As the countdown starts, it counts down fast
The searing air dries out, I’m breathless racked with doubt
And my hands shake, we all shake
We hear the engines strained and the ship quakes, complains
Our fear remains
Smoke, then flames, we see our people slain
The Others came and claimed our sister ship
We watch in shame, as we set sail, starting this dismal tale
Never in my life have I felt such power
Relentless pressure, untamed momentum, godlike fervour, it pushes further
My body crumbles, its systems fail
Am I dying?
As my mind wanders a feeling washes over me
Am I weightless? Am I dreaming? Am I delusional?
Finally I function, finally my focus returns and I see:
The world that we fled for the first time in all its splendour
Frozen water, swallowed landscapes, one belt of colour, it’s getting duller
The scores of stars are no longer hidden, they burn my eyes
As the ship wanders a thought takes over me
I can’t see all our sisters
We are four ships and not three
Finally I realise, finally I surmise, that they were lost at sea
Never in my life have I felt such loss
Relentless sorrow, untamed anger (it will return, soon it will return)
My body crumbles, its systems fail
I can’t face the truth
Is this the end for them?
Here we drift
Endless space surrounds us
Here we drift until one of us breaks the clans’ silence
We need guidance
The captain’s swift and wastes no time to revive us
No more we drift, engines fire up now set your mind at ease
Our number’s three: three clans, three destinations
There’s no guarantee that we will speak as one again
As the number’s three: three clans, three destinations
There’s no guarantee that we are free of the Others rage
How long will they wait?
How long until they come for us?
Can we outrun them or will we end up on our knees
The captain calls
There’s something wrong, he beguiles us
The captain calls
We’re reduced to a crawl, he attempts to stall, we all play ball
The tension swells
‘We’re in the dark?’ we wonder
We begin to dwell on the question: ‘What do they hide from us?’
Our number’s three: three clans, three destinations
There’s no guarantee that we will speak as one again
As the number’s three: three clans, three destinations
There’s no guarantee that we are free of the Others rage
How long will they wait?
How long until they come for us?
Can we outrun them or will our number drop from three?
A crash outside
Screams of pain
My heart skips again
Blood drains from my brain
From behind I hear my name
His voice hasn’t changed, his rage the same
I turn to see my Lexi, he stares down at me
I thought we were free
I struggle
He strikes again and again
I feel faint
I struggle
The violence intense, he shows no restraint
I plead as he steals and drags my Nora away
Nadia’s safe so I chase Lexi
Again, again I plead
A crash ahead
Screams of pain
My heart skips again
Blood drains from my brain
Looking through the glass, I see her face
It drifts away, but here I remain
Holding her, my Lexi, he stares back at me, triumphant as he flees
Their tiny ship, I watch it drift
It heads back to shore
What was this all for?
To punish me?
To prove a point?
To blindly attack?
Why risk Nora’s life just to get her back?
How long did he wait?
Before he tore my twins apart
Will I see Nora again
Somewhere out at sea
This tale, this dismal tale will never end my way
This journey will take, and take, until there’s none of us left
We will all die at sea
Will I ever see my daughter again?
Deathkat Media 