The Journey / Recollection Songtext
von Rick Wakeman

THE JOURNEY

By horse, by rail, by land, by sea, our journey starts
Two men incensed by one man′s journey from the past
In Iceland, where the mountain stood with pride
They set off with their guide
To reach the mountain side

Roped as one for safety through the long descent
Into the crater of volcanic rock they went
Look up from our telescopic lair,
One star for us to share,
We continue on our prayer.

Crystals of opaque quartz, studded limpid tears,
Forming magic chandeliers, lighting blistered galleries.

NARRATION

Narration 1


Admiring shades of lava which imperceptibly passed from reddish
Brown to bright yellow, their way lit by crystals appearing as
Lighted globes, they continued through the lava gallery, which
Gently sloped until they reached the inter section of two roads.
Without hesitation Professor Lidenbrook chose the eastern tunnel.
And the journey continued through a succession of arches, appearing
Before them as if they were the aisles of a gothic cathedral; the
Walls were enhanced with impressions of Rock weeds and mosses from
The Silurian epoch.

Narration 2

The Eastern route they had taken had come to a dead end. With three
Days'walk back to the fork to find Arne Saknussemm′s original
Route, they found their water rations were limited to one day.
Knowing their only chance of finding water was on that route, they
Set off for the fork and there finally they fell almost lifeless on
The third day. After sleep, they continued down the other tunnel in
Their quest for water, and whilst searching on his own, Hans, the
Guide, heard the sound of water thundering behind a granite wall,
And, with a pick axe, attacked the wall so as to allow a stream of
Boiling water to enter and cool in their tunnel. Not only had they
Found life in the water but they had also found a flowing guide to
The Centre of the Earth. They called the stream the Hansbach.

Narration 3


Replenished with the water the journey continued with haste, but
Somehow they find themselves separated. Professor Lidenbrook's
Nephew Axel found himself alone. His mind was seized with
Unparalleled fear and he saw memories of home flashing before him.
His fiancee Grauben, his house and friends in Hamburg. He saw
Hallucinations of all the incidents of the journey. And, unworthy
As he felt, he knelt in fervent prayer and then, in panic, he ran
Blindly through a tunnel only to reach a dead end, where he fell
Panting for breath. In the darkness he cried... voices...
Voices... voices... He heard voices. He heard his uncle's voice.
Due to the shape of the gallery and the conducting power of the
Rocks, his uncle′s voice was uncannily travelling around the
Walls. By means of their chronometers they discovered they were
Four miles apart, so Axel set about the task of rejoining the
Professor and their guide.

RECOLLECTION

Memories of a life on earth go flashing past,
Of home, of Grauben, friends of whom he′s seen his last
Contemplating what his life's been worth,
While trapped beneath the earth,
An embryo at birth

Pain and fear destroy the beauty I have seen,
Of caverns, where no other man has been
Silurian epoch hosts me as my grave,
My final blow I wave,
A life too late to save

Crystals of opaque quartz, studded limpid tears,
Forming magic chandeliers, lighting blistered galleries

NARRATION

Narration 4

Suddenly the ground disappeared from beneath his feet. He fell down
A vertical shaft, his head hitting a sharp rock. Hhe lost
Consciousness. On opening his eyes, he found himself with the
Professor and the guide, and, looking around him, he saw an ocean
Stretching as faras the eye could see, a giant forest of
Mushrooms, a line of huge cliffs, and strange clouds hung
Overhead, as he lay on a deeply indented shore of golden sand
Strewn with shells. For a moment, he thought he was back on the
Surface of the earth, but soon realised that they had reached a
World within a world.