Automancy
Automancy (Poem)
To dream of better things
Then climb the highest mountain.
To stand atop a world
And breathe the rarest air.
To pause, embracing stillness,
So all things are forgotten.
To sit upon that ledge
Then just look down, and stare…
To feel in your heart, fire
Yet walk with feet of ice
As hopes and dreams surround you
Like winds of knives and dice
It matters not the ending
It matters not the start
It doesn’t matter where you are
New waters have no chart!
So if you find yourself below
While dreaming of above,
Or if one time you had it all
Til life gave you a shove:
If you can take the hardest punch
Then say “I’ll be okay”
If you can dodge your spinning masts
Yet find the strength to stay
If stable ground you walked on
Lets go and caves away
Instead of fading out to black
Just fade a bit to grey
And know the night is but so long
For there will come a day
When you will say “I made it”
Despite all the decay,
And in that storm, still raging,
The rain will whisper, “Hey…
The Fates that once destroyed you;
Now’ve stepped out of your way;
And yes, I’m sure you’re stronger now…
But use your strength, today,
To not look back at what-was-not
For that was yesterday.”
“To break - and live to break again”
Is in the blood of all wise men
With every break, and every flog
He sees the fire for every log
Soon every log from whence it came;
Where vigor grows, til axes tame
They cut it down, and force new life
That soon will glow, despite the knife
That freed the log from being stuck;
A purpose born from axes struck.
First, tree, then log, then split in four
Then splinters fall on forest floor
But every piece - the big and small -
Help start new flames that warm us all
So take each blow; it’s only change
Let all you knew be rearranged
And soon you’ll find what broke you then
Becomes the warmth that makes great men!
- A. J. Darkholme (March 2025)
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Automancy (Lyrics)
[Verse 1]
To dream of better things
To climb the highest mountain
To stand atop a world
And breathe the rarest air
To pause, embracing stillness
So all things slip away
To sit upon that ledge
And just enjoy your stay
With fire in your chest
But walking feet of ice
Your hopes and dreams surround you
Like winds of knives and dice
[Bridge]
It doesn’t matter where you start
It doesn’t matter where you fall
The waters have no chart
But you can sail them all!
[Chorus]
BURN BRIGHT! (Burn bright!)
We’re shadows in the night
HOLD ON! (Hold on!)
The dark won’t win this fight
RISE UP! (Rise up!)
The ashes feed the flame
WE BREAK! (We break!)
But we’re not burned the same
[Verse 2]
If life once gave you everything
Then shoved it all away
If you can take the hardest punch
And still say, “I’ll be okay.”
If every mast is spinning
If your strength begins to stray
You're doing great!
Don’t fade to black
Just fade a little bit to grey
[Bridge]
It doesn’t matter how you bend
It doesn’t matter how you scar
The night will find its end
And show you who you are
[Chorus]
BURN BRIGHT! (Burn bright!)
We’re shadows in the night
HOLD ON! (Hold on!)
The dark won’t win this fight
RISE UP! (Rise up!)
The ashes feed the flame
WE BREAK! (We break!)
But we’re not burned the same
[First bridge]
“To break, and live to break again,”
Is in the blood of all wise men
Every strike, every scar, every log
It only feeds the fire, despite the fog
[Second Bridge]
First a tree, then a log
Then splinters on the floor
But every piece, the big and small
Can start back up the flame once more!
[Breakdown]
Take each blow... it’s only change!
Let your whole life rearrange
What broke you then, will light the way
The fire grows from yesterday!
[Chorus]
BURN BRIGHT! (Burn bright!)
We’re shadows in the night
HOLD ON! (Hold on!)
The dark won’t win this fight
RISE UP! (Rise up!)
The ashes feed the flame
WE BREAK! (We break!)
But we’re not burned the same
[Outro]
To dream of better things
To climb the highest mountain
You’ll rise again tomorrow
And burn brighter than today…