Homeworld (The Ladder)

I love this song! And of-course I Love the Homeworld Game, which is where I first heard the song (on the end credits). I used to turn on the game and play the credits often just to listen to this song, that was before I was able to download the song, now I can listen to it anytime.

The Lyrics are, as have already been stated, about the back-story of Homeworld, that is a group of space-faring refugees trying to find their Ancestral home planet.

There are also several references to events on Kharak (the humans previous planet), which are only elaborated on in the History section of the Homeworld manual. (i.e. you have to read the entire back story to really understand this song.) For instance the opening chapter in the manual is call "A Question of Origins".

I'd also like to talk about the meaning of a few interesting lines in the song... "Only in the recent past Seeking for to realise Skyward shone Like beacons A question of origin" This is about the Kharak people's discovery that they are not native to that planet and that their true Home world is somewhere "skyward" i.e. in outer space.

"Ten thousand millions free To the westward light The dreamers represent This arc of peace" I think this is referring to the Mother ship which carries the Refugees, it is the "arc of peace".

"Ancient ones... they watch And listen Carry our wishes... Took upon themselves to guide us Through the endless skies" I believe the "Ancient ones" here, are the Bentusi, who are an ancient and advanced race who you encounter in the game, they help guide the humans.

"Send, ascending to the future Nothing can ever change us now We follow the sun We follow the sun We follow the sun" I believe that is line may be linked to the fact that they are trying to find Earth and the Sun's Solar system, they are searching for our sun in the galaxy. (though that's just my speculation).

Anyway, I love this song!

There possibly is a second meaning to this song, but this was the music used on the computer strategy game Homeworld and it does follow a lot of the main plot themes of the story. A tale of disaster and conflict and arriving home.

The race you play in the game explores space, breaks a covenant they didn't know existed, gets their planet destroyed, scours space for their ancester's homeworld, fights a vast, corrupt empire, meets other races in space and befriends (or defend against in some cases), then eventually they spawn a revolution on the corupt Empire's core, the player's ancester's homeworld, stolen thousands of years before.

The song deals more with the technical and emotional aspects, the reaching for the stars, the achievement and wonder of returning home, as well as realising your ancesters came from afar

this song is so cool!!

As far as I'm aware, the creator of the 'Homeworld' computer game invited Yes to get do some music for it because the game was analogous to the fragmentation story told on the Roger Dean covers of Fragile and Yessongs. (Where the little world breaks up and its people guide the pieces through space until they colonise another planet.) The lyrics thus tell the story, and though it's in traditional Yessian style, you at least get the overall gist. Rather like reading a newspaper in a steam room.

BTW, the 'The Ladder' CD had an exclusive interview of the band with the Homeworld bloke, supposedly discussing the whys and wherefores of the collaboration. This 'group' interview comprised Jon Anderson ruminating with the gamester while the rest of the band sat there (silently) looking decidedly bored and uncomfortable. I recall quipping at the time that it seemed Jon Anderson had found himself a new backing band. 'Magnification' only confirmed my fears.

...right... anyway, I have to say they did a decent job of it- the 'follow the sub' bits and the 'ascending to the secrets' tie in pretty well. That, and even for being a commercially-destined piece, it differs less from their style that 90125.

*sun, sorry

This song is about a man that got defamed and his journey back towards Union with God.

"Nothing can bridge our souls Devotion... fast enough together As the power proves you right Right enough to let you begin"

The first two lines mean that trust will be re-established between God and this person (the person to which this song is directed) as GOD (the Power) proves him right, right enough for him to begin his divine destiny.

I won't tell you who I am, my real name, but this song and other by Yes, as crazy as it sounds, are about me.

The way it works is like this:

I go through something in my life, it happens, then I listen to a Yes song driven by intuition and then I understand.

I don't expect any of you to believe me or my interpretations but to my own self, I cannot lie. No matter how much I want to deny that this is happening to me. Pray I don't suicide...