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On a beach, North Africa
Nine tribesmen stand alone
Waiting for a distant call
Waiting for the world to answer
through' the night of a thousand stars
Encircled by the light
They began to sing a new song
Of forces that surround us
Nine voices
This dialogue
Nine voices
Singing as one
Nine voices
This dialogue
Nine voices
When the sun came up they sang
As the perfect calendar says
Each had the power of people
Speaking new languages
They gave forgiveness meaning
New ways of letting go
Each child is born for greatness
With forces that surround them
This voice
This dialogue
This voice
Singing as one
Nine voices
This dialogue
Nine voices
Singing as one
His voices
This dialogue
This voices
Singing as one
Nine voices
Nine voices
Nine voices
Nine voices
Nine tribesmen stand alone
Waiting for a distant call
Waiting for the world to answer
through' the night of a thousand stars
Encircled by the light
They began to sing a new song
Of forces that surround us
Nine voices
This dialogue
Nine voices
Singing as one
Nine voices
This dialogue
Nine voices
When the sun came up they sang
As the perfect calendar says
Each had the power of people
Speaking new languages
They gave forgiveness meaning
New ways of letting go
Each child is born for greatness
With forces that surround them
This voice
This dialogue
This voice
Singing as one
Nine voices
This dialogue
Nine voices
Singing as one
His voices
This dialogue
This voices
Singing as one
Nine voices
Nine voices
Nine voices
Nine voices
Lyrics submitted by SongMeanings
Nine Voices Lyrics as written by Billy Sherwood Alan White
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management, Musicnotes, Inc.
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The perfect calendar. It reminds me of the Mayan calendar and the Popul Vuh (which might be evoked by the tiny ziggurat on the cover of Tales from Topographic Oceans), but it is not a perfect calendar. Nor is the Gregorian one most of the Western Hemisphere uses. It seems to speak of a time yet to come into being - and we certainly have the science to create perfect calendars now. A perfect time.
Who are these Nine Voices? The song seems to take place in North Africa on a beach, but this does not mean the voices are all African. Imagine the reach of certain musical forces into what has been labeled “World Music”. Jon Anderson certainly supports such a thing. And a contemporary who is also interested in English mysticism is Peter Gabriel.
Gabriel helped found two important things I will reference for this. The first, is The Elders. This is a group of people from around the world who have held positions of power in their respective locations, who have now moved on from these and no longer control a military base of power, but who still have clout and influence among those who do. These people meet and discuss methods to make people aware and sway opinion and plan courses of action to help the world where it is needed. They are called The Elders, because this idea looks at the world as a Global Village, and that we are all One Tribe.
“Nine tribesmen stand alone”
The second important thing Gabriel founded is Real World Records. This allows artists from all over the world to record and collaborate together - International cooperation right in front of one’s eyes, despite the frictions and pettiness of the governments of their individual homelands.
The artists are broken up into 9 territories, indicated on all Real World record releases by a color code of stripes on the spines of albums. (There are, in fact, 9 letters in “Real World”) This kind of envisions the planet like Star Trek as a unified whole.
I don’t think Jon Anderson meant these to be the 9 voices, but it is what this song reminds me of.