This is indeed a song about a master sculptor who loses the Love of his Life to illness. She was clearly an inspiration to him and his life feels empty without her.
He sets about to create a statue that will capture her radiance and beauty and cares for nothing else ("He'll all but starve to see the stone be life").
The song underscores how short our lives can seem; "Like leaves, we touched, we danced, we once knew the story, but Autumn (Death) called"...and leaves fall from the trees in Autumn, some sooner than others.
We often have difficulty letting go of a loved one, which is why Roan decides to Immortalize her in stone.
Also, we rationalize that we will see our departed loved ones when we also die:
"Did her eyes at the turn of the century
Tell me plainly
When we meet, how we'll love, oh let life so transform me" means there was a calmness in her eyes when she was on her deathbed that came from her belief that they would eventually both be reunited again in Death...the phrase "oh let Life so transform me" could also be that Roan is tempted to welcome his own Death to reunite them early, but instead decides to "bring her back to life" through his sculpture.
Again, a very beautiful and moving song about how we can be in such refusal to accept losing a loved one that we will do anything in our power to keep their memory alive.
This song is an interesting part of the album, since other Yes songs are mainly about spiritual views vs. religion and we are most in need of our Spirituality/Religious perspectives to help cope with Death.
@PsYcLONe All the comments are very very good! This is a hauntingly beautiful song lyrically, musically and spiritually! Loved it from first hearing it in 1977. My brother and I loved it too and watched the Keys to Ascension rendition as he was dying from cancer and cried our hearts out 2gether back in 2007. Its hard to let loved ones go but the hope of seeing them again is all we really have for now, thus this song, etc. My all time fave group and I beleive that was Buiford on tympani, Gong. Thanks for sharing your comments and...
@PsYcLONe All the comments are very very good! This is a hauntingly beautiful song lyrically, musically and spiritually! Loved it from first hearing it in 1977. My brother and I loved it too and watched the Keys to Ascension rendition as he was dying from cancer and cried our hearts out 2gether back in 2007. Its hard to let loved ones go but the hope of seeing them again is all we really have for now, thus this song, etc. My all time fave group and I beleive that was Buiford on tympani, Gong. Thanks for sharing your comments and peace be with you!
This is indeed a song about a master sculptor who loses the Love of his Life to illness. She was clearly an inspiration to him and his life feels empty without her.
He sets about to create a statue that will capture her radiance and beauty and cares for nothing else ("He'll all but starve to see the stone be life").
The song underscores how short our lives can seem; "Like leaves, we touched, we danced, we once knew the story, but Autumn (Death) called"...and leaves fall from the trees in Autumn, some sooner than others.
We often have difficulty letting go of a loved one, which is why Roan decides to Immortalize her in stone.
Also, we rationalize that we will see our departed loved ones when we also die: "Did her eyes at the turn of the century Tell me plainly When we meet, how we'll love, oh let life so transform me" means there was a calmness in her eyes when she was on her deathbed that came from her belief that they would eventually both be reunited again in Death...the phrase "oh let Life so transform me" could also be that Roan is tempted to welcome his own Death to reunite them early, but instead decides to "bring her back to life" through his sculpture.
Again, a very beautiful and moving song about how we can be in such refusal to accept losing a loved one that we will do anything in our power to keep their memory alive.
This song is an interesting part of the album, since other Yes songs are mainly about spiritual views vs. religion and we are most in need of our Spirituality/Religious perspectives to help cope with Death.
Like leaves we touch...because we are all mortal.
@PsYcLONe All the comments are very very good! This is a hauntingly beautiful song lyrically, musically and spiritually! Loved it from first hearing it in 1977. My brother and I loved it too and watched the Keys to Ascension rendition as he was dying from cancer and cried our hearts out 2gether back in 2007. Its hard to let loved ones go but the hope of seeing them again is all we really have for now, thus this song, etc. My all time fave group and I beleive that was Buiford on tympani, Gong. Thanks for sharing your comments and...
@PsYcLONe All the comments are very very good! This is a hauntingly beautiful song lyrically, musically and spiritually! Loved it from first hearing it in 1977. My brother and I loved it too and watched the Keys to Ascension rendition as he was dying from cancer and cried our hearts out 2gether back in 2007. Its hard to let loved ones go but the hope of seeing them again is all we really have for now, thus this song, etc. My all time fave group and I beleive that was Buiford on tympani, Gong. Thanks for sharing your comments and peace be with you!