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Kohelet - Instrumental | A Meditation in Four Parts

by Immortal Machinery

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1.
I, I was the King I, I was the preacher I, I had it all, to the people a spiritual teacher On an unfeeling earth man's body breaks in toil No inheritance, no legacy, only nature's endless turmoil Havel Havelim (HEBREW: meaningless, all is meaningless) I, I was the King I, I was the architect I, I was their luminary A man of renown, worthy of praise and respect And though I walked proudly as chief among the wise The fool and I are destined for the very same demise Havel Havelim A time to be born and a time die I surrender to the power that no man may dare deny A time to sow and a time to reap He may strike me where I stand or He may take me in my sleep A time to kill and a time to heal I bow before your majesty and accept the hand you deal Havel Havelim
2.
Havel Havelim, still the lament of my heart I wished for the comfort of those who depart Better to be poor and know wrong from right Than to reach for the throne, for Earth's foolish might And the growl in my stomach, it never dies down The hole in my pocket's never sewn In the palace, in the field, in fine suits or rags Makes no difference when you're on your own The fool says much and breaks from his word The poor man sleeps well while the rich is perturbed Yet down they all go, bare just as they were born Champagne and caviar, or a bowl full of corn Build it up or tear it down Do you feel any joy when you wear your crown The more words you say, the less it seems to mean Beginning and end, questions in between
3.
Do the tears in your eyes make you feel afraid Do you run from the funeral bell? When the wise man pleads O heed his words For fools laugh their way into hell The day of joy belongs to the Lord But so do the days of toil I've seen the truth in its beauty and pain And I cannot help but recoil The money you saved has lost its worth Your house lies haunted and empty No kings, no deeds in the land of the dead Sheol laughs at your times of plenty In the court of the king I can but kneel I only await His command While war and wind, destroyers of man All mock the things that we'd planned Fate, capricious, unfeeling, blind Leaves riches at iniquity's door So drink for today, drink for tonight Tomorrow only sees you wanting more No might, no power, no riches, no honour Nothing greater than time and chance Every beast, every army, every man, every king To its cold, cold beat we dance
4.
The words of the teacher, the preacher, the sage In sorrow, in rage, remain the same From whence he came, ring in the night In fevered dream “Havel Havelim” The fool can corrupt, make you lose your way Interrupt and beguile the discourse of the wise As drowning flies carry rot on their wings A folly so small can destroy many things Upon what you build, and that which you pursue Your blood may be spilled, may cause you to fall And nothing at all shall break your descent They only shall tell of how far down you went Create, invest, grow your empire Plans laid best, He may yet bring to dust Rot and rust, it may rise, it may fall The Lord Almighty owes you nothing at all And the vigour of youth, may it gladden your heart Before the day of truth, the darkness overshadows When man knows, at last that he means nothing at all When man knows, at last that he is ever so small He will reveal, He will expose When great men kneel, when the stars grow dim Before Him, aligned in mourning procession Blinding wisdom and justice offers little concession Has not all been said, and not all been done? Under the sun, is there anything new? O righteous few, on the path you tread You are washed, you are clean, because He bled The words of the preacher, the teacher, the sage No sorrow, no rage, remain the same From whence he came, ring in the night, in fevered dream Havel Havelim

about

Kohelet is a four part composition featuring electric violin, organ and piano (Steph K), upright and electric bass (Mat G) and special guest James Wise on drums. It retells the book of Ecclesiastes for a modern, musically inquisitive audience; the source material is at times bleak, esoteric and unforgiving - but ultimately concludes with a message of hope.

credits

released November 28, 2019

Steph K - lyrics and melody
Violin, viola, organ, piano

Mat G - arrangement and production
upright and electric bass

James Wise
special guest drummer

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Immortal Machinery London, UK

Dark, atmospheric instrumental trio from the UK

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