rjackson
07-14-2003, 10:01 PM
I thought I would do my bit to add something to this rather empty forum. A lot of you are probably aware that Homeworld (The Ladder) was the soundtrak song for a computer game called Homeworld, which is a space real time strategy by Relic that came out in 1999. As someone who is quite fanatical about that game, I thought that some of you might be interested to know what light the game throws on that song.
Yes agreed to do the song because they were pretty excited about the story line. The game is about an exiled race of humans on a desert planet called Karak. They realise that their true home is a distant planet called Higara, and that an evil alien race called the Taiidans have exiled them. So, they develop hyperspace technology to try and get home, hopefully evading the Taiidans on the way.
Hence, the opening about travelling "far enough together" is straightforward - the light shining bright is Higara itself, their homeworld, to which all their "emotion" and "devotion" is tied.
"So many displaced among the future dreamers Realised their doubles Took a new step A question of origin" They are displaced because they are refugees, and have been for generations. They have finally found out their true origin, and now they seek it.
The "skyward shone like beacons" seems to be a reference to the mothership which the Karakids build in orbit, so as to make take off a lot easier.
"The poets entranced": All the people (except the ship operators and technicians) go into Cyrogenic sleep for the journey. One man volunteers to test the Cryo chamber, and he is brought back successfully from being frozen. He writes a book of poetry about his dreams at the time.
"The anchor redeemed" The anchor seems to be the scaffold which houses the mothership.
The rest of the song, I guess, is pretty self-explanatory. The "ancient ones" are the ones actually undertaking the journey, because the song seems to be looking back at it as a done deal.
They are going through "endless skies" alright, navigating to an unknown destination. "Hate destroys the soul" - this is a reference to the war-like Taiidans who constantly attack you.
To "follow the sun" is, of course, a classic Jon Anderson reference (the sun will lead us, our reason to be here), and it fits in well to the idea of Higarra being a light of truth to search for - their origin; their destination. From the start, Higara has been a metaphor for a higher spiritual truth / state of being / consciousness / salvation / ascension...
As with every Yes song, this is just one of many possible readings and interpretations that are possible. Everyone will find their own meaning in the song; I just thought that these little details from the game might be useful to someone!
Yes agreed to do the song because they were pretty excited about the story line. The game is about an exiled race of humans on a desert planet called Karak. They realise that their true home is a distant planet called Higara, and that an evil alien race called the Taiidans have exiled them. So, they develop hyperspace technology to try and get home, hopefully evading the Taiidans on the way.
Hence, the opening about travelling "far enough together" is straightforward - the light shining bright is Higara itself, their homeworld, to which all their "emotion" and "devotion" is tied.
"So many displaced among the future dreamers Realised their doubles Took a new step A question of origin" They are displaced because they are refugees, and have been for generations. They have finally found out their true origin, and now they seek it.
The "skyward shone like beacons" seems to be a reference to the mothership which the Karakids build in orbit, so as to make take off a lot easier.
"The poets entranced": All the people (except the ship operators and technicians) go into Cyrogenic sleep for the journey. One man volunteers to test the Cryo chamber, and he is brought back successfully from being frozen. He writes a book of poetry about his dreams at the time.
"The anchor redeemed" The anchor seems to be the scaffold which houses the mothership.
The rest of the song, I guess, is pretty self-explanatory. The "ancient ones" are the ones actually undertaking the journey, because the song seems to be looking back at it as a done deal.
They are going through "endless skies" alright, navigating to an unknown destination. "Hate destroys the soul" - this is a reference to the war-like Taiidans who constantly attack you.
To "follow the sun" is, of course, a classic Jon Anderson reference (the sun will lead us, our reason to be here), and it fits in well to the idea of Higarra being a light of truth to search for - their origin; their destination. From the start, Higara has been a metaphor for a higher spiritual truth / state of being / consciousness / salvation / ascension...
As with every Yes song, this is just one of many possible readings and interpretations that are possible. Everyone will find their own meaning in the song; I just thought that these little details from the game might be useful to someone!