[Verse 1]
A species had been armed with a double edged blade
A guardless weapon of delusion
Forged of a mirage of inherent transcendence
In the tangled mechanisms of life itself

[Verse 2]
As the curtain is being unraveled
The ego writhes in a spasm of insight
Delighted gods grunt like pigs
At the mere notion of a raison d'etre

[Chorus]
From the gardens of Semiramis
To the trenches of Ypres
A meaningless uproar

[Verse 3]
Sublime truths are revealed
In the hammering of hobnailed jackboots
And there's wisdom to be found
In the shameful epitaphs of cowards

[Chorus]
From the gardens of Semiramis
To the trenches of Ypres
From the grounds of Comitium
To the cellars of Tuol Sleng
From the spores of presence
And a swarm of pests
Unto the ironies of being
[Post-Chorus]
Falling hopes whip the ground
Among laments of sunken millennia
There are no paths to follow
But a nightmare of endless repetition

[Verse 4]
Those who peruse the annals of humanity
Demanding patterns, connections, developments
Were there any to be found?
And was it sapience indeed that kept pushing this broken cart?

[Bridge]
The wonders
The misery
The ascent
The emptiness

[Outro]
Falling hopes whip the ground
Among laments of sunken millennia
There are no paths to follow
But a nightmare of endless repetition