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Sister, I will always be here
We are the sea and forever we remain
Through all years, I will keep you near
Sister, I will always be here
Mount Olympus stood grand, casting shadow across the land
Ceasing the sun's existence in the caverns below
Under the realm of gods, rumoured daemons living where land meets the great sea
Said to be spawn of gods themselves, eating voyagers of the sea
The daughters of Phorcys and Ceto, born below the world
Damned to live forever hidden from the sun
Legend demonised Stheno and immortal sister Euryale; elegant, gentle and caring creatures
Living in harmony with waves for a thousand years of the early age
Fortune cursed the Gorgons in the form of one god; young Zeus arrived, hunting for the head of such a creature
The peaceful and wise Stheno witnessed Jupiter's arrival on the island and fled, fearful of his intentions
Neither man nor god set foot in the caverns until the young one came, confident in his youth and with malice in heart
He took chase, hunting the mortal Stheno as she ran to protect her sister, but to no avail
The caring woman impaled by Jupiter's sword
All that I know lies here bleeding
Love forsakes me; I am undone
You were comfort; my compassion
Love lies broken; I am undone
Jupiter lifted the corpse by the hair and detached the head
Turning only a menacing smile to the young girl as he fled the island
All that she knew in life lay beheaded and in spasm, jerking violently and staining the rocks in sharp blood
And for thousand years that followed, the girl mourned her only love
Screaming out to the sea that had given her false safety
Alone in the world, Euryale in time became her own myth
Luring and killing the men of sea who wandered too far from the known
Feeding on the eyes and brains, and all that she felt caused mankind to commit wrong
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For eternity, she called to the sea
Questioning its betrayal and disregard
But the waves only responded in maddening confidence
Caressing her body and engulfing her in all she knew
The song of the ocean
Until the day arrived for Phorcys and Ceto to return to the caverns in shame
And hide themselves in their acts unholy
Euryale looked on, witnessing her parents' violent embrace
Until the gods returned to the heavens and a cry was heard from the soul of Olympus
A mortal infant lay still on the cave floor
Its eyes shut tight to the new world
Her sister took her in arms
Embracing Medusa for the first time
And life regained a purpose
Euryale became the mother of her sister, as Stheno had before her
And as the infant grew, she cared for nothing else in life
Cherishing her every step and each embrace
And the world could do no wrong
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Raised and adored by her guardian to the tender age of fifteen
Medusa learnt of her sister's betrayal and demise by hand of the gods
Ignoring the orders of her elder and straying far from her home
The youngest Gorgon set upon a quest to avenge the death of her own
A journey far from the caverns and shores of the world that Medusa knew
Ascending the perilous Mount Olympus, searching for answers
A path paved with ghouls and creatures seeking to corrupt the girl
Met only by a beacon of passion, fuelled by her vengeance in heart
Medusa arrived in a temple of marble, bathed in the sun’s sky
And marvelled at the dazzling realm of gods
But soon, a man approached the young girl; beautiful, eternal
He led her to the shadows
Here; stay still, little girl and do just as I say
Forcing himself onto the young girl, Poseidon, god of the sea did mount Medusa violently
Grasping the child’s face, though her screams still resounded throughout the marble temple
As the raping of Medusa was heard through Olympus
The innocence of the Gorgons, forever lost
Goddess Athena witnessed the desecration of her temple
Shielding her virgin eyes from a holy abomination
And in punishment for allowing such an act, cursed the Gorgon Medusa
Destined to turn to stone the bodies of all mortal gaze upon her
Though Euryale cared for nothing more in the world than her sister
Medusa’s lonely existence longed for the companionship of another
But damned to never gaze into mortal eyes again
Her innocence destroyed, she cursed the sea
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Medusa stared out to sea for eternity
Traumatised by what the world had brought upon her
And through all the years, her sister watched on
Desperate to quell the pain of her younger
As time progressed, Euryale’s passion began to swell
The despair she felt for Medusa grew to something more
Until she could restrain no longer and held her sister
In a passionate embrace of love and sorrowful empathy
The Gorgons’ love for each other blossomed intensely
And Medusa realised the comfort she so desperately craved
In the arms of her own sister
Yet the love they shared was cut tragically short
By whispers of another’s arrival
The sisters, cursed with such ill fate, would never last in peace
And in melancholy recurrence, a warrior did arrive
Perseus, child of the gods, intent on bloodshed
Fuelled by the lies told of the Gorgon sisters
With the reflection shield by his side to avoid her damned gaze
Tasked with removing the head of the feared Medusa
A dæmon hunted
With stealth of foot, Perseus hunted the Gorgons
Rendering them defenceless to his onslaught of steel
Euryale fought to protect her sister with all she could muster
But was beaten and broken by the sheer power of holy Perseus
Medusa in his sight
Deadly teeth and claws made Medusa a worthy foe for a warrior
Though his experience in battle gave Perseus higher ground
Clashing at blinding speeds, the Gorgon fought with all she had to survive
Yet the warrior’s master skill rendered Medusa nothing but prey
Beating the girl into submission, Perseus tore her cursed eyes from her head
Reducing the feared dæmon of stone to a young girl, writhing in agony upon the rocks
Euryale lay paralysed, watching her life destroyed
As Perseus lifted the girl by the hair and separated her head from body with a swing of the sword
All the world was numb as Euryale watched the blood of her only love burst from the battered and decapitated corpse
Perseus smirked as he tossed the naked body to the ground
Drenching Euryale in her true love’s dying blood
Flight
As swiftly as he had arrived, Perseus made his departure
The youngest Gorgon’s head in hand
Fuelled by the purest rage and despair, Euryale summoned the strength
To raise her broken body in pursuit
Giving chase to the holy assailant
Euryale’s speed fuelled by such intense malice
Desperate to slay and eat the man who had destroyed her love
To find solace in the taste of his organs
Yet with the speed of gods at his heel, Perseus outran his pursuer
Never to be seen again, Euryale left broken
Sister, I will always be here
We are the sea and forever we remain
Through all years, I will keep you near
Sister, I will always be here
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'Far-Stepper/Of Wide Sea' is my second and final full-length Larks album. It has been many years in the making and I honestly never thought I'd get it done. The album tells the story of the three Gorgon sisters of Greek mythology, intertwined with some narrative of my own. The full story can be read through the lyrics booklet included in this download.
This album is dedicated to the loving memory of Ade Porwal, 1992 - 2010. Ade taught me everything I know about playing guitar and without him, there would be no RWHTL. I have never known such a talented, kind, passionate and dedicated person and we all miss you every day.
Rest in peace, brother. I hope you’re proud of me <3