According to Steven Wilson, Chimera’s Wreck, the last track on the album, was the first one written by him and Gavin (Harrison), or at least the first that they felt strongly enough about to think it could be a way forward.
The first part of the song with the gentle brush drums and Nashville strung...
A coat of arms is all we are
The slow decay, a dying star
A sinkhole for the crawling of the hours
Afraid to be (afraid to be) what I should be (what I should be)
The sum of all (the sum of all), of new and old (of new and old)
Experience has made me none the wiser
I'm afraid to be happy and I
Couldn't care less if I was to die
I'm afraid to be happy and I
Couldn't care less if I was to die, oh
(Do, dododooo, dodododododooo, doooo)
Chimera's wreck around my neck
To start again, to dream again
To fix the things that cursed me from the start
My father smiles (my father smiles); at me, the child (me, the child)
Getting tired (now getting tired), losing drive (losing drive)
The clarity that age has brought to me
A new town in the 60s
Out of concrete a design made for tomorrow
And even when the rain comes, we can still find a future in tomorrow
I'm afraid to be happy and I
Couldn't care less if I was to die
I'm afraid to be happy and I
Couldn't care less if I was to die
Ohhh
I'm afraid to be happy and I
Couldn't care less if I was to die
I'm afraid to be happy and I
Couldn't care less if I was to die, whoa
(Do, dododooo, dodododododooo, dododooo do doo)
(Do, dododooo, dodododododooo, dododooo do doo)
(Do, dododooo, dodododododooo, dododooo do doo)
(Do, dododooo, dodododododooo, dododooo do doo)
These the things I did with my gifts
This the way I loved and I lived
These the things I did with my gifts
This the way I loved and I lived
I'm afraid to be happy and I
Couldn't care less if I was to die
I'm afraid to be happy and I
Couldn't care less if I was to die, whoa
I'm afraid to be happy and I
Couldn't care less if I was to die
Wash up on the shore
Don't need you no more
Chimera wreck will slip into the bottleneck
Wash up on the shore
Don't need you no more
Chimera wreck will slip into the bottleneck
Wash up on the shore
Don't need you no more
Chimera wreck will slip into the bottleneck
Chimera’s Wreck was written by Gavin Harrison & Steven Wilson.
Chimera’s Wreck was produced by Steven Wilson.
Porcupine Tree released Chimera’s Wreck on Fri Jun 24 2022.