"Fragmented" (codename: GUILT) is the newest single by solo prog rock project Aeons Encoded, released on 3/17/2023. It is one of the more synth-heavy songs, but with nice psychedelic rock elements in the mix. Lyrically themed around the feelings associated with guilt, this song aims to put the listener into a relatable state, when their Fight or Flight mode kicks in in our daily lives.
This song is also a piece of the next album's story, where each song corresponds to a feeling, symptom, and/or aspect of depression and mental illness.
Lyrics:
Going in circles around and around again
'Round the fire lies the body you burned, a friend
I set out to do all the things that I've never done
My spirit is shaking, I feel I'm the only one
Slowly I begin to realize the mess I made
Cracking the code as my confidence starts to fade
Racing the clock, going faster and faster than
The beat of my heart, failing to catch my breath again
You hear the sound of river-flow
Looking for somewhere else to go
You cannot move, and cannot speak
As you get neck deep in the water
I'm breaking beyond repair
Nothing to see in here
Just me wasting away in this mental hellscape
With these voices drawing near
That shatter my will to live
And you just stand there watching me
Pick up the pieces all over and over again
Sometimes I feel like a bullet went through my chest
The guilt that I bear makes it harder and harder to rest
I'm getting so tired of trying to fill the hole
That shards of my reason are staying out in the cold
Spinning in circles around and around again
'Round the forest lies the body you hid, a friend
Behind my eyes are the fragments of memories
And like Medusa's gaze I crystallize instantly
You hear the sound of river-flow
Looking for somewhere else to go
You cannot move, and cannot speak
As you sink head first into the water
I'm breaking beyond repair
Nothing to see in here
Just me wasting away in this mental hellscape
With these voices drawing near
That shatter my will to live
And you just stand there watching me
Pick up the pieces all over and over againmore