yet also , beautifully how the flame and ember of tenacity to keep fighting for her and help her fight to cling to life still lingers can just Imagen the story ending with the wife having a fluke recovery or such towards the end ,when the doctor falters from the strain of constant fevered research and care ..so the worlds first cyborg or 'mind infused' clockwork man becomes the good doctor as she leets him see her smile , laugh and dance agen before carrying him to it declaring he spent a lifetime making sure she felt cared for forging an way for her to evade death now she has smilled agen laughed and danced and , he deserves a body as tireless like his empathy
Usually, this type of narrative has two key differences. One, the doctor puts the research above their love until it's too late. Here, he cares for her and reads to her until the end. Two, they almost universally fail. While his success here is dubious and debatable, it's still further than they get in the typical narrative. I think it's strengthened greatly by these two deviations from the norm. It makes the doctor more sympathetic and harder to scorn. Usually these types are villains or used to prove a point about cherishing what you have. This doctor shows true love and true desperation to keep hold of it however he can. The lyrics, also, are amazing. The repetition of what she told him really drives home his drive and determination. The subtle shift of "she'll dance again" then "she'll laugh again" until he'll be satisfied just to see her smile once more. It also reinforces his desperation, but it also reinforces how she's degrading in condition. Almost every word reinforces some aspect of the story. Emphasizes the tragedy. The music itself may not be my favorite thing, but these are some of the best written lyrics I've ever had the pleasure of listening to, and it's a damn good story for a six minute song.
+Rabek Jeris I also found myself very impacted by the fact that one of the last things they mention failing was her heart, which he's replaced with a machine. Considering the symbolism of one's heart, it gives me the feeling that there's really nothing left of "her" anymore, and yet he still can't let go. What's left is a construction of how he remembers her.
+Rabek Jeris The narrative suggests that a person with originally good intentions ends up becoming driven and obsessed until he's lost the sight of his original goal and ended up creating a some kind of steampunk zombie from the remains of his loved one. It's a pretty common trope as the song presents, actually, of someone who can't let go of a dead loved one and ends up with either a tormented undead or a literal corpse at the dinner table, depending on whether the story's supernatural or not.
+Rabek Jeris you missed the part where love drives him to the edge of insanety and eventualy pushes him over it when he starts throwing his code out the window
I love The small detail The last time The wife sings you can hear machinery in The background ticking. Along with he said at nights. Implying that she is mostly machine to such a point he May make her say it
To me her message is the saddest. Because he takes it so far. The last repetition is different, because he feels she'd want to be saved no matter the cost, but it's one of those profound mind tricks where I doubt she'd want to live at such a cost. Her message is one of love, but it turns to obsession because he's grieving and it will cost him his life as well.
+DrivenByDiamond Same. That being said, I feel all of it is profound work so it's a good trade. I'm a mega fan of say, Led Zep, but ill be the first to say I only truly enjoy, to the same severity as the CQ songs, about 10 from Zep. Might be just me but I'm all about the quality over quantity. There ALOT of shit out there. I know art is subjective but I think we all kind of know the difference when something is a labour of love and when it's just 'in' 'now' or a crowd pleaser/filler.
The point when he has passed through determination to cure her, fear of losing her as his research fails him, denial that she's already gone when she's become comatose, hopelessness as the illness begins destroying her organs, and finally into pure desperation as he crosses that final line and resorts to "questionable" methods to bring her back... You can practically hear the crazed look in his eyes by the end.
The female background singers give me chills. It adds serious urgency and really makes you realize his slow spiraling down into depravity. It's scary as heck and I love it.
I remember listening to this song AGES ago, and now suddenly I was reminded of it. Had to feverishly look for it and I'm so happy I found it again! I love this song so much.
There needs to be more songs like this, with beautiful stories that can truly move people. I love the clockwork quartet because although they have a small number of songs, they all tell amazing stories that pull different emotions. If anyone knows of any other good songs that do this kind of thing, please let me know
I will second (third) the suggestions about Paul Shapera's stuff. I'm reminded of "The Maker" and "Zero" which are stories somewhere here on RUclips; they're not lyrical songs, but The Maker has music and a story told through the visuals and Zero has narration (I think) but they give a similar feeling to this.
To this day, I still think of Victor Fries, and hope that they were a heavy inspiration for this song, though Mr. Fries was not a medical practitioner. I do enjoy how the words she says to him slowly change into an echo in his mind, driving him further into his frenzied desperation to reclaim his fallen wife.
Sheer genius. The poem so beautifully laid out, the performance perfectly clear and precisely modulated. The musical arrangement so full of powerful contrasts, the percussion echoing both the patient's heartbeat and the sounds of the machines, the stringed instruments shaping our vision of the Doctor's tragic wife. The drama profoundly moving. Sheer genius. Thank you for posting this treat for the soul.
I agree completely. What really tugs at my heart strings as well is the slow progression of the disease as well as the decline of the doctor's sanity. The more the song progresses, the more the doctor becomes desperate, and the more we as listeners feel the doctor's desperation. Come on, while you were listening to this, didn't you want the wife to survive in the end too the longer you listened to the song?? The fact that the wife finally died at the end while the same words from the beginning echoed in the doctor's head makes the song even sadder. Despite his perseverance, dedication, determination and devotion to saving his wife... He never could, and the song ends with the wife's voice still pleading for the doctor to save her even though it was too late.
lyrics: Monday the twenty-sixth of March The patient's passing seizures are becoming more pronounced by the day The underlying cause Seems to be some slow progressive decay If I don't find a cure I fear my patient must surely fade away But I swear I'll apply my science To the cause Brooking no defiance I'll deliver her from this malady She'll dance again And I'll never forget when we first were courting And she faced me, and her eyes were gleaming In the moonlight, and she spoke so sweetly (Don't let me go, my darling Hold me safely 'til the morning Promise, when the lights are fading You'll save me.) Tuesday the seventeenth of May A worrying symptom has reared its head this week She's been bedbound for a month And now the patient is no longer able to speak She tries to utter sounds But the grip of the illness is strong and the patient is weak On the bed, in a cold sweat Like a corpse, but she'll live yet When I find the cure, I can surely promise She'll laugh again As she did on our wedding day When we danced, and laughed the world away Even now I can hear her say (Don't let me go, my darling Hold me safely 'til the morning Promise, when the lights are fading You'll save me.) Sunday the twenty-third of June The patient no longer responds to stimuli of any kind She's now my only charge I clothe her and feed her, and nightly I read by her side For though she's paralysed I know that inside there must still be a functioning mind Neatly laid on the bedsheet I can still hear her fading heart-beat I'll keep her stable and continue my research She'll smile again And I must bring her back to me In her eyes I can see the gleam In my mind I can hear her pleading (Don't let me go, my darling Hold me safely 'til the morning Promise, when the lights are fading You'll save me.) Tuesday the eighteenth of July My latest apparatus is the only thing that's keeping her alive I had to stop her heart The mechanical replacement will ensure the other organs can survive Her body is destroyed But what nature has neglected the fruit of modern science shall provide And I've broken every code of practice But for my love I'd shift the planet's axis She'll return to me when she's been repaired She'll live again And I swear I can see the gleam In her eyes amidst the new machines And at night I can hear her whisper (Don't let me go, my darling Hold me safely 'til the morning Promise, when the lights are fading You'll save me. You'll save me!)
Theres so many absolutley great details in the song. As the female quote is first a memory, then he hears it in his mind and finnaly he hears her telling him it again no longer able to separate memory from hallucination. That or hes actually recorded her to say it each night. Both equally disturbing. That and her quote is in all likleyhood not in context of the state she is in now. Its my favorite song of all times as no other song has ever made me wonder so much about every word delivery or beautifull tragic tone
Given the name of the group and thematics with other songs and the line of loosing, I took it in a literal sense; that he's been physically repairing and replacing her failing parts with some sort of steampunk equivalent, with ambiguous success. Still bloody concerning, but I concur the writing is meticulously picked and sang with enjoyable conviction.
Kinda weird to be saying this twice back-to-back, but: "It's even more accurate when you learn Bruce Timm's original intent was that Nora was dead & Freeze just couldn't admit that."
I first got into steam punk around 8 years ago. Clockwork Quartet, the Cog is dead, steampowered giraffe, abney park and many more were my entire childhood. Finally coming back to this song and the watchmakers apprentice brings back happy memories. This song makes me incredibly emotional and I love listening to it. It's a bit sad to see that the Clockwork Quartet project has been given up on. I would love to have a fourth song. I also still know the lyrics to this song which is in my humble opinion about myself... quite incredible.
exact same story here. those artists were such a big part of my growing up. theres a tiny part of me that hopes they will come back but the website just finally being shut down makes me lose faith
obsessed with the "doctor/scientist takes things too far"/sci-fi horror vibes here lately. this, devil's in the detail by the hoosiers...please if anyone knows of any other mad science sci fi horror songs PLEASE do tell. ive known about this song since i was in middle school; i think it's still on my old mp3 player :D
If Paul Shapera did commissions, and I could track down the Clockwork Quartet and get them to either give permission to join, you have no clue how much money I'd spent to make this a reality.
I have not yet clicked the link, so I know nothing more than what I've heard in this song, but here's my analysis: The language used and the technology spoken of and heard (typewriters and such) makes it sound like the era is somewhere around 1920-1930. Right after the widespread introduction of electricity, but before home machinery was a thing. We can therefore assume that the machinery the doctor is speaking about is entirely mechanical, maybe operating by rudimentary electrical motors, but no more than that. So we know we're not talking about a cyborg in the sense we know it, it's more a human kept alive by mechanical means. But we also know he succeeded, because he heard her whisper at the end. Before that moment, it was all "in my mind", but at that point it was "from the machines". He also said machines in plural, meaning he replaced more than her heart. And that her body had failed, but mentioning keeping organs alive. From this we can assume that the machinery is not mobile, nor is it humanoid. More likely is that he took her organs out of her body and put into a stationary set of machines, either carefully making sure the nerves were still connected, or replacing the nerves with electrical cords. Her brain in one machine, her lungs in another, her liver in a third etc.. This is why her voice came from WITHIN the mass of machines, her vocal cords are somewhere in the middle and not capable of much more than a whisper. Her awareness of her surroundings have failed and she perceives the world as a perpetual dusk, she is scared and cold and wishes for nothing more than her husband to hold her close, warm and comforting, but she will never again be able to feel that. It is unlikely she will even be able to hear his voice again. After all of this, she has hope and he has kept her alive, but he can never give her what she desires again. And that is the tragedy of this tale. He saved her, but she lost him and now he can hear her reaction to losing him, whispering for his touch until the machines fail or he turns them off.
Yeah he saved her but she’s definitely not dancing or laughing or ever actually going to live again! I mean if she’s just incubated organs and can still think she must be in hell! “You’ll save me!….By letting me die now!”
That was absolutely fascinating. However, I expected that by the end, when the doctor's wife was being supported by countless machines, the doctor would be able to hear his wife speak again. Her dialogue would change to something like, "Please let me go, my darling. You must allow the mourning. Please let my lights start fading, and save me."
+LordNexus78 oh yeah I was thinking that too. I believe it would have made the song better and gave it a deeper more heart touching feeling even though it already gave me that feeling
LordNexus78 but she couldn't speak and he was going insane and wanted to save her too much that even if she said that he'd probably still hear her saying save me
They say that love is a promise, so can you really call it wrong that they would do everything they could to aid them? They say that love is one soul in two bodies, so can you really call it anything but right that they would do anything at all to live their lives together?
+Ian Heier He meant 'The Doctor' from Doctor Who. there's a small series of connected episodes called 'The Doctors Wife' that's about some taffer in that universe.
This song got stuck in my head and I couldn't for the life of me remember where it was from, it's so pretty I just love it. I love the typewriter and background noises. Very nice :)
What ever happened to this group? they simply disappeared from all i can find. i was really into them as a kid, excited to see their website is still up. but everything's been quiet since 2013/2014. can't find anything on what happened.
This Is an amazingly sad period to hear this song, not for me, but for the world. However, it keeps my heart pumping with surreal emotions.... But, Alas!, even the dates seems right... Whispers of magic are everywhere.
Anyone know any other groups like this? Story-driven, clockwork-y, stage-musical-esk music. I've found 'steampunk Opera: New Albion' which is kind of close.
I hear this each time I pick up my laptop to work on a new project and every time I hear the beginning I feel like I'm using a futuristic type-writer ^m^ for some reason I would expect this to be in a scene of Sweeney Todd o.o
je suis tombé par hasard sur ce lien en cherchant steampunk music sur le net et je suis tombé sur une perle, internet est immense, je me demande s'il n'est pas mille fois plus grand que l'univers vue ce que les gens y déposent chaque jours... Je suis heureux d'être tombé ici car ces musiques, je les adore !
I think the only thing more disturbing than the doctor's downward slide is the possibility that going to these lengths was exactly what his wife would have wanted.
That was the entire point of the song. It's supposed to show the doctor slowly becoming insane as he tries his hardest to save his wife... but to no avail in the end.
So, 10 years? It has been 10 years. Thanks all who give those songs to us. And i may add one more thing - thanks for the sheets for this beautiful music. Any who interested - its free on their site
The hat, coat, gloves, and glasses implied to me this was about the character Johannes Cabal who eventually turned to necromancy to aid his dying wife.
It doesn't matter how many times we make our journey to my parents. We always try to visit every month or so. It's a three-hour journey from our home to theirs. I always drive. I let my husband choose the music. This song always finds a way to our trek. I'm the one who introduced him this to this song. Should I be worried?
She'll dance again
She'll laugh again
She'll smile again
She'll live again
The progression and decay of his hopes for her 😭
yet also , beautifully how the flame and ember of tenacity to keep fighting for her and help her fight to cling to life still lingers
can just Imagen the story ending with the wife having a fluke recovery or such towards the end ,when the doctor falters from the strain of constant fevered research and care ..so the worlds first cyborg or 'mind infused' clockwork man becomes the good doctor as she leets him see her smile , laugh and dance agen before carrying him to it declaring he spent a lifetime making sure she felt cared for forging an way for her to evade death now she has smilled agen laughed and danced and , he deserves a body as tireless like his empathy
Usually, this type of narrative has two key differences. One, the doctor puts the research above their love until it's too late. Here, he cares for her and reads to her until the end. Two, they almost universally fail. While his success here is dubious and debatable, it's still further than they get in the typical narrative. I think it's strengthened greatly by these two deviations from the norm. It makes the doctor more sympathetic and harder to scorn. Usually these types are villains or used to prove a point about cherishing what you have. This doctor shows true love and true desperation to keep hold of it however he can.
The lyrics, also, are amazing. The repetition of what she told him really drives home his drive and determination. The subtle shift of "she'll dance again" then "she'll laugh again" until he'll be satisfied just to see her smile once more. It also reinforces his desperation, but it also reinforces how she's degrading in condition.
Almost every word reinforces some aspect of the story. Emphasizes the tragedy. The music itself may not be my favorite thing, but these are some of the best written lyrics I've ever had the pleasure of listening to, and it's a damn good story for a six minute song.
+Rabek Jeris I also found myself very impacted by the fact that one of the last things they mention failing was her heart, which he's replaced with a machine. Considering the symbolism of one's heart, it gives me the feeling that there's really nothing left of "her" anymore, and yet he still can't let go. What's left is a construction of how he remembers her.
+Rabek Jeris The narrative suggests that a person with originally good intentions ends up becoming driven and obsessed until he's lost the sight of his original goal and ended up creating a some kind of steampunk zombie from the remains of his loved one. It's a pretty common trope as the song presents, actually, of someone who can't let go of a dead loved one and ends up with either a tormented undead or a literal corpse at the dinner table, depending on whether the story's supernatural or not.
+Rabek Jeris you missed the part where love drives him to the edge of insanety and eventualy pushes him over it when he starts throwing his code out the window
@Lightice1 I always disliked that trope.
I love The small detail The last time The wife sings you can hear machinery in The background ticking. Along with he said at nights. Implying that she is mostly machine to such a point he May make her say it
To me her message is the saddest. Because he takes it so far. The last repetition is different, because he feels she'd want to be saved no matter the cost, but it's one of those profound mind tricks where I doubt she'd want to live at such a cost. Her message is one of love, but it turns to obsession because he's grieving and it will cost him his life as well.
I'm rather disappointed that this group only ever made three songs :(
+DrivenByDiamond I'm glad.
+DrivenByDiamond Same. That being said, I feel all of it is profound work so it's a good trade. I'm a mega fan of say, Led Zep, but ill be the first to say I only truly enjoy, to the same severity as the CQ songs, about 10 from Zep. Might be just me but I'm all about the quality over quantity. There ALOT of shit out there. I know art is subjective but I think we all kind of know the difference when something is a labour of love and when it's just 'in' 'now' or a crowd pleaser/filler.
quality is better than quantity, your right its rather sad there are only three songs
Turner Sonneborn - Woah, wait, source please? I've heard literally nothing about the state of TCQ, where did you hear that?!
=^.^= mice British fellow reporting in, haha!
This song is brilliant. Focused. Calculated. Horrifying. Brilliant.
And I've broken every code of practice,
but for my love, I'd shift the planet's axis!
... At this point, you know that shit has gotten real.
Or that he's lost his freaking mind
I think both
At that moment he became insane
Tesla when his pigeon wife died
The point when he has passed through determination to cure her, fear of losing her as his research fails him, denial that she's already gone when she's become comatose, hopelessness as the illness begins destroying her organs, and finally into pure desperation as he crosses that final line and resorts to "questionable" methods to bring her back... You can practically hear the crazed look in his eyes by the end.
The female background singers give me chills. It adds serious urgency and really makes you realize his slow spiraling down into depravity. It's scary as heck and I love it.
She is now Dr Hannah Ballou with a PhD in feminist comedy. Go watch her stuff.
When I find the Clockwork Quartet
I can surely promise
They'll sing again
I remember listening to this song AGES ago, and now suddenly I was reminded of it. Had to feverishly look for it and I'm so happy I found it again! I love this song so much.
It physically hurts that they only have 3 songs
There needs to be more songs like this, with beautiful stories that can truly move people. I love the clockwork quartet because although they have a small number of songs, they all tell amazing stories that pull different emotions. If anyone knows of any other good songs that do this kind of thing, please let me know
I love paul shapera's work, maybe give The Dolls Of New Albion a listen
Oh yeah, the whole new albion trilogy is great, the dolls of new albion is classic, but I really live the dieslepunk and atom punk sequels too
Oh you here collective?
I will second (third) the suggestions about Paul Shapera's stuff. I'm reminded of "The Maker" and "Zero" which are stories somewhere here on RUclips; they're not lyrical songs, but The Maker has music and a story told through the visuals and Zero has narration (I think) but they give a similar feeling to this.
You guys should try the haunted Phonograph and dsrk cabaret in general
To this day, I still think of Victor Fries, and hope that they were a heavy inspiration for this song, though Mr. Fries was not a medical practitioner. I do enjoy how the words she says to him slowly change into an echo in his mind, driving him further into his frenzied desperation to reclaim his fallen wife.
I came here to say the same exact thing!
OMG yes same!
It's even more accurate when you learn Bruce Timm's original intent was that Nora was dead & Freeze just couldn't admit that.
Sheer genius. The poem so beautifully laid out, the performance perfectly clear and precisely modulated. The musical arrangement so full of powerful contrasts, the percussion echoing both the patient's heartbeat and the sounds of the machines, the stringed instruments shaping our vision of the Doctor's tragic wife. The drama profoundly moving. Sheer genius. Thank you for posting this treat for the soul.
I agree completely. What really tugs at my heart strings as well is the slow progression of the disease as well as the decline of the doctor's sanity. The more the song progresses, the more the doctor becomes desperate, and the more we as listeners feel the doctor's desperation.
Come on, while you were listening to this, didn't you want the wife to survive in the end too the longer you listened to the song??
The fact that the wife finally died at the end while the same words from the beginning echoed in the doctor's head makes the song even sadder.
Despite his perseverance, dedication, determination and devotion to saving his wife... He never could, and the song ends with the wife's voice still pleading for the doctor to save her even though it was too late.
I've turned on the bell in the feeble hope that another song is made...
lyrics:
Monday the twenty-sixth of March
The patient's passing seizures are becoming more pronounced by the day
The underlying cause
Seems to be some slow progressive decay
If I don't find a cure
I fear my patient must surely fade away
But I swear
I'll apply my science
To the cause
Brooking no defiance
I'll deliver her from this malady
She'll dance again
And I'll never forget when we first were courting
And she faced me, and her eyes were gleaming
In the moonlight, and she spoke so sweetly
(Don't let me go, my darling
Hold me safely 'til the morning
Promise, when the lights are fading
You'll save me.)
Tuesday the seventeenth of May
A worrying symptom has reared its head this week
She's been bedbound for a month
And now the patient is no longer able to speak
She tries to utter sounds
But the grip of the illness is strong and the patient is weak
On the bed, in a cold sweat
Like a corpse, but she'll live yet
When I find the cure, I can surely promise
She'll laugh again
As she did on our wedding day
When we danced, and laughed the world away
Even now I can hear her say
(Don't let me go, my darling
Hold me safely 'til the morning
Promise, when the lights are fading
You'll save me.)
Sunday the twenty-third of June
The patient no longer responds to stimuli of any kind
She's now my only charge
I clothe her and feed her, and nightly I read by her side
For though she's paralysed
I know that inside there must still be a functioning mind
Neatly laid on the bedsheet
I can still hear her fading heart-beat
I'll keep her stable and continue my research
She'll smile again
And I must bring her back to me
In her eyes I can see the gleam
In my mind I can hear her pleading
(Don't let me go, my darling
Hold me safely 'til the morning
Promise, when the lights are fading
You'll save me.)
Tuesday the eighteenth of July
My latest apparatus is the only thing that's keeping her alive
I had to stop her heart
The mechanical replacement will ensure the other organs can survive
Her body is destroyed
But what nature has neglected the fruit of modern science shall provide
And I've broken
every code of practice
But for my love
I'd shift the planet's axis
She'll return to me when she's been repaired
She'll live again
And I swear
I can see the gleam
In her eyes amidst the new machines
And at night
I can hear her whisper
(Don't let me go, my darling
Hold me safely 'til the morning
Promise, when the lights are fading
You'll save me.
You'll save me!)
THANK U FOR THIS OMG ❤❤❤
For fucks sake, this piece of music... Fragile, crushing, sad to the bone. I swear it's been long time since those heavy goosebumps attended my skin.
This REALLY does need to be a musical though!!!
Theres so many absolutley great details in the song. As the female quote is first a memory, then he hears it in his mind and finnaly he hears her telling him it again no longer able to separate memory from hallucination. That or hes actually recorded her to say it each night. Both equally disturbing. That and her quote is in all likleyhood not in context of the state she is in now.
Its my favorite song of all times as no other song has ever made me wonder so much about every word delivery or beautifull tragic tone
Given the name of the group and thematics with other songs and the line of loosing, I took it in a literal sense; that he's been physically repairing and replacing her failing parts with some sort of steampunk equivalent, with ambiguous success. Still bloody concerning, but I concur the writing is meticulously picked and sang with enjoyable conviction.
Heavy Mister Freeze and Nora vibes on this one.
Shame they never made more songs.
Kinda weird to be saying this twice back-to-back, but: "It's even more accurate when you learn Bruce Timm's original intent was that Nora was dead & Freeze just couldn't admit that."
I first got into steam punk around 8 years ago. Clockwork Quartet, the Cog is dead, steampowered giraffe, abney park and many more were my entire childhood.
Finally coming back to this song and the watchmakers apprentice brings back happy memories. This song makes me incredibly emotional and I love listening to it. It's a bit sad to see that the Clockwork Quartet project has been given up on. I would love to have a fourth song.
I also still know the lyrics to this song which is in my humble opinion about myself... quite incredible.
Dont forget “look closer”
exact same story here. those artists were such a big part of my growing up. theres a tiny part of me that hopes they will come back but the website just finally being shut down makes me lose faith
Get you someone who sees gleams in your eyes even when they have turned you into a robot.
Corylus Bluefox yes
It's sad and funny I don't know how to respond
Hecc yeah fam
Get you someone who turns you into a cyborg if they can't heal your fever
You do realize that he's keeping her alive out of desperation, right? Love has been slowly replaced with madness...
obsessed with the "doctor/scientist takes things too far"/sci-fi horror vibes here lately. this, devil's in the detail by the hoosiers...please if anyone knows of any other mad science sci fi horror songs PLEASE do tell. ive known about this song since i was in middle school; i think it's still on my old mp3 player :D
Annabelle raises the dead from Dolls of New Albion? Jekyll and Hyde the musical? Those are the only two I can think of off the top of my head
I don't know why, but I can't stop listening to this song/story. I've listened to it about 5 times in the last two days.
this makes me want to do a musical.
Alas I doubt I could find anyone to do music as good as this song.
this song needs to be in a musical.
the clockwork quartet people should make a steampunk musical, wouldn't that be cool?
It should be a steampunk musical!
If Paul Shapera did commissions, and I could track down the Clockwork Quartet and get them to either give permission to join, you have no clue how much money I'd spent to make this a reality.
This song never fails to make me cry :,(
"Published on Oct 30, 2012" so this was relased on all hallow's eve? bit fitting for the grim theme.
I have not yet clicked the link, so I know nothing more than what I've heard in this song, but here's my analysis:
The language used and the technology spoken of and heard (typewriters and such) makes it sound like the era is somewhere around 1920-1930. Right after the widespread introduction of electricity, but before home machinery was a thing.
We can therefore assume that the machinery the doctor is speaking about is entirely mechanical, maybe operating by rudimentary electrical motors, but no more than that. So we know we're not talking about a cyborg in the sense we know it, it's more a human kept alive by mechanical means. But we also know he succeeded, because he heard her whisper at the end. Before that moment, it was all "in my mind", but at that point it was "from the machines".
He also said machines in plural, meaning he replaced more than her heart. And that her body had failed, but mentioning keeping organs alive.
From this we can assume that the machinery is not mobile, nor is it humanoid. More likely is that he took her organs out of her body and put into a stationary set of machines, either carefully making sure the nerves were still connected, or replacing the nerves with electrical cords. Her brain in one machine, her lungs in another, her liver in a third etc.. This is why her voice came from WITHIN the mass of machines, her vocal cords are somewhere in the middle and not capable of much more than a whisper. Her awareness of her surroundings have failed and she perceives the world as a perpetual dusk, she is scared and cold and wishes for nothing more than her husband to hold her close, warm and comforting, but she will never again be able to feel that. It is unlikely she will even be able to hear his voice again.
After all of this, she has hope and he has kept her alive, but he can never give her what she desires again. And that is the tragedy of this tale. He saved her, but she lost him and now he can hear her reaction to losing him, whispering for his touch until the machines fail or he turns them off.
Yeah he saved her but she’s definitely not dancing or laughing or ever actually going to live again! I mean if she’s just incubated organs and can still think she must be in hell! “You’ll save me!….By letting me die now!”
This song is so amazing, I am not ashamed to tell it made me cry first time I heard it. You are awesome.
Sincerely, your russian fan.
Bring back the clockwork quartet 2021
This has got to be one of my favorite songs ever. I hope the Clockwork Quartet keeps producing new music!
I still hope.
Incredibly beautiful. Reduces me to tears each time I hear it.
Two words: HAUNTINGLY BEAUTIFUL
That was absolutely fascinating. However, I expected that by the end, when the doctor's wife was being supported by countless machines, the doctor would be able to hear his wife speak again. Her dialogue would change to something like, "Please let me go, my darling. You must allow the mourning. Please let my lights start fading, and save me."
she could still say the line at the end, but it would come out robotic-programed- for me
+sam robacker Yeah, that would make sense too.
+Leshyster Obviously, you are a better lyricist than me. I try to thing in depth, but I didn't get that far.
+LordNexus78 oh yeah I was thinking that too. I believe it would have made the song better and gave it a deeper more heart touching feeling even though it already gave me that feeling
LordNexus78 but she couldn't speak and he was going insane and wanted to save her too much that even if she said that he'd probably still hear her saying save me
This song speaks to me as one of my loved ones is fading away now and I have no way of saving her.
Still gets me in the feels all these years later
My god the vocals are haunting 😍
it never gets old
Still eats.
This.. this is incredible, haha. It's so sad that he went insane trying to save his wife though...
Shadow1995me he's not insane, just devoted
They say that love is a promise, so can you really call it wrong that they would do everything they could to aid them? They say that love is one soul in two bodies, so can you really call it anything but right that they would do anything at all to live their lives together?
Listened to this song more than 100 times, and still gives me chills, the true story of love...
You are loved, you innovated with this song, there’s nothing quite like that. You thought unique thoughts which is commendable to an ineffable degree.
It's a lovely music, hope the group will live again.
I cant help but think Mr Freeze from batman...
:O...HOW HAVE I NEVER MADE THAT CONNECTION?!?!?!
Someone make a music video about that.
Wade Taggart Seriously, Every time. Mr Freeze.
+Jaun Luis (El Ingeniero)
U win this comment section!
Min Chan SAME FAM
Me too
This is one of the most realistically romantic songs I have ever discovered
did the research and the math. there is no actual year that contains all four dates in this song
That’s dedication to the steampunk AU
Came back because I remembered this masterpiece! Just so amazing
This is hauntingly beautiful I love it so much...
so, how many people came here WITHOUT thinking it was about "the doctor", without it even crossing their mind?
Me, but now it's always there when I look up this song and it's the next thing I think about when listening to this song. It's annoying.
Never thought of that. I've been blessed by this un-knowledge for quite a long time now.^^
+Vexurath It isn't about "the doctor" ?
+Ian Heier He meant 'The Doctor' from Doctor Who. there's a small series of connected episodes called 'The Doctors Wife' that's about some taffer in that universe.
what's a 'taffer' ?
This song makes me cheer and weep, fills me with joy and breaks my heart! Its dark, bleak and absolutely magnificent!!!!!!!!!
I remember the first time i found this song, and untill today I wish more songs from this band T_T jejeje
fucking amazing
Ruzu ikr
paul shapera
I'm addicted!!! This song is sooooo Beautiful!!! I can't stop listening!!!
This song got stuck in my head and I couldn't for the life of me remember where it was from, it's so pretty I just love it. I love the typewriter and background noises. Very nice :)
This song gives me goosebumps
What ever happened to this group? they simply disappeared from all i can find. i was really into them as a kid, excited to see their website is still up. but everything's been quiet since 2013/2014. can't find anything on what happened.
Oh my! what a delightful and touchy song, Very admirable
After the final line, I have this image in my head of his "wife" taking him in an embrace and snapping his neck
I think the entire song is about him grieving over the loss of his wife. I mean, she's obviously dead and he's in denial.
That's hot.
you guys need more songs!!!!
Listened to this back in middle school when it came out… and here I am in college so many years later, still in love with it! 😢❤
This Is an amazingly sad period to hear this song, not for me, but for the world. However, it keeps my heart pumping with surreal emotions.... But, Alas!, even the dates seems right... Whispers of magic are everywhere.
I'm absolutely sure I've heard that typewriter rhythm at the beginning before. Maybe in a video. I don't know, I had never listened to this song...
every once in a while I remember this song and come listen to it, if only it was on spotify or somewhere
This takes me back to like eighth grade it's such a good song.
+Emperor Huffius I found this song in eighth grade and it was one of my favorites. Not too interesting.
+Hooded Violin but back then I was suicidal as fuck 😂😂
Eighth grade was hell for me too. Poor little tweenage me with a walkman to comfort me. Heh. I didn't talk at all that year.
I wish they would write some more songs because I love all the songs they have out!
Anyone know any other groups like this? Story-driven, clockwork-y, stage-musical-esk music.
I've found 'steampunk Opera: New Albion' which is kind of close.
I hear this each time I pick up my laptop to work on a new project and every time I hear the beginning I feel like I'm using a futuristic type-writer ^m^ for some reason I would expect this to be in a scene of Sweeney Todd o.o
This is absolutely fantastic!
The melody is already stuck in my head, nice arrangement
Been waiting since 2013 for them to make new songs...
je suis tombé par hasard sur ce lien en cherchant steampunk music sur le net et je suis tombé sur une perle, internet est immense, je me demande s'il n'est pas mille fois plus grand que l'univers vue ce que les gens y déposent chaque jours... Je suis heureux d'être tombé ici car ces musiques, je les adore !
This is beautiful. You guys are beautiful.
this song is so darn cool
I think the only thing more disturbing than the doctor's downward slide is the possibility that going to these lengths was exactly what his wife would have wanted.
Was I the only one who noticed his standards of success lowered as the song progressed?
A. Nodnoc No, that's part of the point. Everybody noticed that.
That was the entire point of the song.
It's supposed to show the doctor slowly becoming insane as he tries his hardest to save his wife... but to no avail in the end.
You can tell he's striving for any sort of "hope."
No, of course you aren't, EVERYONE noticed. That was the point of the whole song.
His mental state is deteriorating.
then she became GLADOS.
you monster
YES
You killed me TWİCE
I feel this song very deeply from an epileptic stand point
So, 10 years? It has been 10 years. Thanks all who give those songs to us. And i may add one more thing - thanks for the sheets for this beautiful music.
Any who interested - its free on their site
First time I proactively used facebook, just so I could tell everyone I know about the sheer greatness of this. All three of your pieces are amazing.
The hat, coat, gloves, and glasses implied to me this was about the character Johannes Cabal who eventually turned to necromancy to aid his dying wife.
This inspired me
Okay I know this comment of yours is like 7 years old but I was NOT expecting to see it!
I feel like I just found a really rare collectable!
Real Steampunk sound
Anyone still listen to this?
ps been listening to this song since 2013
yup
a decent to madness is a slow process but will happen given the right conditons
Haunting, beautiful, tragic, powerful. Love this song.
His vocals are screaming to me that it's like Johnny Depp's Sweeney Todd. I love this so much.
My favourite love song.
Please make more music. This is amazing.
A Steampunk Frankenstein Story. Brilliant!
perfect song for my OC Frederick! gaaahh~ love this song.
Today is Tuesday 17th May.
THE LORD AND ITS EVENTUAL " BRIDE " ?
This song gets me every damn time.
I love that no one's downvoted this song. :)
this needs a video or a whole movie
love this, fantastic
It doesn't matter how many times we make our journey to my parents.
We always try to visit every month or so.
It's a three-hour journey from our home to theirs. I always drive. I let my husband choose the music.
This song always finds a way to our trek.
I'm the one who introduced him this to this song.
Should I be worried?
Guys
What if the female background singer's voice became gradually more robotic? It would be so epic.
One of the biggest tragedies in modern music, the fact this band made this masterpiece and gave us the old Irish goodbye!
I found the way they described the decay of the patient fascinating.
somebody call doctor House
I had gotten permission to make a video for this but I was never able to get around to it 😭😭
this is one of the best songs I know but I just cannot watch it too often...
If the doctor lost his license he'd not just make his wife dance again, but also Ubercharge her to be bulletproof