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The Human Abstract



Last Updated: 7/9/2009

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Status: Single
City: Los Angeles
State: California
Country: US
Signup Date: 2/8/2005
Saturday, September 30, 2006 
"HARBINGER"

inching nearer each and every moment, feel the rhythm of our drums. searching, seeking forward thinking, a dawning of mind that we create. a border breaking for the taking, words that remind us to awake. i dont need a bold commandment, ive got one of my own. stand alone. let's watch babylon fall, our captivity. vices of the kingdom, exile in luxury. you'll hear the darkest voice say bow before, crawl beneath, dance around my altar, if you grovel long enough. someday i will let you be as pure.

"SELF PORTRAITS OF THE INSTINCTS"

by burden of blood we saw reflections of who we are, as the knowledge that burns in our hearts takes charge. blessings made at a house in the distance. an unworthy authority looking to find a worthy culprit. accounting lost, stranded hindsight, words were not enough. repeat the cycle with devils in your veins. more than simply shaken, a line divides. blood ties are forsaken, grudges still are found in kindred we are bound. so deep in our blood, ages come, ages go, never freed. never.. thats what you told me. time and again we have them down on their knees.. beg for mercy, beg, time and again, how many times will i be called to feel this rage? how many times will i be taken to that place? no peace of mind until the seas run dry. forced to inflict these scars, reflections of who we are. a legacy carried on too long.

"NOCTURNE"

Hollow self indulgence leading the way
In the wake of intent that day
At the faultline, at the faultline we were
Searching for answers
Filthy crimes, power play
Grasping for our lessons overthrown
What you've gone and done now,
It's hard to get over
Events of the past have carried
A lasting grudge toward a pure heart
I'm calling out a false hero
Lay your plans,
I'll play Rome, false martyr, take a stand
Lay your plans..
With broken heart, I've finally become a man
Past the sights and the sound
Cloak and dagger are found
No wonder here, just an echo resounding
Hardship owns all that remains
Red queen, a fallen Knight on the way that day
Caught in the act, right in our midst,
A snake in the grass. no honor,
As night fell on my soul

"CROSSING THE RUBICON"

Of all the times I've been disrespected, you'd think it'd be no surprise..
Learning lessons, all the precious treasures take all that youve got.
I'll take your ready hand with a ready blade.
I'm dead set to make you lie in the bed you've made.
Paid in full, I'll take it from your pride,
I don't know what you thought, but you've gone past the line,
and you've got me wrong.
The time has come, your song has long been sung.
Brought down, you won't have long to go.
I'm not cutting a loss again.
An hourglass of sand, and Ill be on time, inform the rest.
Run as fast as you can. Hell's coming for you.
Try to strike and then slip away,
but I won't let you leave without feeling an equal pain.
You'll see, because Ill make you see.
Left in my council you'll know what it means to respect me.
Once I've caught you alone, I'll teach you all you need to know.
Pray, once I've caught you alone,
that I teach you all you need to know.
Each of us has boundaries, everyone has got a breaking point.
I wish I held desire solely to right this wrong,
take careful tones urging the dawn to come,
make every word worth what it takes in turn,
but I can't go on with my faith interrupted.
How can I look the other way?
You've shown me there is no other way out.

"SOTTO VOCE"

instrumental - no lyrics

"MEA CULPA"

We shared a common trade of reasoning out the years
Of failed affections and faces to forget
You should have told me
That the ties that made it all worth the while
Were quickly becoming a race to the blame
I tried to gain the advantage over you
Its plain to see theres nothing I could do or say
I tried to gain the advantage over you
A sad parade with nothing left to lose or gain
I could feel it coming
Like a train wreck, rumbling off the tracks
With every ounce of strength
I strained to pay back that dirty money
And the fortune abstract, but theres no feeling left intact
For the victim is now a god,
Doling out judgment, strike with divining rod
I dont want to get involved, looks like youre doing fine
But when I lay up at night, I can feel your eyes
And I can see your eyes, and I go rushing in to a world inside
Where theres none in between, and nothing can be denied
Struck down and stripped of pride,
That I could forgive you for once in our lives
But I failed, and I dont know why, Ill never know why
I failed and I don't know why

"MOVEMENT FROM DISCORD"

pressure... pressure is all we've got. the less you know the more you strain to reach out to see. in the balance theres nothing free. it took the best of them down with a single blow. brace yourself for the challenge ahead, don't waste your breath on what you know. brace yourself for the challenge ahead, youve got to pace yourself the last to go. i journeyed to the edge of all my tears and counted every night i fought alone/bartered. i pray that you could feel like i do, never to endure a heart of stone/remain a martyr. the less you know, youre getting shadowed by vanity. somehow rage becomes clarity. you'll find it deep in my family. it took the best of us down. all of your enemies are out to change you, the greatest weapon of etiquette. i traded serenity, to realize the struggle of knowing what i could get. i took part in a dream where nobody told me where to go or who to be. it opened my eyes. never will i know of peace again. pressure is building to no end. pressure is all we've got. this won't end in failure.

"CHANNEL DETRITUS"

dont fight it, look at it, another setback to slow you, another day in vain, passing on, move along, another dream is gone. you see that's how it goes in the game. we play only to learn and train for our next mistake. to heal and break, growing strong in the wake. seems like in no one i can rely. don't you tell me i wont survive. thousands tell you that you wont survive. I'll survive, I'll survive.. you have to pay the cost impossible to make the impossible possible. you can't just throw it away. fading one day to the next, tamed by a siren song, tempted to belong to an ordinary life...ask yourself why. don't you let them pave your way, dont you play their game. dont you pray for rain, look inside at what you'll find. its all in your mind, regain an honor disappearing. its a power, a birthright disappearing, its a call to save what remains. fools regret until they die, forgive yourself back to life..

"POLARIS"

i'm not ashamed to say, i take pleasure in, burning all of my epitaphs. turning the sands of time into glass. push through here and beyond, endure every trial, breaking in from the outside. back to the struggle to then find strength in a starting over. i vowed not to spend my life comforted by enclosure. better to cry out in pain than be uninvolved, silent and lame to the life that beckons us. sirens calling me over the hills and trails. there to wander so restlessly, bold and tireless, seeking to broaden the lines dividing identity. the task at hand:  to unleash the bondage of endless lives, pressures, actions, questions, answers giving birth to questions, unfolding like the petals of a lotus, eternal longing until we die no more. because you never hold on to the spoils you've won. all your triumphs in vain, if you cant embrace a change. all the paths ive been down, i still have never found something lasting through the years. but all these worthless fears, that mean nothing. compare your life, your loves, to the vastness of the endless stars above.

"ECHELONS TO MOLOTOVS"

standing, strong and tall. outside hear their call. tear down the wall, upper echelon, blackest of them all. sold us into sorrow, you love to watch the weaker ones crawl don't pity our cause, for the laws you've disowned. pagan prophesy has come to be. thrown molotovs mark the fall of a throne. and dead pilosophy, we're not to be owned. paid slaves heed to the masters voice, the scales offset without a choice.. debts of the spirit. no chance of your own conscience turning the tide.

"DESIDERATA"

instrumental - no lyrics

"VELA, TOGETHER WE AWAIT THE STORM"

a story without a name.. a desert journey that we became.. another test of our power overcoming on a black day.. appalling how they're running for the honor like a campaign. to be the leaders of a phony dead scene in a magazine..
I always figured there was something more.

gone, so many friends and lovers
so far, nothing to show in turn

they'll take it all back, all those empty words. I'll show the dregs where all their slander has led, if it takes my whole life, for all the tears that i have shed they'll take it back, i'm making a pact. they'll take it back, i'm making a promise. i'm eager to the task, exposing all who wear a mask.

it must be done.

the storm yet to come binds us as one. through it all, lonliness and adversity, failure and injustices only guide us on our way. so pry, you won't be finding a faker, nor will an opportune moment arise.

ALL LYRICS WRITTEN BY NATHAN ELLS

THE HUMAN ABSTRACT
W3V!N

 
lyrics=amazing.
 
Posted by W3V!N on Sunday, October 01, 2006 - 1:07 AM
[Reply to this
Indigo Justin

 
hella good stuff
 
Posted by Indigo Justin on Sunday, October 01, 2006 - 1:07 AM
[Reply to this
tamar
Tamar Partamian

 
i love it so much. you dont even know.
 
Posted by tamar on Sunday, October 01, 2006 - 2:05 AM
[Reply to this
Ivano aka Jestas
Ivano Forgione

 
just one thing (I hope you didn't make this mistake on print): "sette voce" is actually spelt "sette voci" :)
 
Posted by Ivano aka Jestas on Monday, October 02, 2006 - 9:59 PM
[Reply to this
Chance

 
No it's not... it's in the dictionary just like they have it spelt...
 
Posted by Chance on Wednesday, April 09, 2008 - 6:58 AM
[Reply to this
Angela in Wonderland

 
thanks for posting them.

you guys are awesome. :)
 
Posted by Angela in Wonderland on Monday, October 02, 2006 - 10:02 PM
[Reply to this
Brace Your Self
Matt marburger

 
these are freaking amazing.... makes me want to go do the same
 
Posted by Brace Your Self on Tuesday, October 03, 2006 - 4:03 PM
[Reply to this
Brace Your Self
Matt marburger

 
these are freaking amazing.... makes me want to go do the same
 
Posted by Brace Your Self on Tuesday, October 03, 2006 - 4:03 PM
[Reply to this
MIKE

 
Hey guys, thanks for the lyrics. I was hopeing you guys would send them out. You guys kick ass, keep up the good work.
 
Posted by MIKE on Tuesday, October 03, 2006 - 4:04 PM
[Reply to this
DONT ADD THIS!

 
they are UNBELIEVABLE!!! if you have the chance, check out my lyrics to some of the songs i have written.
 
Posted by DONT ADD THIS! on Tuesday, October 03, 2006 - 4:04 PM
[Reply to this
NRE

 
Track 5: Sotto Voce.. The title comes from the italian sotto, "under", and voce, "voice", and is most often used in english as an adverb or an adjective meaning - Spoken low or in an undertone as not to be overheard, or the musical term directing a piece to be played in very soft tones.
I appreciate your concern, and can see how you could've made the mistake of confusing this with sette voci, a german counterpart.
 
Posted by NRE on Thursday, October 05, 2006 - 9:25 AM
[Reply to this
...

 
inspiring....mind expanding.....i love it! my new favorite band of all time! ( besides sublime)
 
Posted by ... on Monday, October 09, 2006 - 5:18 AM
[Reply to this
...

 
You make life when you play. You create something from nothing. You make something good happen. And that is blessed to me...What i felt was inexpressable gratitude for the music, that in this horror there could be somehing as beautifun as that. You couldnt understand anything and you couldnt change anything. But you could make music like that. -a.r.
 
Posted by ... on Monday, October 09, 2006 - 5:18 AM
[Reply to this
Mattiecakes
Matthew Garcia

 
"another test of our power overcoming on a black day" so badass. you guys rock
 
Posted by Mattiecakes on Wednesday, November 01, 2006 - 5:06 AM
[Reply to this
Bad Brad'
Brad Dodson

 
Nathan Ells is a badass.
 
Posted by Bad Brad' on Saturday, November 04, 2006 - 2:20 AM
[Reply to this
iz4

 
i just love it..
 
Posted by iz4 on Saturday, November 04, 2006 - 4:25 PM
[Reply to this
I'll Be Outremer
Aaron Allbee

 
Nathan Ells pwns.
 
Posted by I'll Be Outremer on Sunday, November 19, 2006 - 5:15 AM
[Reply to this
Brian

 
Great lyrics, Nathan. What happened to the beginning of "SELF PORTRAITS OF THE INSTINCTS"? It starts with the lyrics "Welcome home" and goes for a minute before the chorus starts, which is where the lyrics on this page start. Can you fill them in?
 
Posted by Brian on Sunday, December 03, 2006 - 12:12 AM
[Reply to this
Cercatore di Verità

 
Astonishing, beautiful, and meaningful lyrics. Truly I am quite touched by the significance of your lyrics, the relevance that they have on my conscience and just how strongly I find myself relating them to my personal experiences. Whatever you do never stop writing.
 
Posted by Cercatore di Verità on Friday, December 08, 2006 - 9:25 AM
[Reply to this
strawberry woman

 
on Harbinger it sounds like there is a line missing. "its you'll hear the darkest voice say....(then a bunch of words here), bow before...etc."

yeah i dunno
 
Posted by strawberry woman on Monday, June 25, 2007 - 9:37 AM
[Reply to this
Ryan

 
First, I'd like to say how much I appreciate you writing all these lyrics, Ells, THA would surely not be as mindblowing without your amazing vocals behind the mic.. but now my question. I've never come close to figuring out what Echelons to Molotovs is about, is there a certain story behind it?


ps. favorite line of the album-
I don't need a bold commandment. I've got one of my own. Stand alone.


much love,
ryan bresnihan,
 
Posted by Ryan on Saturday, July 07, 2007 - 3:15 AM
[Reply to this
ethan

 
THE HUMAN ABSTRACT FUCKING PWNS!!!
 
Posted by ethan on Sunday, October 28, 2007 - 7:29 PM
[Reply to this
Luke
Luke Buller

 
i love this band because of their lyrics. this is one of the first bands ive seen that takes so much time to make their lyrics perfect.
 
Posted by Luke on Saturday, November 17, 2007 - 11:52 PM
[Reply to this
Mr. J. (♥)alentine

 
i always love reading a band's lyrics and i've never seen such intellect in any others like yours.

 
Posted by Mr. J. (♥)alentine on Wednesday, April 09, 2008 - 5:59 AM
[Reply to this
Black People Are [still] Funny
Spencer Sadleher

 
Although the music is a huge plus nothing beats good lyrics, but in you're case great lyrics. I'm sure you guys know how great you are by now with all of these other comments but if it means anything I listen to a lot of music (probably more than most people, all types) and you guys are unique and that counts for something.

 
Posted by Black People Are [still] Funny on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 - 6:01 AM
[Reply to this


 
these lyrics are bad ass man.
please never stop with music brotha
 
Posted by on Thursday, June 19, 2008 - 6:25 PM
[Reply to this
nicpap
Nick Papathanasiou

 
i can never find the start of "SELF PORTRAITS OF THE INSTINCTS" ive looked everywhere
 
Posted by nicpap on Wednesday, July 02, 2008 - 3:37 AM
[Reply to this
[♥] -Your Worst Nightmare- [♥]™
Meaghan Jones

 
omg, nathanael, i have never had the chance to really examine the lyrics to all your songs, shit man they are so good, they run really deep....just wow, good job :)
 
Posted by [♥] -Your Worst Nightmare- [♥]™ on Monday, July 14, 2008 - 8:57 PM
[Reply to this
CoDy
Cody Miller

 
i love it. its soul tearing and eats me up. :D.. just how i like it
 
Posted by CoDy on Sunday, August 31, 2008 - 5:20 PM
[Reply to this
Valerie Space Cadet

 
I like crossing the rubicon alot.

 
Posted by Valerie Space Cadet on Thursday, September 11, 2008 - 6:56 PM
[Reply to this
G!rant [P=S]

 
dude nathan ellis you're one of the musicians i look up to more than anything as an aspiring lead vocalist.

your definitely one of my influences in my own lyric writing.

those lyrics are sick as fuck.

 
Posted by G!rant [P=S] on Wednesday, December 24, 2008 - 1:42 AM
[Reply to this
$koT
Scot Land

 
I came...
 
Posted by $koT on Saturday, March 14, 2009 - 5:24 PM
[Reply to this
A.J
A. J

 
heckin awesome !!
 
Posted by A.J on Thursday, March 19, 2009 - 4:35 PM
[Reply to this
Ant
Ant Palm

 
"Compare your life, your loves, to the vastness of the endless stars above."
I'm having that tattooed on my right shoulder
 
Posted by Ant on Monday, May 11, 2009 - 3:20 AM
[Reply to this