The Message / Lords of the Ring

The Message
Written by Dennis DeYoung

[instrumental]

Lords of the Ring

Written by Dennis DeYoung
Lead Vocals by James Young

Listen on YouTube

All hail to the Lords of the Ring
To the magic and mystery they bring
To the music in their story

All hail to the Lords of the Ring
To the magic and mystery they bring
To the lands of ancient glory

In the year of the Lords
The message came from above
The heavens opened with their mighty sound
that shook the people in the town

And so we came from everywhere
The young and old the rich and poor
To hear the legend of the magic ring
and of the powers it could bring, they sing

All hail to the Lords of the Ring
To the magic and mystery they bring
To the music in their story

All hail to the Lords of the Ring
To the magic and mystery it brings
May we someday wear its glory

And now the message is clear
For I became a Lord this year
And though the legend was pure fantasy
We still need the hope it brings, so let's sing

All hail to the Lords of the Ring
To believe is a wonderous thing
May we always sing their glory

All hail to the Lords of the Ring
To the magic and mystery they bring
To the promise of their story

Interpretation

We all need hope. Sometimes it take a legend to give hope to people. It is common to look back to ancient times as idyllic and to cling to magical talismans for hope. 

In the year of the Lords
The message came from above
The heavens opened with their mighty sound
that shook the people in the town

Imagine a town losing hope.  Perhaps a drought is causing famine.  The leaders, perhaps priests, say they will seek a sign.  Before long a powerful storm with rain, lightning, and thunder comes in, bringing much needed rain, but also showing tremendous power in nature.  The priests decide to use this as a way to bring hope to future generations

And so we came from everywhere
The young and old the rich and poor
To hear the legend of the magic ring
and of the powers it could bring, they sing

As the legend spreads, people come from all around.  They hear the story of this "magic" ring and sing praises to the "Lords of the Ring".

And now the message is clear
For I became a Lord this year
And though the legend was pure fantasy
We still need the hope it brings, so let's sing

As generations pass, the secret behind the legend is passed along to newly adopted members of the Lords.  They continue the practice as a way of giving people hope.