Brave New World

Brave New World
Written by Tommy Shaw, James Young
Lead Vocals by Tommy Shaw

The lines are drawn in the sand across the caress of time
The lines are drawn in the sand across the caress of time

There's a face in the glass
Looking through the mirror
At the maze of my past
It was never clearer

On the distant horizon
The sun approaches
Better cover my eyes
Better hide the roaches

In the best of my time
There was something better
And the quest of my mind
Was to try and get her

Something simple and pure
As the thoughts in my head
Not the tears in the rain
Over me she shed

We were almost there
Still I was unaware

Here in the Brave New World's embrace
I watch the parade begin
Searching for one familiar face
And I wonder where I fit in
How will I know if there's a place
For me in the Brave New World

To be calm in the eye
Of the human storm
In a house full of dreams
I am safe and warm

Looking back at a life
Filled with warm embraces
No regrets only memories
Of smiling faces

We were almost there
Now change is in the air

Until now I held the zone
I ruled the world
I called it home
I never saw the down side

See the now see the Zen
There is no division
Through the eyes of a child
There is perfect vision

And the best of our lives
Resonate the hills
And the sun's gonna shine
And you know that I will...

Interpretation 

Brave New World is the name of a classic novel by Aldous Huxley. It is loosely the theme of the album, although only in the sense that we are entering a brave new world (not the one envisioned by Huxley).

The lines are drawn in the sand across the caress of time.

To cross a line in the sand is to cross a line of significance. Over time, we slowly move toward and across such lines, only to see them in retrospect.

There's a face in the glass looking through the mirror at the maze of my past. It was never clearer. On the distant horizon the sun approaches. Better cover my eyes. Better hide the roaches.

Looking back at his past, he can see much more clearly than he did at the time. As he comes out of the darkness of his ignorance, his eyes need to adjust to the light. In the same way that roaches will scurry when a light is turned on suddenly, he needs the hide the "roaches" (stubs of marijuana joints) that are emblematic of a past when he did not see as clearly as today.

In the best of my time there was something better, and the quest of my mind was to try and get her. Something simple and pure as the thoughts in my head, not the tears in the rain over me she shed. We were almost there. Still I was unaware.

The best part of his past involved the girl that he loved. He was most focused when trying to gain her attention and win her affection. That was when he had the purest thoughts. Unfortunately, he must have blown it, leaving her crying. He was still blind to what mattered most.

Here in the Brave New World's embrace, I watch the parade begin. Searching for one familiar face, and I wonder where I fit in. How will I know if there's a place for me in the Brave New World?

Now that we are in this brave new world, and he has much clearer vision, he is searching through the parade of faces in his life, looking for her again.  Will he find her? Will he be part of her future? 

To be calm in the eye, of the human storm, in a house full of dreams, I am safe and warm. Looking back at a life filled with warm embraces, no regrets, only memories of smiling faces. We were almost there. Now change is in the air.

Just as it is calm in the eye of a hurricane, despite the fiercest winds swirling around, he feels safe in the comfort of his dreams. He looks back at his life without regrets, having filtered out anything negative, only remembering the smiling faces of he friends. They came close to achieving their dreams, and now things are changing to perhaps bring those dreams closer to reality.

Until now I held the zone; I ruled the world; I called it home. I never saw the down side.

 He had achieved a measure of success and had control over his own destiny. It was comfortable, so he didn't see what he was missing.

See the now see the Zen. There is no division. Through the eyes of a child, there is perfect vision, and the best of our lives resonate the hills, and the sun's gonna shine, and you know that I will...

Used here in a play on words, Zen is a school of Buddhism that emphasizes practice and experiential wisdom. In seeing the Zen, is seeing through experience that there is no division. By seeing through the innocent perspective of a child, he can see more clearly, and that gives him hope.

(Editorial note: Given that this was the first studio album after the reunion of the classic line-up, there was initially hope that the past divisions were healed, and Styx was poised to make a run at finishing what they had started in the 70s and put on hold in the 80s.  Unfortunately, after the song was written, the health issues that Dennis was experiencing revealed the old divisions as the album was recorded and a tour planned, so ultimately Styx moved forward without Dennis, adding Lawrence Gowan to the line up.)