"Window of the Waking Mind"

Album Art by Chase Stone.

**"Window of the Waking Mind"** is a song by the American rock band Coheed and Cambria. It is the thirteenth song on their 2022 album *Vaxis - Act II: A Window of the Waking Mind*.

## Lyrics

**I: TIME**

*(Time...)*

Time has a funny way of playing jokes

On you...

While you're waiting for what

You think you know

Will happen next

Is never what you could have come to expect...

And so it goes

*(Oh)* and so it goes

Deep inside his eyes I see myself

As I wonder who he’ll turn out to be

Is that the question that needs answering... Right now?

**II: THE AWAKENING**

"And so concludes this chapter

As my parents unravel the untangled threads of my reality

Not of design, but by accident

My perception in question

As I leave the infinite for the present

And rise... A Window of the Waking Mind"

**III: THE BIRTH**

Here's a simple story

And I hope I tell it well

Of a boy locked in a place

His mind, the very cell

Imprisoned with his wild visions

Of every time in space

There's no one in this world

Quite like him

The thing that complicates it

Is his parents and who they are

The law they're made to run from

Beyond the House of the Stars

The birth must be in secret

So no prying eyes can see

There’s no one else this world

Quite like him

Our pride and joy

Are you there?

Are you in there, safe and sound?

Tell us what you need, so we can help you

We don't know what to do

We don't know what to do

Patronizing doctors

With their diagnostic leads

Carry on your query

It's blood, the boy, he bleeds

But you can't see him like you

So a monster he must be

There's no one in this world

Quite like him

Vaxis... Son...

Do you hear us?

Do you feel us?

Son! *(Son!)*

**IV: THE MIRRORING EYES**

"Vaxis, Vaxis, Vaxis..."

Vaxis can you see us with your eyes?

Vaxis, can you hear us with your ears?

Is this right to calculate his moments?

To find what's normal... is being normal...

What's right? *(What's right?)*

Can you feel it?

*(No!)*

Can you hear it?

*(No!)*

**V: THE MOTHER**

Time

I’ll take you home

This child of ours

I'll take you home

With all my love

I’ll give you the world

And keep no secrets from you

So life get's tough

But it's no excuse or your fault

My brightest star

Shine your light on us all

Am I wrong

Or did he save me?

Shine your love on all this crazy

**VI: THE FATHER**

Who said you got to rush to get old?

Figure it all out or you'll be left in the cold

Little one, let them

Don't follow, just set them free

You can do it on your own time, so you know

I'll be watching you

Armed to the teeth

Don't you go poking

While the lion, he sleeps

My boy, it's okay to cry

I'm telling you to... TIME!

Who said you got to rush to get old?

Figure it all out or you'll be left in the cold

Little one, let them

Don't follow, just set them free

You can do it on your own time, so you know

I'll be watching you

Armed to the teeth

Don't you go poking

While the lion, he sleeps

My boy, it's okay to cry

TIME!

## Story Context

Section 1: Time. This seems to be from either Nia or Nos's perspective. Both of them did not expect things to go the way they have thus far, especially given the events in *Vaxis I*. In that book, as soon as Nos found out about him, he began to wonder and most likely, Nia did as well.

Section 2: Awakening. This is a short section entirely spoken by an older Vaxis. This future Vaxis seems to be stating that this moment at the end of the book when his younger self finally interacts with a Quintillian Speaker, is when he awakens and his parents subsequently realize he is a Window.

Section 3: Birth. We go back to younger Vaxis who is now to be born. We get the summary of his state: He cannot convey himself; his mind the only space he is able to exist fully in. We get a look at what happened before *Vaxis 2*; the couple trying to make a home, but being wanted by HOSS, they keep having to run. And surely, when he is born, they don't want HOSS to know and have something more to hold against them. Then we get events from Chapter 3 when Vaxis was just two. His parents took him to a doctor—one of many—who tells them the grave news: Vaxis is different from others and may even be in terrible pain.

Section 4: This is more depiction of the aftermath of this diagnostic. Vaxis' eyes are clouded, but the doctor said they aren't obstructed. This leads the parents to begin to wonder what *is* normal, and what's the right thing to do by their son? Especially given that the "solution" the doctor gave them was to use a heavy narcotic to hopefully reduce or mitigate his supposed pain.

Section 5: Given this section is titled "Mother," it's probably safe to assume this section is from Nia's perspective. There are some interesting lines here worth highlighting: "I'll give you the world / And keep no secrets from you" seems like an interesting parallel to the relationship Claudio Kilgannon had with his own family who kept many secrets from him, both unknowingly and on purpose. Similarly, "My brightest star" is reminiscent of Coheed Kilgannon calling Maria Kilgannon his star. And lastly, "Shine your love/light on us all/all this crazy" is almost an exact opposite of what Claudio was told (that is, he was told to destroy and judge).

Section 6: Again, as this section is titled "Father" it is probably about Nostrand. This section is mostly reminiscent of other content in "Blood" and even, potentially, bits of "Rise, Naianasha (Cut the Cord)". It's Nos speaking directly to Vaxis as a father might if he were dying or had to leave: "Stay a kid as long as possible, follow your own path/heart, I'll always be by your side watching/guarding you," and so forth. It's an interesting ending as the words are a bit solemn, but the tune is upbeat. This may be an insight into the next album.

## Background

Heavily inspired by the book *NeuroTribes* by Steve Silberman that Sanchez was reading, he found many connections between him and his son and started playing with the idea of what "strict normality" was. That is, though the character Vaxis is born *seemingly* with something wrong with him, he actually just has a higher consciousness, one beyond his parent's understanding. And this, of course, will become important in further *Amory Wars* installments.

## Trivia

* "Old Flames" is interpolated on this track.
* Sanchez said that this song was born of his flirting with writing for musicals.

## References

1. ↑ https://genius.com/Coheed-and-cambria-window-of-the-waking-mind-lyrics
2. ↑ Coheed and Cambria. Booklet. *Vaxis - Act II: A Window of the Waking Mind*, Roadrunner Records, 2022.
3. ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/TheFence/comments/vklxyl/claudios\_trackbytrack\_descriptions\_from\_allmusic/
4. ↑ Adams, Gregory. "TUNE-UPS: Return of the Jedis" Guitar World (July 2022), 17 May 2022, pp. 17-18.
5. ↑ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Vo6ciB9roY&t=302s