"Apollo I: The Writing Writer"

Album Art by Bill Scoville.

### Appears on

*Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV - Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness*

### Mastering

Brian Gardner

**"Apollo I: The Writing Writer"** is a song by the American rock band Coheed and Cambria. It is the sixth song on their 2005 album *Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV - Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness*. It is the first song in the "Apollo" Song Suite.

## Lyrics

**[Verse 1]**

In these words that crash my ears, I now stomach this with fear

With my turn I gathered name as the bastard's son

Who, by fire, I would come through these wire I must cut

Atop this tower of loss and lust

I'll gravitate towards you, I will, in the now, hate you

Whoa-oh oh, whoa-oh oh

**[Pre-Chorus]**

I'll make you wish

You hadn't burned our time, before

I'll live through this

In a manner cursed at my own accord

**[Chorus]**

If my shame spills our worth across this floor

Then tonight, goodnight... I'm burning Star IV

Only I don't even think of you

No, I don't wanna think of you, anymore

Goodnight, tonight, goodbye

Goodnight, tonight, goodbye

**[Verse 2]**

In my presence, you might wake

Through this fiction I must fake

Your death to grace the face of my character

With these lessons, he might learn

That all worlds from here must burn

For as God demands, in the end, we miss

**[Chorus]**

Whoa-oh, oh

If my shame spills our worth across this floor

Whoa-oh, oh

Then tonight, goodnight... I'm burning Star IV

Only I don't even think of you

No, I don't wanna think of you, anymore

Goodnight, tonight, goodbye

Goodnight, tonight, goodbye

**[Bridge]**

*There is no room for mistakes, my children*
For as I have been told, today is the day I die

I'm sorry I never played the part as your father

And from the looks on your faces, it seems that's all you've ever asked of me

It is time for you to go into these worlds alone... with all of my love

I'm sorry and I love you all so very much

**[Pre-Chorus]**

I'll make you wish

You hadn't burned our time before

I'll live through this

In a manner cursed at my own accord

*(I don't want to go)*

So come on, bitch, why aren't you laughing now?

*(You left me here to fend on my own)*

So cry on, bitch, why aren't you laughing now?

**[Chorus]**

Whoa-oh, oh

If my shame spills our worth across this floor

Whoa-oh, oh

Then tonight, goodnight... I'm burning Star IV

Only I don't even think of you

No, I don't wanna think of you, anymore

Goodnight, tonight, goodbye

Goodnight, tonight, goodbye

Whoa-oh oh, whoa-oh-oh oh

Whoa-oh oh, whoa-oh-oh oh

Only I don't even think of you

No, girl, I don't wanna think of you, anymore

Goodnight, tonight, goodbye

Goodnight, tonight, goodbye

## Story Context

We are back to Ryder the Writer's perspective. This seems to depict events between Chapters 8 to 10. The first verse seems to be Ryder's inner thoughts as he discusses things with Erica Court. She tells him he's sick and needs help which obviously frightens and upsets him, but also makes him think of Ten Speed's visions of her cheating. He loves her, but his idea of her has become very twisted and distorted.

In the pre-chorus, we jump to Chapter 10 where Ryder has opened The Well and will enter The Fiction. He's given up on Erica as she is, and decides to correct the mistake in Ten Speed's suggestion. The chorus illustrates Ryder's ability to manipulate the story. We saw this exact line play out in Chapter 4, where a mental break Ryder had showed Claudio as he walked up to Newo's house, sat with Apollo and ultimately ended his reenactment of the story by declaring he was "burning Star IV," except in this version, it seems it was Ryder himself who activated Claudio's powers at those words. Their placement in the story acts as a reinforcement of the idea that Ryder is God of the Fiction. Of course, the chorus' conclusion reminds us this is Ryder's PoV since he is telling himself he won't think of Erica anymore. He has the Fiction and she's broken his heart. He'll throw her away like she did to him.

Verse 2 takes place after Ryder has entered the Fiction, but it is still his inner thoughts, and isn't explicitly in the comic. In these lines, he's connecting the character's death (Ambellina, he's convinced) to his feelings to Erica, and *also* that the death will awaken his stubborn main character, Claudio, who has been reluctant about pursuing his destiny in full.

The last piece in this song is the bridge. This is almost an exact word-for-word in Chapter 8. After crash landing in the City of Kalline on Apity Prime, and before their final battle begins, Jesse addresses his "children," Sizer and Chase. He says, "Soon, the weight of this battle shifts from my shoulders to yours. My children, today is the day I die. I regret I wasn't better at playing the part of your father. It's all you've ever asked of me. Even a father makes mistakes. I don't have all the answers, but in my flaws, through my shortcomings—I hope I've taught you what is right. It's nearly time for you to go into these worlds alone. I'm sorry to leave you this way. I love you all so very much. But it's time to go now. Become what you were made for. ***Become hell, my IRO-bots!***"

## Trivia

* Danny Louis played Keyboard & Daniel Sadownick was on Percussion.
* Many melodies and lyrics in this song are reprised in "The Willing Well II: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness" and "The Willing Well III: Apollo II: The Telling Truth".
* The line "Goodnight, tonight, goodbye" may very well be a call back to "The Camper Velourium I: Faint of Hearts", especially in the cadence its sung in.
* Though the title of this song includes a conundrum as Apollo (Newo Ikkin's dog) is in the Fiction and the title "The Writing Writer" (which belongs to Ryder) is in the Real. But this is probably meant to illustrate Ryder's connection to The Fiction.
* According to Sanchez, the simple explanation of this song is: "This is where we meet the Writer, and learn his motive. As the writer of this story, can he really be looked upon as a godlike figure to these characters?"

## References

1. ↑ Coheed and Cambria. Booklet. *Good Apollo, I'm Burning Star IV - Volume One: From Fear Through the Eyes of Madness*, Equal Vision Records, 2005.
2. ↑ https://genius.com/Coheed-and-cambria-apollo-i-the-writing-writer-lyrics
3. ↑ https://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2007/10/24/coheed-decoded-coheed-and-cambria-frontman-recaps-his-sci-fi-epic