"Junesong Provision"

Album Art by Bill Scoville.

**"Junesong Provision"** is a song by the American rock band Coheed and Cambria. It is the eighth track on their 2002 album *The Second Stage Turbine Blade*. A demo, acoustic version was released on in 2000 on *Delirium Trigger* and was included as the fifteenth track on the reissued *Second Stage* album.

## Lyrics

**[Verse 1]**

Good morning, sunshine

Awake when the sun hits the sky

Look up the sounds that surround

The day you died

She waits for me outside

Near a hole in the ground

In the one way thinking

You might get the upper hand

**[Verse 2]**

Dear Newo Ikkin

How's Apollo been treating you?

Has he been a good boy

Since the day I left?

Give him my love

And a sweet kiss for his head

'Cause I won't be coming home

When you get this, I'll be dead

[Interlude]

Norris and Larry, Gloria to nowhere

Sir, I think you'd better take my hand

And pray we'll make this one out alive

Captain!! We've lost all systems control

Then son, I'll see you in my sleep...

[Bridge 1]

Is it all you've shared with them

That makes us paranoid?

Is it the dream that one day

You might be something you're not?

Is it all you've shared with them

That makes us paranoid?

Is it the dreams that make us real?

Is it the dreams that make us real?

[Bridge 2]

*(We'll miss you and wait for you when you come)*

Wrong way, right way

Bad luck, what God has been giving me

*(We'll miss you and wait for you when you come)*

Wrong way, right way

Bad luck, you've gotta be kidding me

[Verse 3]

I've spent so long sitting down, here

Paper-cut my heart in half and discard the evidence

When it's yours, come send me the last half

Doused in kerosene in a torched, blazed blood bath

When boy sets fire, God knows you've lost

At a cost that has no price, when you've purchased guilt

Stand at attention and make sure you know

Your lines and yourself

Yet you'd say, "I'll be home alone again, waiting"

[Outro]

Wait for me alright, I'm still a boy down there

When you wanna promise me that

Wait for me alright, I'm still a boy down there

When you wanna promise me that

Wait for me alright, I'm still a boy down there

When you wanna promise me that

*(To drive down, where's Wednesday?)*

Wait for me alright, I'm still a boy down there

*(Where's Wednesday?)*

When you wanna promise me that

*(To drive down, where's Wednesday?)*

Wait for me alright, I'm still a boy down there

*(Where's Wednesday?)*

When you wanna promise me that

## Story Context

This song shift perspective from Claudio Kilgannon as he stows away off Hetricius, to his parents in space on the *Gloria vel Vessa* ship. In Issue 3, before Claudio leaves his girlfriend, Newo Ikkin, he uses his ability to phase through matter to break into her house so he can leave a letter and takes a picture of the two of them together on his way out. Though Newo usually is "Awake when the sun hits the sky," she doesn't read the letter until Issue 8.

The first line, "Good morning Sunshine," is a direct quote from said letter. "Look up at the sounds that surround / The day you died" isn't directly linked to the letter, but may refer to how Claudio felt when we was writing the letter: to him, this is the day he dies in her heart. Will she remember how the world sounded upon that realization? The next lines also support this idea: "She waits for me outside / Near a hole in the ground" gives the impression that he wonders if she will attend his funeral and stand close to the hole they'll lower his body into. He concludes: "In the one way thinking / You might get the upper hand." The "you" here refers to the people after him. If he dies, they can't go after Newo to force him into their hands.

In the second verse, he continues a little more directly into the letter: "Dear Newo Ikkin / How's Apollo been treating you? / Has he been a good boy / Since the day I left?" This isn't in the comic, so I believe this is small talk that he may have ended up leaving out of the final letter. He's not sure what to write so asking about the dog seems a little more casual and relaxed. It's followed by, "Give him my love / And a sweet kiss for his head" which makes me think of soldiers at war telling their wives to kiss the children for them. Of course, the verse ends with maybe the only bit that did make it into the final letter: "'Cause I won't be coming home / When you get this, I'll be dead."

The interlude has us switching scenes to the Kilgannon parents. The line, "Norris and Larry, Gloria to nowhere" refer to the *Gloria vel Vessa* and her commanders. The pair has rounded up the crew on the bridge and forced them to rewire the ship's programing to turn the course of the ship. Crom comes aboard to interrupt them and Coheed mutters "Gloria to nowhere..." The last of the interlude is "Sir, I think you'd better take my hand / And pray we'll make this one out alive / Captain, we've lost all systems control / Then son, I'll see you in my sleep, sleep..." with "Sir" probably referring to Gosweel addressing Henderson and what follows interrupted as "you need to help me or we're dead." Of course, the ship is controlled by the Space Port at this point, so they've essentially "lost all systems control," with Henderson then responding, "Welp, I guess we're dead."

The bridge is almost a snap shot of a hundred pictures hinting at what Claudio will become. "Is it all you’ve shared with them / That makes us paranoid?" The "you" here addresses Claudio and the "them" is his family and friends; the love for these people he calls his own, the "us" is probably the Prise. In Issue 6 we get their back and forth about what to do and the decision is made to send Ambellina to watch over and protect Claudio (unbeknownst to him, of course). This is NOT an easy decision by any means and shows how frighten and desperate they are. It concludes with "Is it the dreams that make us real? / Is it the dreams that make us real?" which is an interesting turn of phrase. Throughout the series, this is a reoccurring theme that morphs as it proceeds. The vision Marth had was real. The dreams Coheed had were real. The Writer, who will we meet later, dreamt this world and it is real for the characters. Ryan's dreams seem to becoming true throughout the chapters; is that what makes them materialize? And what does Claudio dream of?

The follow up bridge begins with "We'll miss you and wait for you when you come" whispered in the background which means we are back to Claudio who, believing his family is dead, may perceive that they will be there for him when he too eventually dies and can be reunited with them. The follow up line is, "Wrong way, right way / Bad luck, what God has been giving me" definitely conveys how Claudio must feel: he's not sure where to go or what to do, but it seems like everything has gone to shit. And it's definitely God's fault. Of course, in the reprisal lines, it ends with "you've gotta be kidding me" instead to drive this point home.

The third verse seems to be a third perspective: the Red Army soldiers who were posted at the Kilgannon house and tasked with "disposing evidence." The "I've spent so long sitting down, here" could be the fact that they are bored. So bored they start looking at family photos and they comment about how attractive Josie was, so the line, "Paper-cut my heart in half and discard the evidence," could be the flippant manner they discuss her and their mission. The line "When it's yours, come send me the last half" doesn't seem to have a proper place, but has a feel of completing the banter between the soldiers. "Doused in kerosene in a torched, blazed blood bath" would refer to them beginning to do their actual job: pouring some kind of liquid over dead bodies, blood, etc. with the intention to set the house on fire. Of course, they are killed by the returning Priest. The second half of this verse though seems to go back to Claudio, who would just be returning home after the two are killed and the Priest lies in wait... but the lines seem to have an omniscient quality to them. "When boy sets fire, God knows you've lost" could refer to Claudio's role as The Crowing, who is destined to burn the worlds anew and take down Ryan (who thinks he's a god). "At a cost that has no price," when broken down equals free, and we continue, "when you've purchased guilt," so guilt is free. Claudio feels guilty. Again, this could be going back to the part in the story when he arrives home; he's terribly late, and he promised so he knows he's guilty and probably feels shame. The last few lines are interesting: "Stand at attention and make sure you know / The lines and yourself" seems to be referencing The Writer's idea that ultimately, Claudio is a pawn in his story. He just needs to pay attention for his cues, move where he's told, and say the lines he's given. And the last line is also a little curious: "Yet you'd say, 'I'll be home alone again, waiting'." "Yet" implies that he's going off script but the words that follow seem to be normal. Claudio's dad is a factory worker and his mom used to be a nurse (who probably worked nights) so theoretically one of them was always absent when he was younger. He's also socially a bit of an outcast. This could very well be tying his past and future together.

The outro also reflects Claudio's connection back to Newo. He's told her he's going to be dead, but inside, he hopes she'll wait for him. He knows he's asking a lot since they're still young, and he's not sure when he'll be able to return, but he still hopes.

## Trivia

* Norris and Larry's full names are Captain Norris Henderson and Lieutenant Larry Goswell. They are the commanders and of the *Gloria vel Vessa*, a Red Army ship.
* "Junesong" is Claudio's nickname for Newo.
* This song has a demo version on the same album as track 12. This acoustic version also includes a sound clip from the movie *Army of Darkness* in which Bruce Campbell's character, Ash, refers to his shotgun as his "boomstick."
* This song also has a prototype featured on Shabütie's EP, *Delirium Trigger* originally released in 2000.
* The lyric booklet is misprinted with the last lines being "Yo I won't fail you know / Dear Captian send the S.O.S. when we're gonna go down," which clearly belong to "Hearshot Kid Disaster".
	+ The "Yo" is probably Mayo. These lines were actually missing from that song in the booklet.

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Coheed and Cambria. Booklet. *The Second Stage Turbine Blade*, Equal Vision Records, 2002.
2. ↑ https://genius.com/Coheed-and-cambria-junesong-provision-lyrics