Monday Music: "The World Is Made of Glass"

The inspiration for this week's Monday Music feature comes from a Whatever post, "Songs You Like That You're Pretty Sure No One Else Does." John Scalzi came up with a Tin Machine song. The one that popped into my mind almost immediately was "The World Is Made of Glass" by John Illsley.

There's not really anything wrong with the song that makes it unlistenable to the masses, it's just that I'm pretty sure that no one else even knows it exists. I found the CD in the dollar bin at my local used CD store. The name John Illsley sounded very vaguely familiar so I bought it. Hell, it was only a dollar. If it was no good it would at least make a nice frisbee. The rest of the CD was pretty forgettable, but this song was a keeper for me. I later discovered that John Illsley was the bassist for Dire Straits. Illsley plays lead guitar on this track. He must have taken some lessons from Mark Knofler; he's got that sound down pat.

The song is so unknown by anyone that I had to upload it to Imeem just to be able to share it with you, and I can't find the lyrics anywhere online. They are so vague that they could be about anything or nothing at all. It's not about the lyrics though, it's about the sound and the mood. Tell me what you think.

The World Is Made of Glass - John Illsley

Lyrics:

This house is mine
I'm in my house
The many rooms are warm
Each has its use
Each has its place
All but one
This empty space
There's no way in
There is no key
No light from windows clear
The air is thick
It's so hard to breathe
This empty space
It troubles me

The world is made of glass
The world is made of glass

Then outside a mighty noise
The flagpole crashes down
On the roof a warrior proud
He's finely dressed in wartime shroud
He wields his spear
I see his face
His eyes they flash like ice
Heaven knows what curse he brings
Does hell protect this empty space

The world is made of glass
The world is made of glass

I am on air
There is no time
No sound outside to hold
Can this be where two sides touch
Before the dream grows cold

The world is made of glass
The world is made
The world is made of glass