Mucka Blucka (Intro to Cacophony)

“*Chuckling* Ahhhh, jesus...

...Ya ever seen anyone lose their mind on-mic?”

CACOPHONY: A clashing of noise, discordant and unorganized.

Not a trace of a plan will likely be found here. But on another note, it’s worthy to acknowledge how this chapter contains an Intro, whilst the prior does not.

Immediately, the tone has flipped, now giving the once tense situation a non-sensical (yet cynical and tragically self-aware) feeling.

Advertising the sequence more as a show to behold, they seem to laugh in the face of this otherwise serious conflict. Although, this could just be an attempt at a more light-hearted inner monologue, perhaps as a coping strategy.

But, it seems as if this story of self-reconciliation isn’t as isolated as we previously imagined.

“And who will pay the toll? The Heart, The Mind, or The Soul?”

Enter our real main characters – The one we’ve seen a view of already being The Soul, seemingly possessing a hold over the others, representation and control-wise. However, the voices we’ve rarely heard now have a new presence, as the other maintainers of this body (Implied through the use of organs as points of view).

Despite being plotted right back together, they don’t immediately act; instead opting to lament on their awareness of the future laid out for them. They all acknowledge that they’ve settled these conflicts before. Yet needing to ‘Become Whole,’ they must play it out once more to reach an ending act (However, a reset could perhaps just wipe their memory of anything unfavourable, likely resulting in an unsuspecting state towards the lows of later).

From the line “And like an archaic cuckoo clock, I'll chirp, and chant, and cock in complete disregard for my future,” (befitting of the theming of the original song), we can only presume that the sheer amount of looping has caused the urge to deviate from this set path, to shake things up regardless of consequence, seeking a breath of fresh air.

Although, through all of this, they acknowledge that this fighting feels silly and unnecessary, knowing that even with the desire for “a captive audience...

…even I can see through my bull****,”

“Slow, patternly, is the melody that he's stringing together. But they have time enough to spend some time alone.”

The final sections foretell the actions that will unfold due to Heart specifically (by process of elimination), explaining that they are perfectly able to witness his unrestful growth, and know that he’s gradually repressing to something bad.

But even then, the others choose not to interfere. They lay dormant, waiting patiently for the time when tensions rise and break, and true colours are shown.

Note for album listeners: Soul speaks with noticeable autotune/grain, Mind speaks an octave lower, and Heart speaks cleanly.

Note for Youtube watchers: Soul tends to be paired with grey backgrounds, Mind with white, and Heart with black.

Note for description readers: Soul possesses {Curly brackets}, Mind possesses [Square brackets], and Heart possesses (Rounded brackets).

Never Meant to Know

“Woke up today with the lay of the land. Feather in cap and the sun in the sand. It was easy, it was easy to understand.”

(Note: some songs are considerably older than others and haven’t been produced in chronological album order. Some tracks may have story inconsistencies, only minor lyrical changes and/or a lack of distinction between the characters and/or their voices.)

The former half of this song conveys a short, fading sense of order, understandability, and clear connection to a stable world. Along with this, we have the original song’s premise of feeling content with the fact that there’s many uncovered truths to our reality, and our earth. Despite the unknown, it’s easier to understand that there’s likely a reason for these mysteries.

As for reinterpreting for Jash’s story, this could provide us with a sketch of what an ‘ideal life’ might look like, according to our characters. It could also help set the scene for the stakes that are presented later on, as this can be put in place as something for them to ‘fight for,’ to help us feel more inclined to see a prosperous outcome.

After all, a sad art piece requires some happiness, lest the despair become blunt, and unimpactful.

Spring and a Storm

“One time, I tried to sing, about spring and a storm, but you know how it goes.”

On a similar note, from the previous track, this song follows the same principles and theming as the original Tally Hall version, albeit with a changed structure compositionally (Dropping the ending verse).

Looking at these two back-to-back, it might be good to assume that this period of Cacophony is a chapter of peace and solace, as nothing seems too out of the ordinary (Shown by the absence of lyrical changes to the tunes).

To further solidify this, there isn’t a distinct canon voice being portrayed here, even in the music video. This alludes to an incidentally crafted harmony within our main character (Chonny, as this is a tale of self-expression).

The only modification made to the song is the interval before the “Eternally high” verse. Originally, the verse was sparked by child voices asking the same question. Here, it’s self-narrated by Jash, replacing the other possible individuals with the presence of a girl.

A possible love interest that becomes somewhat relevant later in this story (albeit not that crucial in the grand scheme of things).

On another note, the lack of split voices/personalities shows us that Mucka Blucka specifically (despite being part of the main Cacophony) was a self-aware introduction to this piece, showing it as a spectacle to behold, knowing that they’d soon be taken and merged into one, finding a subtle period of relaxation before anything were to go wrong.

Unless you find yourself putting others off with your ramblings.

Night

“We ought to leave a light on. {Leave a light on.}

Underneath the moon.”

After what we can assume is an unseen, yet unfortunate outcome to a seemingly crucial situation for Jash, the halves begin to show, and take the place of any doubts that we, as humans, tend to fuel and entertain as we reflect on potentially “incorrect” actions. Our characters start to stumble across a dissonance on the inside, and start conflicting on their approaches/opinions on dealing with possible rejection.

Through the opening verse, we see Mind seeping into the lyrics, making his presence known to the others, creating a clash in ideologies. ‘Looking out an opened window and seeing them’ could mean looking inside yourself reluctantly, only to find something unwanted, or stashed away, an example being the logical side of whatever’s going on in the outside world for the host, that the other (reactionary) side doesn’t want to accept/believe.

Reasoning seems to be the primary decision here, as The Mind announces his materializing appearance with “I’m arriving alive and alight” (Who is associated with light backgrounds/the sun). This obviously prompts a disagreement inside, as The Heart will only believe what it wants to, which will start to flare up tensions within the three.

“Better when the light comes in the night-time, opening the door.”

This further proves the fact that logic is the primary path through democracy here, with the seemingly all-powerful Soul siding with him. On top of this, it could also be calling back to the common advice of applying rationality whenever possible, especially late at night, when mental states tend to drop with the cycle of the time spent awake.

The shorter phrases along the lines of “Something is gone.” and “What do you want?” possibly shows an agreement of confusion, or anxiety towards the opposite side, unsure of what is to come out of this, which provokes Heart a considerable amount through this bridge.

With no further response, nor iteration, the chorus repeats. Driving Heart to drastic measures, something has happened in between here and the next song, which will prove immense in the scheme of things.

Ruler of Everything

“Juno was mad, he knew he’d been had, so he shot at the sun with a gun.”

Juno (repurposing the original TH lyrics’ storytelling for Heart) had attempted an attack on The Mind (again, represented as the Sun), and failed due to his fundamental design. His ‘design’ can be interpreted as his humanized visual appearance (Blindfolded eyes, lack of vision), or even the metaphorical idea of the human heart, where it would be engineered specifically to preserve the entirety of the body, keeping it running. It shouldn’t possess anywhere near the capacity to take down the brain, being the only other organ of its size, power, and importance.

By shooting himself whilst his ‘Eyes were in a mist’ (See: Mucka Blucka), we could analyse this and say that this is the retelling of a panic/heart attack of some sorts, where out of hyperactivity and desperation, the heart can cause incredible damage to itself and/or the body’s system.

However, knowing that he was imprisoned for this, along with the fact he still partakes in the story, we can see that this wasn’t fatal, and was instead a detrimental event that would change the course of things, rather than halting the story to an abrupt end.

“You understand, mechanical hands are the ruler of everything,”

The way this line is repurposed, despite having no changes, cements how robotic Mind can seem in instrumentation and vocal effects, along with showing him off and declaring him as the newfound leader of this system.

The only other custom change to the song can be seen in the ending, where Mind specifically comments on “ Like a bumbling dragon, you fly.”

This introduces us more to the reoccurring theme of him having a tendency to be the primary subject to lyrical changes when multiple characters are singing at once, mostly in the form of commenting on others, and more so his purview of them.

Good Day

“I’d like to say hello and welcome you, Good Day, that is my name.”

One theory I have regarding this song is that it takes place more so OUTSIDE of our characters’ usual point of view. Instead of being focused on the conflicts of varied mental outlooks and ideas/plans, it would be more akin to someone else looking towards Chonny, the inside parts combined to put together the image of a regular person.

If true, this could serve as a good break from the usual action, almost giving us an intertwined ‘B Plot’ to follow along with. Going along with this, it would seem to show a better view of Chonny’s non-fictional outlook on his life, mostly with motivation, reasoning, and general emotional state (Of course somewhat exaggerated for the sake of the song’s gimmick presented primarily in the Youtube title).

This exaggeration is also backed up by the closing verse, where he explicitly states:

“Fine I'll play the happy version. Free from sadness and perversion,”

Showing that he is willing to stay somewhat self-aware, especially considering this is one of the earlier covers without the full attention to detail and continuity of the later ones that focus entirely on HMS. So, despite taking a detour from the surrounding tracks due to initially being a standalone product, it was still able to be fitted into the overarching album with some reimagining.

Just Apathy

“It's too much.

Or not enough.

Maybe this whole goddamn song's messed up.”

In the beginning, we hear more of a lamentation, that focuses on the distain for feeling the need to thoroughly analyse everything you’ve done or made, and wondering if any of that extra effort is even needed in the first place. “Flitting back and forth,” does seem to show something explicitly else, however.

As we get into the second verse, it’s clear that we’re back into the fray, with the distinct voices yet again (albeit with not much visual or lyrical indication provided, such as Heart sporting a subdued background).

But, with a soft voice singing “I’m no kid,” and a low one singing “Then stop acting like it,” doesn’t leave too much guesswork for us.

In fact, this is one of the first signs of blatant argument between Heart and Mind specifically, with more of an absence of Soul. However, despite this bouncing back at each other, they both find mutual feelings with this track’s subject.

Regardless, Mind’s presence is merely to contrast to Heart’s denial-like state; whilst Heart starts neglecting his actions, and refuses to take responsibility, or shade himself from the truth thinking he can move on subtly, Mind contradicts this by flipping his words, commenting judgingly on his thought process and methods, and reminding him of situations that he chooses to believe aren’t there.

“I’m sick, and tired of holding fire, when all I feel is violence,”

Later, they both unionize on one fact, they wish they could bring harm onto one-another, and are likely held at a stalemate, forced to co-exist out of the need to stay alive.

“All I know will soon turn to dust.

And yet you claim my apathy's not just,”

With this final line, we get a clear summary of their dynamic; Even if Heart is to lament to himself, Mind will still be there to point out any inconsistencies, hold him as accountable as possible, even if it is unjust, or merely to prove himself superior, and/or reinstate his rule over logic.

The Heart Acoustic

“Think of these thoughts as hackneyed and trite. Clichéd, depraved, disturbing and contrived. Shallow, cold, wretched. Miserable, dark and any other adjective.”

Here, we see what the peak of Heart’s self-fuelled spiralling could potentially be; a desperate attempt at justifying his choice to “Choose to sit safely out of the sun,” among other things. You might’ve also noticed this being a reoccurring theme for his character, however the theming of blindness/sensitive vision could be a consequence of Rule of Everything’s events, rather than a universal attribute from the get-go.

“Singing songs someone already sung,” is also a small reference to the nature of these covers, and also maybe a prediction towards the future actions of the other characters, who all have their own take on this same song.

He then also continues to admit to his complacency leading to the isolation of his part, becoming a shallow figure of what he once was when fused with the others, along with the more conventional tropes of hopelessness and apathy being reinstated.

“Life can’t thrive controlled by digits,”

This line serves to more thoroughly ingrain how Heart perceives Mind, as ‘digits’ refers to Mind being associated almost entirely with technology and machinery, only capable of rudimentary remarks. It also makes it clear how cautious he is to the idea of letting Mind take over entirely, and the consequences of letting himself fade out, as the emotions wouldn’t be able to overpower the value of reason advertised by Mind.

As the instrumental picks up in intensity, he moves onto how he will make an attempt to survive and prevail, albeit in a more twisted manner and method, repeating statements that reassure himself to stay on course. And of course, he feels the need to stress that he IS in condemnation, and his captivity will result in destruction for all of them, whether they like it or not.

Along with acknowledging that him and Mind have different goals and that they cannot realistically co-exist in their own ideal ways, he is also aware of the need to pull through, make amends, and let their ‘total sum equal one’

“See how The Mind tricks The Soul,

Into being something sickly, dead and cold,”

This really hammers in the repeated fears that Heart has over the influence Mind can holster towards anyone. Even if darker things are happening behind closed doors, Soul could easily be swayed more and more into doing something reckless and ruining everything with his potential in order to coerce with Mind’s wishes.

And with the line “This hollowed out vessel’s beginning to creak. So take control, let’s see how you fare,” we are shown that he’s given in when it comes to grasping at the chance of holding everything together himself, and has accepted that Mind can take over, whilst he watches from the sidelines, expecting everything to crash and burn from his own hubris.

Be Born

“I know you seem so content in your little hole, dug for someone else's remains,”

This song as a whole consists of the overall theme of Mind acknowledging the issues that are presented towards him when placed in a position of responsibility, whilst still choosing to belittle Heart and highlight his incompetence and inability to ‘suck it up’, so to speak.

He’s threatening him in a way, almost encouraging him to succumb to his own problems, persuading him in any way possible to get him out of the picture. He isn’t afraid to reveal these intentions either.

“...and look how it was spent: stuck there singing songs that someone’s already told,”

This line gives a good callback to the previous song, in where Heart also makes the same claim vice-versa, conveying they are both aware of the way they share arrangements of certain songs.

“But what if I told you, I am not the villain? What if I told you, you're the same as I?”

Here, we can see how he does seem to take into account that he needs to come off as understandable to Heart in order to properly grab his attention, whilst keeping his composure. Along with this, lines like “...this dissonance between what we are and what we want to be,” does show his worriedness towards the bigger issues that fester whilst they bicker amongst themselves, but tends to immediately be ripped away with remarks such as “Is it so goddamn hard to see through your sickened lens that in the end, I am not your enemy?”

This shows that there is a contrasting variety of responses he’s giving out, and whilst his current goal is to talk things out, his ways of doing so are changing vastly and rapidly, blurring whatever intentions he might have with these scattered approaches. Almost as if he’s simply just spitting out insubstantial phrases over and over, hoping something will stick out of the dull nothings he’s displaying.

Taking these points into account, whether he is fuelled by malice or his ever-important ‘logic’, I cannot say, it’s always a fine line with this character. It is most likely a mix of both, but assuming he is a perfect being with no inconsistencies to his character traits, personality and motivations is treading a fine line, and ironically, he isn’t as fair and unbiased as he is originally advertised as, and perceiving him as such can make the way he meshes with the others less effective as a result. They’re all like this, after all.

“The clock that keeps on ticking isn’t truly endless,”

With this, the song closes out on a cliffhanger, showing his own growing desperation to find a way to ‘come out on top’, all the while nothing is done to help the vessel. He knows he has limited time here, as Soul is responsible for the current state of their abode, and is simply biding his time, letting things decay as the other two show no relent.

Storm and a Spring

“One time, I tried to sing about… I don’t know, but it was nothing f**king new.

Yet another platitude.”

This song serves as a continuation of the previous track, as it is almost entirely sung from Mind’s perspective, due to Heart’s absence/refusal to cooperate, or enable him.

As a continuation, Mind takes this opportunity to preach his own ways more and more, pushing the limits of how much they can take before somebody finally snaps, him being oblivious to it after all.

“I’m sure you really sang your Heart out, or I’m sure that’s how it seemed. But you and I both know so well, now that looks can be deceiving,”

This line perfectly calls back to what I was iterating before, where ‘singing your heart out’ could possibly be disingenuous, and that true colours can be shielded off. And on top of this, ‘you and I both know so well now’ references how Mind is aware of his own deceiving nature during his speeches.

"Mr. Mind?

Yeah?

What do you see from behind those dead leaden eyes?"

An interaction, no matter how small, has sparked conversation, which is a good first step towards a better understanding of each other’s motives, and where they’re coming from. Alas, even if Mind briefly opens up to come to terms with his original, untwisted sentiments and oaths, he reverts back to his usual nature, with this specific claim feeling even more forced and juxtaposed to the pacing of the verse, almost as if Jash is trying deliberately to sell the idea that the “logical” oppressor is getting desperate himself, and grasping at his own straws to keep himself together (most likely emotionally, ironically).

But amidst his continued speech, referring to Cacophony (or even the perhaps entire album) as an ‘atom bomb of songs’ due to its size and high energy, he slips up, and ends up announcing he will actively try to cut Heart out of the picture if he ‘insists on crying’.

This leads to what could very well be Chonny’s own interpretation of an instrumental equivalent of a panic attack.

“This trident he forged is both weapon and motive. This world will forget you, neglect, then regret to enweave the same story the backdrop is set to.”

“(Repeat until nothing is left to repeat and the universe bursts with an overworked sigh, then pretend to pretend to re-crown the creation and sing the same songs ‘til the clouds start to cry,)”

Whether it’s caused by Mind’s own depleting instability, or Heart in an act of defiance and sabotage, it prompts Mind to harden, and come at him harder, faster, and full of premonitions and hypotheticals that detail their ultimate downfall.

Heart, on the other hand, does not take the chance to attack back, but instead laments more personally, opting to use more of the original Tally Hall lyrics. With this, he once more states that this loop will never break, no matter how much he tries or hopes, and that the universe would just collapse in on itself before they are rid of their cycle.

“One time, you tried to sing about storm and a spring. But they know how it...”

With one final reinstatement of this track’s twisted nature stemming from the reversed song title itself, it once again tapers off with a cliffhanger, as to transition to the next song (This will become a much more reoccurring theme from now on).

The Mind Electric

“Look who it is, the saddened and weak. It seems those beams of light have caused some glare.”

Here we have Mind’s response to ‘The Heart Acoustic’ in the form of his own track (The 2nd cover of the song ‘The Mind Electric’ by Miracle Musical, which coincidentally happens to use relevant wording in the title, resulting in no need to change it, unlike the 1st instance).

Immediately it’s noticeable not just that the song is distinctly less acoustic and more impactful than its predecessor, but that Mind in his speech patterns, vocal inflections and tone of voice has grown incredibly hateful, resentful and bitter towards Heart’s adamant shutdown, refusing to communicate or face him directly.

He spends the entire first half of the song pointing out Heart’s, entire ‘schtick’ of hiding from the light (figuratively and literally), silently breaking down and ‘wailing inaudibly’, and infantilizing him through anecdotes and metaphors alike.

On top of this, his snide demeanour has faded into pure detestment, with lines such as “I can’t claim that I enjoy this, covering for a tortured boy,” showing that his main priority of trying to come out on top as the superior verbally has shifted tremendously.

“And I know that it’s hard to see my rhyme behind the entropy, but if he’d just once humour me, he’d see we need to live life logically,”

One more common theming of this song is that he so desperately wants to convince Heart of his more productive, good-hearted intentions, and get him to understand where he’s coming from. But considering how much he’s attempted this throughout Cacophony, this almost feels like a mocking, ironic phrase to pound in how unable he sees Heart as being.

“Maybe my existence might be by design,”

Here, Mind willingly confesses how he sees himself in the grand scheme of the body, and feels as if his entire attitude and actions are justified purely by his job and existence. He sees himself as a perfect being who isn’t capable of stepping out of line, a cog unable to be rusted. But with how he emphasises ‘maybe’ and ‘might’, we can see that he is toting himself around, but also reverting back to his original passive-aggressive traits.

But through this continuous aggression, he’s thrown the balance of things off much more than they already had been, to the point where someone else has no choice but to step in.

The Soul Eclectic

“Yo!

Call me The Soul or call me my name.

Oh, label me whatever you would like,”

Unable to hide away and watch from the sidelines, Soul hijacks the scenario, instantly overpowering the other two and taking the stage for the first time since Calamity. Entering with the 3rd cover of the ‘The Mind Electric’, this one takes much more of a high-energy frantic approach, unlike the first two that had more marching, heavy beats to them.

He starts quoting the others, almost making them feel like old repeating video tapes, giving cycling responses heard all too many times before.

Despite this, it still gives more insight into Soul’s dynamic between him and the others, as we’re finally shown his point of view more vividly. Heart asks if he really wants to be associated with Mind, proclaiming that he’ll only turn into him if he lets his influence spread more and more, whilst Mind himself belittles Heart once more, trying to convince Soul to ditch him entirely and prosper without a care in the world.

Regardless, he doesn’t care, and is clearly blinded by anger and resentment to take sides. Instead, he opts to expose both of them for who they are, and is adamant to remind them of their place.

“Fathers of fathers, I know that I’m vile. Let’s see how long it takes to murder me,”

Here, we can see that he is aware of the instability of the vessel in this state, and his raging episode will only damage everything further. In fact, he’s challenging both the others AND the body itself to essentially speedrun its own collapse, finding out how quickly he can burn out all the energy and potential he possesses.

“You must be so arrogant to think that either of you can control The Soul so wholly, when to be one whole you can’t hold solely,”

Soul is quick to shed light on Heart and Mind’s flaws and inconsistencies, calling them out for being extremely hypocritical of not just each other, but their ways of convincing Soul how to prosper, despite the fact that they are not any better than him when it comes to maintaining a sense of peace and/or their ‘Whole’ state.

The next verse maintains its original lyrics, since its theming and concept fits the currently tyrannical feel this song possesses.

Instead of continuing in the traditional structure of this song, it tapers off into its own thing, using a chaos-inducing rapid change of time signatures, keys and scales to substitute for the original song’s distinct distortion and experimental breaks, in a more conventionally listenable way.

“‘Cos I’m not nearly kind enough to leave you parasites inside me. Fumbling slowly down this path in hopes the other’s struck by lightning,”

Furthermore, he threatens eviction upon the others in his fit of rage, betting on the fact that by ‘fumbling down this path’, living recklessly enough could potentially kill them off, leaving Soul on his own.

But, when it’s time to revert back for the bridge, the lyrics stay untampered, most likely to give them acknowledgement from being left out the other two times. This is, of course, until the mention of the ‘Whole’ again, further confirming its fracture into the three characters we’ve been watching.

“Someone help me understand what’s going on behind my eyes,”

This line gives us the impression that this bridge was sung from the perspective of the conjoined views of our main three in the outside world, as ‘behind my eyes’ is a phrase Chonny uses fairly commonly to describe how his thoughts/mentality can hide behind his face, and the mention of eyes provides the presence of the vessel’s other attributes. The idea of a merged point of view can also be backed up by the attitude change of Mind and Heart, where they’re singing along predictably for once, taking to the role of backup voices.

However, the point where the final verse would slowly fade back in is absent here. Suddenly, an extension is shown, in the form of “Labyrinth”.

“Seethe as he snarls at you.

“See how he laughs at you."

Watch him struggle just to stand.

He will never understand.

The weaker half of man.

A cold and bitter stance.

Watch him beg and bargain, time and time again,"

What a calculated, degradated hand,”

Heart and Mind have again shown no change, chiming in simultaneously, and overstaying their welcome in what was supposed to be a cathartic release on Soul’s end, blurring the entire intention of the track, and pulling each other deeper in. Despite this, Soul is willing to contain himself, and observe and commentate as a spectator here, taking back the stage when he sees fit. He uses this as one last opportunity to prove to himself, and anyone else watching, that Heart and Mind are devoid of any willingness to redeem themselves, and is done dancing around the subject and letting things fester.

As the song finally calms down and fades away, we hear another round of the bridge, in a similar pacing and energy level to the reprise seen at the ‘beginning’ of this story.

“One more chance is all you’ve left to turn the tides,

…I won’t hesitate to kill my Heart and Mind. I will abdicate these deviants sat inside. I’ll take you down in tandem when this rope is tied.”

With this closing verse, Soul presents an ultimatum, where he’s been able to prove that the other two are incapable of fixing their problems, and will shut everything down himself if they don’t make an attempt at change. He’s at the end of his tether, and a suicidal takedown is not something he is above doing, if it means being able to threaten silence out of them.

The Bidding

“I've been sleeping in a cardboard box, spending every dollar on a losing lot. And even though I know it isn't worth much stock, you know it's better to have tried than not.”

As we leave the final ‘The Mind Electric’ cover, the pacing is brought back significantly, but the contextual urgency and jeopardy persists, as tensions, after time and time again, are still rising.

Right after this first line, Mind feels no intimidation/tone nuance from the previous events, and immediately challenges both Soul’s authority and persuasion tactics, claiming not to be fooled by anything he would’ve used to make him easier to pity, or sympathise with.

“Some have lust. Some have greed. Some have intra-psychosocial envy.”

‘Intra-psychosocial envy’ can be broken down to reveal that it relates more to the album than what you’d originally think. ‘Intra’ meaning embedded, infused, or generally inside, and ‘Psychosocial’ being the concept of individual thought processes and attitudes, social factors and tropes, and how those two intertwine and affect each other. Envy is simple, so combined we can gather that it calls back to the foundations of this story, where Jash’s own dissonance is sparked by failing to fit in, or likely the perception of social failure, and how he can feel longing towards finding a smoother flow towards a healthier outlook/mindset.

“You say that you're so cognizant of all the patterned lies that you try not to tell. And yet you still continue putting in your dimes and continue this revolving hell.”

Here, it seems this is directed at Heart. Not just for the fact that it’s a blatant criticism of his demeanour, but for how it highlights that despite how many blows he’s taken, and how many times he’s been belittled relentlessly, he’s still managed to persist and persevere in his own way. Heart has refused to completely give in or retaliate in spite of unforeseen consequences; until now.

“And here he is: the piece of shit sitting, seething high atop his stolen throne. Glass is the house of the hypocrite, and yet you still continue arming stones.”

With this line, Heart feels no reason to repress himself, since if the metaphorical ship is sinking, he might as well go out with no more emotional weight, or regrets. He lashes out distinctively, letting The Mind see himself for exactly who he is, and acting as the judge for once.

Despite this however, Soul is unwavering and is just as judgemental in his own purviews of the current situation at hand, and his corresponding plans/solutions.

“Time is short, life even more. Yet you wage this silly war. Going twice. Going thrice. Guess this means we'll tie the rope today.”

It seems as if things have been decided, as the other two go at it without a care in the world, knowing that there’s no return. They clash with immense force and spite...

To the point where they phenomenally find a sweet spot.

“Your [silence] (violence) deafens more than any sound.”

In a stroke of sheer luck, they end up tuning into a disjointed and corrupted, yet definitively harmonious cadence, with a spiteful mutual agreement that shatters expectations for the spectating Soul.

“Oh my god. Holy shit. We were there. That was it. Did you see harmony, if only temporarily?”

Witnessing this achievement, he instantly turns his entire attitude around, hope swiftly rushing through his very being, desperate to feel that satisfaction again.

“One more time, go again. No, this can't be the end. It was mean. It was vile. Like a freak. Like a child. But for once, Heart and Mind had finally combined. I believe. I concede. You can finally enweave. If not for you or for him then please do it for me.”

Soul concedes more and more, and begs for them to continue on the right path. Despite admitting how unorthodox it might’ve seemed, he tries his heart out to persuade them to stay motivated, and keep on no matter what, even if it means persevering out of complete spite, and even offering the chance of getting to please him, something so sought after between Heart and Mind.

“'Cos I don't know how much more I can take. This creeping, seeping, sickly, sweeping, heinous heartache. [headache.]”

Here, we get a subtle difference in Mind’s input, where his body part would experience head pain rather than what the others have location-wise.

“We've been here like a thousand times, fighting the other hemisphere,”

We get one more lament about the countless nature of the cycle, and the waging war between the halves we know all too well.

But regardless, we find ourselves at a potential reasoning, and they’ve found the resounding answer they yearned for all along.

“But maybe if we reasoned our rhymes,

this dissonance could disappear.”

Light

“I tried to leave the light on, but the bright sun eclipsed its feeble beams.”

This song explicitly serves as a climax for our protagonists, giving the feeling of a standoff, a bargaining for reason of utmost importance. Given its length, and density, it rightfully takes its spot as the most extravagant act.

Starting off, the opening line can give the impression that Heart admits to always wanting to cooperate, and come to an agreement with his partners, but the sheer pressure and intimidation from Mind (whether intentional or not) vastly outweighed and flooded out any sort of motives and sincerity he once planned to give the others, blurring his goals, and how he should be taking current actions.

This is further backed up by the following line, personifying an object (or rather the existence of light). Along with this, Heart laments and owns up to his own tunnel-vision, conveying it as the product of abnormal patterns in his very being; ‘palpitations’. This pain/dis-order could be the primary cause for his unawareness for his surroundings during the events of the story, and lack of regard for his other parts.

“An accidental item. Hear the light hum by the lonely son. Striving to be right, I fight this sordid fight against the other one.”

Unlike Heart’s apology-based opening verse, Mind simply takes this opportunity to revel in his own design (Or perhaps resent it? It’s unsure due to his monotone nature). Instead of taking full responsibility for his impulses, he pins it on the fact of him merely not being able to help himself, and his process of understanding and interacting with them depends on his ‘transmutes’.

“Tonight, you’ve survived out of pity and spite. All night, you have vied for your place in the light. But I won’t be split in two; won’t be him or you. We will be combined, whether that be dead or alive.”

Here, we see Soul’s main plan, and his newest proposition over the other two. He knows how they struggle and clash against each other to achieve and snatch away enlightenment from each other, competing for importance. But he holds both of them in a firm grip, refusing to let up the slightest chance at fixing these mistakes, and righting their wrongs. He leaves off on promising the fusing of the three, and pulling one more trick to inch closer towards his goals.

“Let’s blur these lines.”

Immediately, the instrumentation and colour coordination are flipped. Mind has a chance for another verse, but he’s being backed by orchestral layering, in 3/4 time. We can interpret this as Heart and Mind being dropped into each other’s perspectives, suddenly being exposed to the other’s motives, and justifications.

Regardless of whether it’s masquerading and mocking, or sudden enlightenment from a new point-of-view, and loss of power and position slipping away, Mind immediately pleas, begging for Soul’s acceptance, much like we’ve heard many times before, accepting the truth of ‘each step taking three’.

“Humility’s a virtue; pride, a sin, or so it has been said. But every time I’ve hurt you – or at least tried to - you’ve laughed and smiled instead.”

With new electronic instrumental to back him up, giving him a platform to speak and encourage his inner feelings, Heart conveys his confusion, and futile attempts at understanding Mind. He makes it clear that Mind’s system, his attributes, his very being that’s able to take hit after hit, none of it can compute with him.

Maybe after walking a mile in each other’s shoes, things will shake up more.

(It’s also worthy to note how his camera angle tilts to the right, giving in more towards Mind’s positioning, showing visually how he feels more inclined to interact closer, and understand his ways, or what makes him tick. However, we can feel as if the effects currently bestowed are wearing off, as the view turns more evened, and resets by the end of the verse, ready to transition to the chorus.)

“Tonight, we’ve survived out of pity and spite. All night, we have vied for the black or the white.”

The second chorus shares similar traits much akin to the first, but with more of a retrospective look backwards, commenting on how they’ve survived. Even if it being out of spite, they’ve learned to harness their dissonance, how to think outside of the box and feel more inclined to work closer together, in coordination with each other’s ways.

“Something will heal, lost in thought.

Something has dawned.

Something must feel, lest they rot.

Something has shone.

All of the else will fade away.”

Through this bridge, we can finally clearly discern Heart and Mind’s varying methods of coming to terms with their needed cooperation: Heart relies on hopeful thinking, saying that he knows Mind will heal, regardless of how delved into his own brain he is (‘thought’ determining the ‘something’). And Mind knows that their body will cave in if they refuse to give input, and ‘feel’, using a sense of urgency and graveness to motivate himself (‘feel’ determining the ‘something’).

Carrying on after this, Soul receives a calm reprise, acknowledging the situations of his partners, knowing their troubles and difficulties. And yet, he still believes in them, and their potential. He encourages them, as he’s always done, to look to him when in need of strength, and guidance. He obviously knows he hasn’t always been there for them, and he has not held his responsibilities well for them, but he’s still willing to right his own wrongs, and help right theirs.

“I want to see your eyes looking back and out through mine, with doubt consigned to drought, let ardour sprout,

‘cos tonight, I’m surmising the sum of my parts.”

Finally, true agreement, and harmony. There’s nothing to say that can’t be taken away from the lyrics themselves, but it feels right to note that in spite of the severity of the dangers they’ve faced, and how low they’ve plunged before, they’ve reached their end goal. It’s time to fuse their parts, and band together once and for all, to achieve their prized peace.

“Fuse the moon and sun. Change your point of views. Let us variate these hues.”

We're Gonna Win

“My life is a constant entrapment of tunnels which tangle and wind and beguile. And regardless of where I may tumble or funnel, I wonder what's really worthwhile.”

Heart, Mind and Soul have been fused together. They now resemble ‘The Whole’, who would be a character, if it wasn’t for Chonny’s clear conveyance that this is simply meant to represent himself in a somewhat real-world scenario. Songs will primarily take more of an autobiographical direction from now on.

The opening verses parallel the original’s pessimistic tone, but is quickly turned around, with The Whole spitting in its face, choosing to go on regardless. The perseverance is really highlighted here specifically, coming up with severe scenarios and points, to hammer in the unrelenting nature of Whole, or even simply the common spirit seen in all people.

Utilizing the wallowing theming of We’re Gonna Win, it’s repurposed and recontextualized to fit in more so as a trope of a one misguided Mind, overanalysing, fearing, but ultimately using this energy as power to fuel the other’s more rational attitudes, where even if we come out with a rough start, they’re still in a way cooperating to harness their backwards – yet still viable – logic into a more conventional means of output.

“And all, all of my friends, Let me know, that it's all in my head. There's no room to be blue.”

This line taken from the original can also be reused, as a way to point out that this whole story is the product of Jash’s inner-turmoil, and represents fictional and metaphorical characters and dynamics, leading to other voices and points of view serving as a reminder of knowing that you eventually will need to move on, and focus on other projects, aspects of your life, etcetera.

“They might assist, if they’d really exist, but it’s just you and me. It’s just myself and I. We are all that we need. We are all that survives.”

Here, the inner monologue is taking the opportunity to establish the concept of not needing anyone else to give input or support, as they are more than happy to trudge on themselves, as independently as possible, due to their perception leading Whole to believe that if there are ones that can help, they’ve yet to show themselves, and at this point, they might as well stay hidden.

“We’ve fought in the past. We’ve broken our bones. But now we’ve at last harmonized our tones.”

Evident by the multiple voices scattered here, Cacophony is not yet over, but Whole feels satisfied, knowing they’ve found a way to endure the remainder of the content, through finally establishing peace.

Two Wuv

“I had this little thing, a slight disparity between what I thought I was and what I seemed to be.”

The main theming of this cover is the spiteful nature of Whole, and how it’s pushing them forward, filling them with as much courage as possible, fully believing they can’t be taken down now. This could be seen in the lines leading up to the first chorus, but deciphering the text would require reversing to the audio.

(“IF GOD OR THE DEVIL OR ANY OTHER ALL-POWERFUL COWARDLY BEING HAS A PROBLEM WITH WHO I AM, THEN I IMPLORE THEM TO TAKE THEIR ****ING SHOT”)

The main antagonistic views seen here seem to be either components of either Chonny’s mental state or personality that get in the way, or people around and close to him that simply ‘don’t get it’ and fail to understand him, and how he might’ve formed and changed over the years.

“And back then I was so sure only a noose could end that war, but out of stubbornness or spite, my feet stayed on the floor.”

This line is fairly self-explanatory, but it gives a good callback to the chapter containing TSE and The Bidding, where even when faced with stakes and tensions of those proportions, sheer spite has fuelled him the entire way through, making sure Whole always remembers his true goals, regardless of how many times they could be forgotten, or tossed aside due to outside circumstances or events.

“The duality I hid had begun to claw and writhe. but those sick, unsightly ids, now run right by my side.”

Despite the gradual and consistent crawling upwards that came from HMS, they were able to coincide with each other, make amends and keep peace. Embracing them for all their flaws and abilities was key, hence they’re now ‘running right by his side’.

“THAT DAY I wrote a couple rhymes over tunes I didn't write in an attempt to reconcile what keeps me up at night. But as ideas began to grow, and the track list followed suit, the halves I once reviled had finally settled their dispute.”

This section gives us proper clarification for the autobiographical nature of the current tracks, as this really is just a recap on events that lead to the creation of CCCC, labelling all the ups and downs, and how the sheer growing size led to a more defined story-curve, causing almost a forced ‘good resolution’ for the sake of giving a better sense of finality.

Even going as far to say that the halves that caused such dissonance in the first place had sorted things out themselves inside in real time, as the music was being made to convey the pain he had been feeling during episodes similar to that.

“Brothers, friends and family, I hope you understand that the person you see is a dark, divided man,”

Here we get more confirmation on the scope being shifted over to people close to Jash, where he feels the utmost need to let them know that they really need to shift their outdated views on how they should see him.

“To anyone who knows me, I'm sure I sound absurd, but I'm an egoistic queer under any definition of the word,”

Further conversating on this leading topic of identity and how Whole's coming off to others.

“...but I think, for the first time in my life that these oddities that bonded me aren't worth the fucking strife.”

This line gives us more understanding towards the resentful aspects of this song, making the choice to cut out and drop abnormalities in favour of staying lightweight and not letting double-takes, afterthoughts, or anything of the sort keep Whole from barrelling at breakneck pace.

Variations on a Cloud

“Both of us see a cloud,

Or whatever we may believe,

Being it may be proud {Two might be clean and round.},

Or whatever we want to see {But, all good things come in threes.}”

This song – whilst upkeeping the promising demeanour of the post-Light tracks – contains simultaneous lyrics from all three members of the body, all overlapping each other and spouting varying phrases. The messages given seem to hold a more positive outlook on before, possibly showing a more retrospective, more satiated take on the lyrical style reminiscent in the earlier songs.

“Something different that was starting within the world.

Does it even matter to me?”

Despite this line being given by Heart and Mind specifically instead of the unified view of all three, it shows the idea of Whole possibly being caught up enough with himself to the point that outside factors, events, and real world happenings remain irrelevant and unseen in his own perspective, in favour of focusing on more echo-chamber-esque patterns to boost themselves.

“These days it’s hard to find friends, but opportunities bend.

[You know we’ve been to this scene, an aboriginal meme.]

{They say we’re not worth the time, they wouldn’t spare us a dime.}”

When the Ruler Of Everything verse initiates, they all give their own intro pieces to it, further identifying their outlooks and approaches to the information given to them, or more likely the information that they would come up with out of their own volition. The first line seeming to give varying and twisting views on how connections and friends come around, and whether it’s genuine at all or blasphemy.

“{Though we say our prayers happily, we can’t stand the sound.}”

This could be interpreted as a continuation of the former subject coming back after a slight deviation, standing as a metaphor for toting yourself around, displaying proudly for others, whilst silently harbouring distain for your actions, potentially through fear of hypocrisy or lies, knowing that the things you claim can fall through easily and wouldn't hold up well in front of an audience.

“(Join if you wish to)

{Join if you want it}

[Join if you wish]”

This slight separation on the final chorus that - more or less – harbours coordination from our characters shows further clarity of these varying attitudes, showing how Heart’s response cuts off akin to the end of a sentence, encouraging others to partake simply if they feel it’s right, Mind’s response using the following content/messages to entice others into a reason for embarking, and Soul doing similar, yet leaving more of a spark for determination, utilizing people’s common “want” for things, giving off a more powerful statement.

The Whole World & You (Outro from Cacophony)

“There's lots of pretty people here, sharing sotries and passing letters and there's lots of questions answered and metaphysical, astronomical.”

This is the final track in Cacophony, and acts as a more channelled retrospective for the protagonists. It helps end off on a slightly lighter note than before, and lets the audience know that the main show has concluded, and that things will finally continue in a different manner going forward.

“I hope you're happy now I've revealed the truth. I've even written this whole song about you. And not about me.”

Noticeably, you’d think the colour indicators for Whole would stay present for the rest of the album, as it was the end goal to remain as one, however I like to interpret the chronological inconsistencies of the released orders of the songs as looking back into the body, and getting continued perspectives of the three as they pilot together after reaching a safe state.

And for this line, it does show how they’re giving each other acknowledgement, and showing their respect and admiration through giving, rather than guarding and defending their own areas, and taking the time to try and lend the spotlight over.

“One time I tried to sing about what was plaguing me: love, duality. And as my mind was cleared of doubt, I could finally see these shades of blue and green.”

Here we get a concise recap of Heart’s section of the story, and his character’s growth and change throughout the songs he was featured in. Giving slight splinters of hope in between, he reminisces on his old habits from his nature, and how he could’ve spun out of control when scenarios out of his control happened in the world around him early on.

“So when the darker side had found out about the songs I'd hidden for so long, I finally had the courage to say “This is what I can do.” {HA HA HA HA.}”

When faced with Mind’s presence and watchful eye, he felt inclined, forced even, to tip his hand, and splay out everything he had, showing all of his feelings and intentions through graver and graver songs. Pitched against ‘The darker side’, he showed all he was capable of, maybe for the best, as this was crucial for the awakening of Soul, and also parallels with the nature of how came to take control himself, evident by his acknowledgment at the end of this line.

“[Let's see what the freak's turned around. Can you say you tried your best? Did you finally pass my test?]”

Simultaneously, we can see Mind’s rebuttal to this verse, by reclaiming his superiority and authority, desperately clawing at futile attempts at asserting himself and hiding his amateur incidents. Claiming that all he laid out in front of Heart was simply a test, a way to make him tougher and gauge his specialities; a frail coverup of his irresponsibility.

“I hope you're happy now I've merged dark and light. This slope I'm headed down has turned to a slide. So I'll throw my hands up high and enjoy the ride.”

Soul looks to be taking his credit for his ability to satiate the two others butting heads, and feels more at peace knowing that he’s been able to rework his vision, and come from a new angle when coping with the slope he describes as his life. In what is pretty much full clarity, he calls it a day, and sits back whilst enjoying the path he walks down, leading to the future.

“I've waited very patiently just to let you know, you five-man puppet show that you're the golden standard, the trophy's handed to you, the disbanded group.”

The final chorus plays out slowly, whilst picking up pace gradually, but Chonny himself unmasks from his characters, to personally praise and acknowledge Tally Hall’s triumphs (noticeable through the ‘five-man puppet show’ highlighted in ‘Marvin’s Marvelous Mechanical Museum’). He explains how he wouldn’t be here making this if it weren’t for them, and most likely wouldn’t have reached his true storytelling potential either. They’ve left their mark, and he’s following in their footsteps, with his own twists and turns. He agrees with everyone when he says...

“No one's better than you.”