(ŠThe Gathering 1995)

My dear, don't leave me now
Close at the edge of my end
All this time you have been my friend
Don't go, stay for a while
My dear, you're losing me now
This will be my last hour
Hear my voice, see my face
See how sick I am
How I long for your embrace

'There is no such thing as a natural death. Nothing that happens to Man is ever natural, since his presence calls the whole world into question. All men must die, but for every man his death is an accident. And even if he knows it and consents to it, an unjustifiable violation.' Well, you may agree with the words or not, but those are the keyspring of The Lord of the Rings.

Comments
The dialogue at the end of this song is from a recorded interview of Tolkien (1968 BBC) reading from Simone de Beauvoir. The song itself may be intended as a memorial to the death of a close friend of the band's. "We want to dedicate this album to the spirit of Harold Gloudemans in which we have lost a good friend. Hopefully you have found your rest." In any case, both the song and Tolkien's reading have to do with death.