Broken mirror, a million shades of light
The old echo fades away
But just you and I can find the answer
And then, we can run to the end of the world
We can run to the end of the world*
-- "Small 2 of Pieces
- Restored Pieces"Xenogears
* Chorus Only
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“Small 2 of Pieces” sounds like broken
English – and if your first thought was how grammatically incorrect
the title was, just consider the source. Japanese composer Yasunori
Mitsuda and lyricist Masato Kato put their heads together and
wrote “Small of 2 Pieces” for the Japanese cult-status video
game, Xenogears. (Not to be confused with the "prequel"
Xenosaga). They asked Irish born vocalist Joanne
Hogg to sing for them.
Since we all know the very overstated and age old saying, you can’t
judge a book by its cover, one could say you can’t judge a song
by its title. Not only that, you can’t judge a song due to its source.
Where as in America video games and animated features are rarely taken seriously,
in the country of Japan they are staple forms of entertainment. In this
case of the title and source, it holds true that it must be judged on a
separate account. Through the predominant use of imagery, similes, and metaphors,
“Small 2 of Pieces” presents a deep and moving message.
Let’s take the chorus that was presented above and dissect
it:
Broken mirror, a million shades of light
The old echo fades away
When one looks in an unbroken mirror they see their
image reflected true in mirrored form. When a mirror is broken it reflects
the viewer back in fragments, giving multiple views of the subject. When
light reflects in an unbroken mirror we are greeted with a single beam of
light back. When light reflects in a broken mirror, we get a multitude of
light fragments bouncing back to meet us. After considering what happens
between a mirror and a broken mirror, we can find the symbolic meaning of
the lyrics. In this case we are presented with the symbol of a broken mirror,
and in reality, a broken person. This represents a person who has become
scattered over time and those memories of the scattering events fading.
But just you and I can find the answer
And then we can run to the end of the world
In the next line we see that the scattered individual
has found a companion to help them piece together themselves, and lead them
through to the “end of the world”. The running to the end
of the world is a metaphor for searching for contentment and completion
to their life. The scattered person has found the companion to help make
them whole and then make their lives/world whole together.
Although I have dissected the chorus using
symbolism and metaphor, we must now consider it over all:
Broken mirror, a million shades of light
The old echo fades away
But just you and I can find the answer
And then, we can run to the end of the world
When you read the chorus above, can you see the image
of a broken mirror with fragmented light reflecting off it in many directions?
Can you see yourself, your imaginary representation of the vocalist, or
someone you know with a companion moving towards the unknown? Towards the
end of the world or otherwise? If so then you are experiencing the effect
of the strong visual imagery the chorus consists of. If you read through
the entire song you will find that the use of visual and tactile imagery
is quite vivid and tells a moving story. Be also aware that much of what
is sung is quite fantastical, and full of metaphors, similes, and symbolism.
"Small 2 of Pieces"
Run through the cold of the night
as passion burns in your heart
Ready to fight, a knife held close by your side
Like a proud wolf alone in the dark with eyes that watch the world
And my name like a shadow on the face of the moon
Broken mirror, a million shades
of light
The old echo fades away
But just you and I can find the answer
And then, we can run to the end of the world
We can run to the end of the world
Cold fire clenched to my heart
in the blue of night
Torn by this pain, I paint your name in sound
And the girl of the dawn, with eyes of blue, and angel wings
The songs of the season are her only crown
Broken mirror, a million shades
of light
The old echo fades away
But just you and I can find the answer
And then, we can run to the end of the world
We can run to the end of the world
We met in the mist of morning,
and parted deep in the night
Broken sword and shield, and tears that never fall
But run through the heart
Washed away by the darkest water
The world is peaceful and still
Broken mirror, a million shades
of light
The old echo fades away
But just you and I can find the answer
And then, we can run to the end of the world
We can run to the end of the world
Did you read the song? I hope you did. I hope you read it
multiple times and did not merely overlook it because the Japanese "broken
English-esque" lyrics were too fantastical for you to take the time
to appreciate. If you haven't listened to the song that I have linked or
placed in the background, please take the time to listen to it to get an
appreciation for the basic feel of the song. Though the link is not to the
original song (for copyright reasons, you understand), it is to one of my
favorite remixes "Broken Mirror Reflection" (still with the original
singer) done by Alexander
Prievert of OCRemix.
The importance of "Small
2 of Pieces" for me . . .
The reason I find this song so moving is not because I played the video
game. In fact, I had never played the game when I first heard it. The first
time I heard the lyrics from "Small 2 of Pieces" was when I came
across the remix "7
Years Broken" by DJPretzel for a former web radio show known
as Digitally Refined. As other listeners, I could not help but
sing along every time the chorus broke in. I spent countless hours listening
to the song on repeat many times over the years and fell in love with the
story it told to me. Eventually I heard the original song and was shown
the original game. After having listened to the original, played and seen
a portion of the game, I gained a deeper understanding of how the lyrics
tied in with the story - yet my interpretation from when I first came across
the song remains true.
With "Small 2 of Pieces" and all the fan remakes of it, I find
my favorite chill music and in a way - my theme music.