Golden Earring | Twilight Zone (HQ)
Inspiration Behind Twilight Zone:
Twilight Zone was inspired by the 1980 spy thriller novel The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum. Lead guitarist George Kooymans wrote this song using the tense, espionage‑driven plot before Bourne Identity was made into a film series. This cinematic, spy‑themed visual music video was one of the first to combine a narrative with dance choreography. When Music Television launched in 1983, Twilight Zone was one of videos to gain national recognition.
Biblical Application:
None of the rulers of this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 However, as it is written: “What no eye has seen, what no ear has heard, and what no human mind has conceived”[b]—the things God has prepared for those who love him—10 these are the things God has revealed to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God, 2 Corinthians 2:8-10.
Exegesis of Twilight Zone:
[Intro]
daeh ym ni sneriS
yznerf a otni snips efil elohw yM
Somewhere in a lonely hotel room
There’s a guy starting to realize
That eternal fate has turned its back on him
It’s two a.m.
Different from the opening scene in the Bourne Identity movie. Jason is starting to have an epiphany.
[Verse 1]
It’s two a.m., the fear has gone
(It’s two a.m., the fear has gone)
I’m sitting here waitin’, the gun’s still warm
(I’m sitting here waitin’, the gun’s still warm)
Maybe my connection is tired of takin’ chances
Yeah, there’s a storm on the loose, sirens in my head
Wrapped up in silence, all circuits are dead
Cannot decode, my whole life spins into a frenzy
Jason has just come back from his latest assignment. A moment of clarity has shined through his years of military training. Common sense is beginning to unlock his years of being programmed.
[Chorus]
Help, I’m steppin’ into the Twilight Zone
Place is a madhouse, feels like being cloned
My beacon’s been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go now that I’ve gone too far?
Help, I’m steppin’ into the Twilight Zone
Place is a madhouse, feels like being cloned
My beacon’s been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go now that I’ve gone too far?
This place of indecision is entitled the Twilight Zone. Referring to the psychological training Jason underwent. Conviction has led to second guessing his life. Jason’s conscience is now serving as a beacon to reconsider his life.
[Post-Chorus]
Soon you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
Soon you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
A glimpse of Jason’s future when he is not a fast, strong or wiser than the next assassin.
[Verse 2]
I’m falling down the spiral destination unknown
Double crossed messenger all alone
Can’t get no connection, can’t get through
Where are you?
Well the night weighs heavy on his guilty mind
This far from the borderline
When the hitman comes
He knows damn well he has been cheated
Imagines of his past transgression are coming to the forefront of Jason’s mind. Following the messages and texts on burner phones like a machine is now being questioned. Jason begins to question who he is and what he is doing. Jason has passed the line of no return, but a guilty heart has helped Jason realize that he is being used.
[Chorus]
And he says, “Help, I’m steppin’ into the Twilight Zone
Place is a madhouse, feels like being cloned
My beacon’s been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go now that I’ve gone too far?”
Help, I’m steppin’ into the Twilight Zone
Place is a madhouse, feels like being cloned
My beacon’s been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go now that I’ve gone too far?
The Twilight Zone is a place of mental anguish. Jason’s conscience is trying to retake over his corrupted mind.
[Post-Chorus]
Soon you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
Soon you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone, bone, bone
When the bullet hits the bone
When the next Jason Bourne is trained and the current Jason isn’t quick enough, he will be the one taken out.
[Chorus]
Help, I’m steppin’ into the Twilight Zone
Place is a madhouse, feels like being cloned
My beacon’s been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go now that I’ve gone too far?
Help, I’m steppin’ into the Twilight Zone
Place is a madhouse, feels like being cloned
My beacon’s been moved under moon and star
Where am I to go now that I’ve gone too far?
Chorus is repeated to magnify the mental struggle between right and wrong. Change creates internal conflict.
[Post-Chorus]
Soon you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
Soon you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
Soon you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
Soon you will come to know
When the bullet hits the bone
The hunter is now becoming the hunted.
[Outro]
When the bullet hits the bone, aha
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone, aha
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone, aha
When the bullet hits the bone
When the bullet hits the bone, aha
When the bullet hits the bone
This is why Jason began to question his assignment and start ascertaining his true identity.
Final Thoughts:
The sinful nature is a difficult beast to tame. When human beings start following addictions, bad habits and unwholesome cravings, lives spiral out of control. Whether you are a professional hitman or an individual ensnared by sin, breaking free seems nearly impossible. This crossroads in life is known as the Spiritual Twilight Zone, Romans 7:14-20. The only way to escape is by receiving Jesus as your Lord and Savior, Romans 10:9-11. The longer you wait, the harder it is to change.
by Jay Mankus
