At about 2:50, there are several distinct changes: a key change to an ambiguous tonality centering on Bb (the chords are Bb, C, Am, and Em), a new vocal melody in 4/4 time ("Coins and crosses") accompanied by a second vocal track of Anderson singing a lower harmony with himself, plus Chris Squire and Steve Howe providing a rhythmically faster counter-melody with different, contrasting lyrics, and with their voices distorted through a rotating Leslie speaker to contrast with Anderson's lead melody.

This section modulates to the key of A major in time for the first statement of the main lyrical theme of the song "And you and I climb over the sea to the valley".

[8] It is led by Rick Wakeman's Mellotron and Minimoog, with a thematic quote from "Cord of Life" played by Steve Howe on a Sho-Bud Pro1 pedal steel guitar with distortion and a heavy delay effect.

This section begins with Howe introducing a new musical theme in 3/4 meter — an intricate folk-influenced polyphonic guitar part featuring a melody on the low strings punctuated by strummed chords on the off beats.

The section ends with a cadenza-like orchestral statement, on Mellotron and Minimoog, reminiscent of neo-Wagnerian compositions by Richard Strauss or Anton Bruckner.

"[11] Paul Stump's 1997 History of Progressive Rock called the song "a tour de force of atmosphere, contrasting opaline twelve-string against [Rick] Wakeman's cavernous Mellotron, light and shade divided across the four sections with pleasing architectural skill".