Strawbs - Nomadness[Remastered] (2008) by Strawbs (보컬) on maniadb.com

Cousins

The gilt-edged invitation came and I said : 'What can this mean ?'
'To attend the coronation as the first guest of the Queen'
'And sit upon her right hand where the Prince is normally seen ?'
The maids of honour stared at me and registered surprise
To see a man of such good taste appear before their eyes
Now bring rather humble, I adopted a disguise
As the Minister of State for Mass Environment Controls
Who condemn the working classes for inhabiting the holes
That belong to Queen and Country but do not permit their souls
To be free like me
To be free like me
Oh to be free.

The perspex chandelier began to melt and slip away
One million candle-powered, it kept the night at bay
While the power station workers were busy making hay
The workers in the fields were engaged in self-defence
Which involved the use of barbed wire as a self-containing fence
But as a means of self-protection, it was needlessly immense
I stopped to ask them for a light, they pointed at the sun
Which raised their hopes of harvesting a better crop than guns
Can ever mass produce at the expense of anyone
Who is free like me
Who is free like me
Oh who is free.

The solitary peasant in his home above the lake
Raised high on wooden stilts, has made the singular mistake
Of revolutionary conduct at the celebration wake
His urban counterpart engaged in mundane occupation
Enjoys the chance of laughing at the Queen's humiliation
At the hands of Ministers of State for Rehabilitation
Now the power station worker though his aim is too disjointed
Finds himself around the corner while his gun is never pointed
He is ever at the ready, he desires to be annointed
And be free like me
And be free like me
And be free like me
Oh and be free.

Lambert

Listen to my story, I've got something I must say
All about a new experience that came to me today
Well I don't want your sudden changes, I don't need your New York zoo
But I want some understanding 'cause I think I'm going to lose
Yes I think I'm going to lose.

Take me home, little sleepy, you don't have to take that train
That leads you where you just don't want to go
Take me home, little sleepy, you don't have to take that train
This little rock and roller's going to show you what you are.

Well it might have been in Texas and it could be New Orleans
But it doesn't really matter 'cause it's only in my dreams
In the places where I travel and the people that I meet
All I know is what I'm fighting for, it's you I really need
Yes, it's you I really need.

Take me home, little sleepy, you don't have to take that train
That leads you where you just don't want to go
Take me home, little sleepy, you don't have to take that train
This little rock and roller's going to show you what you are.

In the middle of time, I'm going to be thinking about you
Take a look at yourself, you know I just can't live without you.

Ohhhh …

Take me home, little sleepy, you don't have to take that train
That leads you where you just don't want to go
Take me home, little sleepy, you don't have to take that train
This little rock and roller's going to show you what you are.

Take me home, little sleepy, you don't have to take that train
That leads you where you just don't want to go
Take me home, little sleepy, you don't have to take that train
This little rock and roller's going to show you what you are.

Cousins

I sailed with Miss Columbus for a trip across the sea
The horizon was behind me when I found that I was free
I smashed the glass I drank from, drove it deep into my arm
Tell me, how do you feel now you're back on the farm ?

She put me on the periscope and told me she was lost
She said she was expensive but I did not mind the cost
I said her deep-sea diver did not mean her any harm
Tell me, how do you feel now you're back on the farm ?

I rang the bell of freedom, drank from the well of plenty
The milk of human kindness was succour to my soul
I took her to the mast head and showed her my conditions
She promised me the cargo that she carried in her hold.

The sails were set for sunrise when we found the wind had dropped
I tried to make the time up but the clock had somehow stopped
A fire broke out below the decks and I sounded the alarm
Tell me, how do you feel now you're back on the farm ?

Now you might think it strange of me to write to you this way
For years I was a farmer, but I could not make it pay
Yet here I am a sailor and I feel a sense of calm
Tell me, how do you feel now you're back on the farm ?
Tell me, how do you feel now you're back on the farm ?

Cousins

The rose buds are hard and firm
Erect and proud they stand on slender stems
Wrapped in silk and tied with a velvet ribbon.

'Tie the ribbon in my hair' - she says
'Your gentle touch upon my brow'
'Can make me close my eyes in sleepy pleasure'.

Low the candle burns
And flickers shadows on the wall
It's crimson lips are closing 'round the flame.

As the flame dies
So shall our live die ?
The roses stoop lower as their petals fall
So shall our love die ?

'What is it ?' - she says
'Nothing' - say I
'Nothing but the West wind, the wind of change'.

Cousins

The willows stand on guard in the dark
Where lovers are rowing alone in the park
In awe of each other they make a mistake
And find they must spend one more night on the lake.

And I don't care if anyone knows
There's no one so fair as my Tokyo rose
I don't care if anyone knows
There's no one so fair as my Tokyo Rosie, my Tokyo Rosie, ooh.

The blossom has fallen before the West wind
The butterfly lies with its silken wings pinned
Alone in the temple the lovers rejoice
And sing to each other with one single voice.

And I don't care if anyone knows
There's no one so fair as my Tokyo rose
I don't care if anyone knows
There's no one so fair as my Tokyo Rosie, my Tokyo Rosie.

I wear my silk kimono black
Get your monkey off my back
No matter where the West wind blows
You'll never find a fallen rose.

The flowers of heaven are roses in bloom
The East wind turns West in the walls of my room
I build my defence in the palace of sin
The lovers make home and the loser must win.

And I don't care if anyone knows
There's no one so fair as my Tokyo rose
I don't care if anyone knows
There's no one so fair as my Tokyo Rosie, my Tokyo Rosie, oh Rosie, Rosie.

Coombes

Politician's fighting hard to win
Getting a good position so he won't have to lose again
The battle's always on, working against disgrace
He has to win you over, well it's always the case
Ends up saving face.

Delegations flying in
Happiest relations, smiling faces, shaking hands
The battle's always on, working against displacement
They have to win them over if it's only a case
Of saving space.

No don't bother telling me, I can see it all for myself
I was born with a mind of my own, I intend to keep it free.

Still the seasons come and go
Bad influences pile up like the dirty driven snow
Turn off the news, I really don't want to know
If there was anywhere left to go, well I think I'd want to go
'Cause I really don't like the show.

No don't bother telling me, I can see it all for myself
I was born with a mind of my own, I intend to keep it free.

Cousins

Is it the painter or the picture hanging in the gallery ?
Admired by countless thousands who attempt to read the secrets
Of his vision of his very soul.

Is it the painter or the picture hanging in the gallery ?
Or is it but a still life of his own interpretation
Of the way that God had made us in the image of His eye ?

Is it the sculptor or the sculpture standing in the gallery ?
Touched by fleeting strangers who desire to feel the strength of hands
That realised a form of life.

Is it the sculptor or the sculpture standing in the gallery ?
Or is it but the tenderness with which his hands were guided
To discard the unessentials and reveal the perfect truth ?

Is it the actor or the drama playing to the gallery ?
Heard in every corner of the theatre of cruelty
That masks the humour in his speech.

Is it the actor or the drama playing to the gallery ?
Or is it but the character of any single member of the audience
That forms the plot of each and every play ?

Is it the singer or his likeness hanging in the gallery ?
Tongue black, still and swollen, his eyes staring from their sockets
He is silent now, will sing no more.

Is it the singer or his likeness hanging in the gallery ?
Or is it but his conscience, insecurity and loneliness
When destiny becomes at last the cause of his demise ?

I am the depth of age of the mountain
Yet still you believe to know how to be free
You are the life of the stars in the night sky
As constant much brighter yet younger than me

But I am the echo that calls you forever
The conscience that shows you the way to belong
And if you allow me I'll love you forever
And make you the voice of the words of my song