Steve Hackett [콰이어트 월드]

Dark as night, dark as the grave
Dark wherein my friend is laid
Sleepwalkers fill the boulevards
Pretty girls and backward boys
All the voices can be heard, an opera of the absurd

Dark as night, dark as the grave
Dark wherein my friend is laid
We welcome you, we welcome you
The world of chaos far away
As the crowd of mourners said
"Tragedy is nothing new"

Dark as night

Dark as night, dark as the grave
Dark wherein my friend is laid

Standard bearers march to the tick of the clock
It's a war against time when you're fronting the flock
Determined resolute defiant and strong
Noble and Savage know they belong

In the heart of the city

The battlefield of love a ruffled feathered bed
From fluid moist lips the benediction's said
You love them and leave them with yesterday's guilt
Everything's on schedule in the empire that you built

In the heart of the city

You close a deal Thursday at 7.45
The train home is empty you're the only man alive
You throw away your clothes in a house of clouds
The window is sealed the furniture in shrouds

In the heart of the city

Like an arrow in the night
Like an arrow by the day

Come away from your bed at night
Leave all those empty halls behind
Have no fear of death, have no fear of life
The taste of victory ahead, the spirit never dies
Like an arrow in the night
Like an arrow by the day

A mission bell by the ghostly station
Tolling in the wind
The veins in your hand
Stretch like broken trees of winter
The last call the last port of entry
Like an arrow in the night
Like an arrow by the day

With Lana Turner on the screen beside me
The frame is hardly filled by Orson Wells
We switch into a Fred and Ginger number
That they're dancing oh so well

Blowing the blues all night
I'm sure I heard someone say
Stars never fade and everyone's dying to play
In Little America

We got a Chinese Elvis painted by Norman Rockwell
His part tonight will be played by Richard Pryor
The Mason Dixon line divides the free from all the rest so you can sell
Oklahoma to Cinderella from Long Island
And everyone's dying to play
In Little America

Lower your standards raise your prices on cable TV
Pretty woman seen at the death of a salesman
All covered with cream

And everyone's dying to play
In Little America

I see the valleys, I see the streams
I see the mountains and what's in between
I hear thunder fall from the sky
I see a world lost in your eyes

In my dreams I see you smile
I feel the sun, I want to stay for a while
I hear music just makes me cry
I see a world lost in your eyes

A one horse town, A dirt road
Way in the desert where the cactus grow
I hear you calling me mile after mile
I see a world lost in your eyes

Nobody knows what tomorrow may bring
Or how far we may be blown by the wind
Over the fields and far from home
There are those who'll try to rob you of what you know.
One thing that's clear
One thing I know
Oh how I love you

Go sail away to a distant shore
Searching for something found inside your front door
One thing you'll see
One thing you'll know
Oh how I love you

You used to say that I'm so happy with you
Well, nothing's changed it’s just the things that we do
On those cloudy, cloudy days
When the skies are turned to grey
Something you know
Something for sure
Oh how I love you

I'd like to paint your beauty all over the world
I'd like to paint your sadness

I'd like to paint your picture all over the world

Take these pearls from an oyster shell
From the depths of the ocean bed
From the bottom of the sea like a wishing well

Take these stones fashioned into jewels
Like the essence of a half remembered song
From the crust of the earth to the limits of the sky

Take these stones fashioned into jewels
Like the essence of a half remembered song
From the crust of the earth to the limits of the sky

In the theatre of sleep
Where no reason remains
Dreamers and drifters
Make their entrance onto the stage
Non-stop scenery changes
With promptings in the dark
Trapped in unremitting violence
As trees stripped of their bark
When they're buried in your dream
The past is a foreign country
They do things differently there
You're back in the old schoolhouse
With rows and rows of chairs
Well it might be war or Christmas
With the tanks and guns and flares
Or a witch that wields her broomstick
The stars of your nightmare
When they're buried in your dream
I was trapped on the edge of a waterfall
In an old riverboat
A proud queen washed up at last
She's giving up the ghost
Slimy green water rising
I knew that I would die
I had no time to abandon ship,
The morning had arrived

Standing under the lamplight
In one of the nicer parts of hell
Behold this dreamer with rich red ruby lips
Some pay for the privilege
And some just pay to talk
Because there are many sides to the night

When Father Thames lies sleeping
His ever watchful sons
Divide up the spoils of the day's takings
A woman's work is never ever done
She's a child a slave a teacher and a fool
And then she vanishes from sight
Did no one ever tell you
There are many sides to the night

Standing under the lamplight
Selling perfume sweetcorn and lace
She looks beautiful from a distance
But it's too dark to see her face
I do it for my child alone
And who would say it's just not right
Verily I say unto you
There are many sides to the night

As New Orleans slips far away
When the gas lights dim and the street cars fade
When the beast within takes on a new shape
The blood runs cold make no mistake

You're just a vampyre with a healthy appetite
And you stay awake half the night

A band strikes up and they're starting to play
When the sirens wail but they're way too late
The crowds don't see they're drunk anyway
The inquest said it was coming her way

You're just a vampyre with a healthy appetite
And you stay awake half the night

Well you ran to ground as you always do
And then they finally caught up with you
Well they sent you down and Old Smokey was waiting
But pressure groups being what they are these days
You were released after five years at a funny farm
In upstate bankrupt New York
To walk the streets once more

Holy mother of God
You've got to go faster than that to get to the top
Dirty old mountain all covered in smoke
She can turn you to stone so you better start doing it right
Better start doing it right

You're halfway up and you're halfway down
And the pack on your back is turning you around
Throw it away, you won't need it up there
And remember, you don't look back whatever you do
Better start doing it right

On your left and on your right
Crosses are green and crosses are blue
Your friends didn't make it through
Out of the night and out of the dark
Into the fire and into the fight
Well, that's the way the heroes go
HO! HO! HO!

Through a crack in Mother Earth
Blazing hot, the molten rock
Spills out over the land
And the lava's the lover who licks your boots away
HEY! HEY! HEY!
If you don't want to boil as well
B-B-Better start the dance
D-D-Do you want to dance with me

You better start doing it right

The music's playing, the notes are right
Put your left foot first and move into the light
The edge of this hill is the edge of the world
And if you're going to cross you better start doing it right
Better start doing it right
You better start doing it right

LET THE DANCE BEGIN!

The path is clear, though no eyes can see
The course laid down long before
And so with gods and men, the sheep remain inside their pen
Though many times they've seen the way to leave

He rides majestic, past homes of men
Who care not or gaze with joy
To see reflected there, the trees, the sky, the lily fair
The scene of death is lying just below

The mountain cuts off the town from view
Like a cancer growth is removed by skill
Let it be revealed

A waterfall, his madrigal
An inland sea, his symphony

Undinal songs urge the sailors on
'Till lured by the siren's cry...

Now as the river dissolves in sea
So Neptune has claimed another soul
And so with gods and men, the sheep remain inside their pen
Until the shepherd leads his flock away

The sands of time were eroded by
The river of constant change

Sunday at six when they close both the gates
A widowed pair, still sitting there
Wonder if they're late for church
And it's cold so they fasten their coats
And cross the grass, they're always last

Passing by the padlocked swings
The roundabout still turning
Ahead they see a small girl
On her way home with a pram

Inside the archway
The priest greets them with a courteous nod
He's close to God
Looking back at days of four instead of two
Years seem so few
Heads bent in prayer
For friends not there

Leaving twopence on the plate
They hurry down the path and through the gate
And wait to board the bus
That ambles down the street

From a dense forest of tall dark pinewood
Mount Ida rises like an island.
Within a hidden cave, nymphs had kept a child:
Hermaphroditus, son of gods, so afraid of their love.
As the dawn creeps up the sky,
The hunter caught sight of a doe.
In desire for conquest,
He found himself within a glade he'd not beheld before.

Hermaphroditus: / Narrator:
"Where are you, my father? / "Then he could go no further
Give wisdom to your son" / Now lost, the boy was guided by the sun"

And as his strength began to fail,
He saw a shimmering lake.
a shadow in the dark green depths
Disturbed the strange tranquility.

Salmacis: / Narrator:
"The waters are disturbed / "The waters are disturbed
Some creature has been stirred" / Naiad queen Salmacis has been stirred"

As he rushed to quench his thirst,
A fountain spring appeared before him.
And as his heated breath brushed through the cool mist
A liquid voice called, "Son of gods, drink from my spring."
The water tasted strangely sweet.
Behind him the voice called again.
He turned and saw her, in a cloak of mist alone,
And as he gazed, her eyes were filled with the darkness of the lake.

Salmacis: / Narrator:
'We shall be one / 'She wanted them as one
We shall be joined as one' / Yet he had no desire to be one'

Hermaphroditus:
"Away from me, cold-blooded woman.
Your thirst is not mine."

Salmacis:
"Nothing will cause us to part.
Hear me, O Gods!"

Unearthly calm ascended from the sky
And then their flesh and bones were strangely merged.
Forever to be joined as one.

The creature crawled into the lake.
A fading voice was heard:
"And I beg, yes I beg, that all who touch this spring
May share my fate."

Salmacis: / Narrator:
"We are the one / "The two are now made one,
We are the one" / Demi-god and nymph are now made one"

Both had given everything they had.
A lover's dream had been fulfilled at last.
Forever still beneath the lake.

It's one o'clock and time for lunch - dum dee dum dee dum
When the sun beats down and I lie on the bench
I can always hear them talk

There's always been Ethel:
"Jacob, wake up, you've got to tidy your room now"
And then Mr. Lewis:
"Isn't it time that he was out on his own"
Over the garden wall, two little love birds cuckoo to you
Keep them mowing blades sharp...

I know what I like
And I like what I know
Getting better in your wardrobe
Stepping one beyond your show

Sunday night, Mr. Farmer called, said:
"Listen son, you're wasting time
There's a future for you in the fire-escape trade
Come up to town"
But I remembered a voice from the past:
"Gambling only pays when you're winning"
I had to thank old Miss Mort for schooling a failure
Keep them mowing blades sharp...

I know what I like
And I like what I know
Getting better in your wardrobe
Stepping one beyond your show
I know what I like
And I like what I know
Getting better in your wardrobe
Stepping one beyond your show

When the sun beats down and I lie on the bench
I can always hear them talk
Me, I'm just a lawnmower
You can tell me by the way I walk

Watcher of the skies, watcher of all
His is a world alone no world is his own
He whom life can no longer surprise
Raising his eyes beholds a planet unknown

Creatures shaped this planet's soil
Now their reign has come to end
Has life again destroyed life?
Do they play elsewhere, do they know
More than their childhood games?
Maybe the lizard's shed its tail
This is the end of man's long union with Earth

Judge not this race by empty remains
Do you judge God by his creatures when they are dead?
For now, the lizard's shed it's tail
This is the end of man's long union with Earth

From life alone to life as one
Think not now your journey's done
For though your ship be sturdy
No mercy has the sea.
Will you survive on the ocean of being?
Come ancient children hear what I say
This is my parting council for you on your way

Sadly now your thoughts turn to the stars
Where we have gone you know you never can go
Watcher of the skies watcher of all
This is your fate alone, this fate is your own

Go far enough and you will reach,
A place where the sea runs underneath.
We'll see our shadow, high in the sky,
Dying away in the night.

I've sailed the world for seven years,
And left all I love behind in tears.
Oh, won't you come here, wherever you are,
I've been all alone long enough.

You, you have your own special way,
Of holding my hand keep it way 'bove the water,
Don't ever let go - Oh no, no, no.

You, you have your own special way,
Of turning the world so it's facing
The way that I'm going. Don't ever
Don't ever stop.

Whose seen the wind not you or I,
But when the ship moves she's passing by.
Between you and me I really don't think,
She knows where she's going at all.

You, you have your own special way,
Of carrying me twice round the world
Never closer to home than the day,
The day I started.

You, you have your own special way,
Hold onto my hand keep it way 'bove the water,
Don't ever let go no, no, no.

What mean the dreams night after night.
The man in the moon's a blinding light.
Won't you come out whoever you are,
You've followed me quiet long enough.

You, you have your own special way,
Of holding my hand, Don't ever let go.
You, you have your own special way,
Of turning the world so it's facing
The way that I'm going, Don't ever,
Don't ever leave me

(Written by Banks,Collins,Gabriel,Hackett,Rutherford)

"Can you tell me where my country lies?"
said the unifaun to his true love's eyes.
"It lies with me!" cried the Queen of Maybe
- for her merchandise, he traded in his prize.

"Paper late!" cried a voice in the crowd.
"Old man dies!" The note he left was signed
"Old Father Thames" - it seems he's drowned;
selling England by the pound.

Citizens of Hope & Glory,
Time goes by - it's 'the time of your life'.
Easy now, sit you down.
Chewing through your Wimpey dreams,
They eat, without a sound
Digesting England by the pound.

Young man says, "you are what you eat" - eat well.
Old man says "you are what you wear" - wear well.
You know what you are, you don't give a damn;
bursting your belt that is your homemade sham.

The Captain leads his dance right on through the night
- join the dance . . .
Follow on! Till the Grail sun sets in the mould.
Follow on! Till the gold is cold.

Dancing out with the moonlit knight,
Knights of the Green Shield stamp and shout.
There's a fat old lady outside the saloon;
laying out the credit cards she plays Fortune.
The deck is uneven right from the start;
and all of their hands are playing a part.

Captain leads his dance right on through the night
- join the dance . . .
Follow on! A Round Table-talking down we go.
You're the show!
Off we go with: You play the hobbyhorse,
I'll play the fool.
We'll tease the bull
ringing round & loud, loud & round.
Follow on! With a twist of the world we go.
Follow on! Till the gold is cold.
Dancing out with the moonlit knight,
Knights of the Green Shield stamp and shout.

(Written by Banks,Collins,Gabriel,Hackett,Rutherford)

The path is clear, though no eyes can see
The course laid down long before
And so with gods and men, the sheep remain inside their pen
Though many times they've seen the way to leave

He rides majestic, past homes of men
Who care not or gaze with joy
To see reflected there, the trees, the sky, the lily fair
The scene of death is lying just below

The mountains cut off the town from view
Like a cancer growth is removed by skill
Let it be revealed

A waterfall, his madrigal
An inland sea, his symphony

Undinal songs urge the sailors on
'Till lured by the siren's cry...

Now as the river dissolve in sea
So Neptune has claimed another soul
And so with gods and men, the sheep remain inside their pen
Until the shepherd leads his flock away

The sands of time were eroded by
The river of constant change

It's one o'clock and time for lunch,
When the sun beats down and I lie on the bench,
I can always hear them talk.

There's always been Ethel:
"Jacob, wake up! You've got to tidy your room now."
And then Mister Lewis:
"Isn't it time that he was out on his own?"
Over the garden wall, two little lovebirds - cuckoo to you!
Keep them moving blades sharp...

I know what I like, and I like what I know;
getting better in your wardrobe, stepping one beyond your show.

Sunday night, Mr Farmer called, said:
"Listen son, you're wasting your time; there's a future for you
in the fire escape trade. Come up to town!"
But I remebered a voice from the past;
"Gambling only plays when you're winning"
- I had to thank old Miss Mort for schooling a failure.
Keep them moving blades sharp...

I know what I like, and I like what I know;
getting better in your wardrobe, stepping one beyond your show.

When the sun beats down and I lie on the bench,
I can always hear them talk.
Me, I'm just a lawnmower - you can tell me by the way I walk

It's one o'clock and time for lunch,
When the sun beats down and I lie on the bench,
I can always hear them talk.

There's always been Ethel:
"Jacob, wake up! You've got to tidy your room now."
And then Mister Lewis:
"Isn't it time that he was out on his own?"
Over the garden wall, two little lovebirds - cuckoo to you!
Keep them moving blades sharp...

I know what I like, and I like what I know;
getting better in your wardrobe, stepping one beyond your show.

Sunday night, Mr Farmer called, said:
"Listen son, you're wasting your time; there's a future for you
in the fire escape trade. Come up to town!"
But I remebered a voice from the past;
"Gambling only plays when you're winning"
- I had to thank old Miss Mort for schooling a failure.
Keep them moving blades sharp...

I know what I like, and I like what I know;
getting better in your wardrobe, stepping one beyond your show.

When the sun beats down and I lie on the bench,
I can always hear them talk.
Me, I'm just a lawnmower - you can tell me by the way I walk

Walking across the sitting-room, I turn the television off.
Sitting beside you, I look into your eyes.
As the sound of motor cars fades in the night time,
I swear I saw your face change, it didn't seem quite right.
...And it's hello babe with your guardian eyes so blue
Hey my baby don't you know our love is true.

Coming closer with our eyes, a distance falls around our bodies.
Out in the garden, the moon seems very bright,
Six saintly shrouded men move across the lawn slowly.
The seventh walks in front with a cross held high in hand.
...And it's hey babe your supper's waiting for you.
Hey my baby, don't you know our love is true.

I've been so far from here,
Far from your warm arms.
It's good to feel you again,
It's been a long long time. Hasn't it?


The Guaranteed Eternal Sanctuary Man

I know a farmer who looks after the farm.
With water clear, he cares for all his harvest.
I know a fireman who looks after the fire.

You, can't you see he's fooled you all.
Yes, he's here again, can't you see he's fooled you all.
Share his peace,
Sign the lease.
He's a supersonic scientist,
He's the guaranteed eternal sanctuary man.
Look, look into my mouth he cries,
And all the children lost down many paths,
I bet my life you'll walk inside
Hand in hand,
gland in gland
With a spoonful of miracle,
He's the guaranteed eternal sanctuary.
We will rock you, rock you little snake,
We will keep you snug and warm.


Ikhnaton And Itsacon And Their Band Of Merry Men

Wearing feelings on our faces while our faces took a rest,
We walked across the fields to see the children of the West,
But we saw a host of dark skinned warriors
standing still below the ground,
Waiting for battle.

The fight's begun, they've been released.
Killing foe for peace...bang, bang, bang. Bang, bang, bang...
And they're giving me a wonderful potion,
'Cos I cannot contain my emotion.
And even though I'm feeling good,
Something tells me I'd better activate my prayer capsule.

Today's a day to celebrate, the foe have met their fate.
The order for rejoicing and dancing has come from our warlord.


How Dare I Be So Beautiful?

Wandering through the chaos the battle has left,
We climb up a mountain of human flesh,
To a plateau of green grass, and green trees full of life.
A young figure sits still by a pool,
He's been stamped "Human Bacon" by some butchery tool.
(He is you)
Social Security took care of this lad.
We watch in reverence, as Narcissus is turned to a flower.
A flower?


Willow Farm

If you go down to Willow Farm,
to look for butterflies, flutterbyes, gutterflies
Open your eyes, it's full of surprise, everyone lies,
like the fox on the rocks,
and the musical box.
Oh, there's Mum & Dad, and good and bad,
and everyone's happy to be here.

There's Winston Churchill dressed in drag,
he used to be a British flag, plastic bag, what a drag.
The frog was a prince, the prince was a brick, the brick was an egg,
the egg was a bird.
(Fly away you sweet little thing, they're hard on your tail)
Hadn't you heard?
(They're going to change you into a human being!)
Yes, we're happy as fish and gorgeous as geese,
and wonderfully clean in the morning.

We've got everything, we're growing everything,
We've got some in
We've got some out
We've got some wild things floating about
Everyone, we're changing everyone,
you name them all,
We've had them here,
And the real stars are still to appear.

ALL CHANGE!

Feel your body melt;
Mum to mud to mad to dad
Dad diddley office, Dad diddley office,
You're all full of ball.

Dad to dam to dum to mum
Mum diddley washing, Mum diddley washing,
You're all full of ball.

Let me hear you lies, we're living this up to the eyes.
Ooee-ooee-ooee-oowaa
Momma I want you now.

And as you listen to my voice
To look for hidden doors, tidy floors, more applause.
You've been here all the time,
Like it or not, like what you got,
You're under the soil (the soil, the soil),
Yes, deep in the soil (the soil, the soil, the soil, the soil!).
So we'll end with a whistle and end with a bang
and all of us fit in our places.


Apocalypse In 9/8 (Co-Starring the delicious talents of Gabble Ratchet)

With the guards of Magog, swarming around,
The Pied Piper takes his children underground.
Dragons coming out of the sea,
Shimmering silver head of wisdom looking at me.
He brings down the fire from the skies,
You can tell he's doing well by the look in human eyes.
Better not compromise.
It won't be easy.

666 is no longer alone,
He's getting out the marrow in your back bone,
And the seven trumpets blowing sweet rock and roll,
Gonna blow right down inside your soul.
Pythagoras with the looking glass reflects the full moon,
In blood, he's writing the lyrics of a brand new tune.

And it's hey babe, with your guardian eyes so blue,
Hey my baby, don't you know our love is true,
I've been so far from here,
Far from your loving arms,
Now I'm back again, and babe it's gonna work out fine.


As Sure As Eggs Is Eggs (Aching Men's Feet)

Can't you feel our souls ignite
Shedding ever changing colours, in the darkness of the fading night,
Like the river joins the ocean, as the germ in a seed grows
We have finally been freed to get back home.

There's an angel standing in the sun, and he's crying with a loud voice,
"This is the supper of the mighty one",
Lord of Lords,
King of Kings,
Has returned to lead his children home,
To take them to the new Jerusalem.

Play me Old King Cole
That I may join with you,
All your hearts now seem so far from me
It hardly seems to matter now.

And the nurse will tell you lies
Of a kingdom beyond the skies.
But I am lost within this half-world,
It hardly seems to matter now.

Play me my song.
Here it comes again.
Play me my song.
Here it comes again.

Just a little bit,
Just a little bit more time,
Time left to live out my life.

Play me my song.
Here it comes again.
Play me my song.
Here it comes again.

Old King Cole was a merry old soul,
And a merry old sould was he.
So he called for his pipe,
And he called for his bowl,
And he called for his fiddlers three.

The clock, tick tock,
On the matelpiece,
And I want,
And I fee,
And I know,
And i touch,
The wall.

She's a lady, she's got time.
Brush back your hair, and let me get to know your face.
She's a lady, she's mine.
Brush back your hair, and let me get to know your flesh.

I've been waiting here for so long
And all this time has past me by
It doesn't seem to matter now
You stand there with your fixed expression
Casting doubt on all I have to say
Why don't you touch me, touch me,
Why don't you touch me, touch me, touch me,
Touch me now, now, now, now, now.....

Play me Old King Cole
That I may join with you,
All your hearts now seem so far from me
It hardly seems to matter now.

And the nurse will tell you lies
Of a kingdom beyond the skies.
But I am lost within this half-world,
It hardly seems to matter now.

Play me my song.
Here it comes again.
Play me my song.
Here it comes again.

Just a little bit,
Just a little bit more time,
Time left to live out my life.

Play me my song.
Here it comes again.
Play me my song.
Here it comes again.

Old King Cole was a merry old soul,
And a merry old sould was he.
So he called for his pipe,
And he called for his bowl,
And he called for his fiddlers three.

The clock, tick tock,
On the matelpiece,
And I want,
And I fee,
And I know,
And i touch,
The wall.

She's a lady, she's got time.
Brush back your hair, and let me get to know your face.
She's a lady, she's mine.
Brush back your hair, and let me get to know your flesh.

I've been waiting here for so long
And all this time has past me by
It doesn't seem to matter now
You stand there with your fixed expression
Casting doubt on all I have to say
Why don't you touch me, touch me,
Why don't you touch me, touch me, touch me,
Touch me now, now, now, now, now.....

Watcher of the skies watcher of all
His is a world alone no world is his own,
He whom life can no longer surprise,
Raising his eyes beholds a planet unknown.

Creatures shaped this planet's soil,
Now their reign has come to end,
Has life again destroyed life,
Do they play elsewhere, do they know
more than their childhood games ?
Maybe the lizard's shedded its tail,
This is the end of man's long union with Earth.

Judge not this race by empty remains
Do you judge God by his creatures when they are dead.
For now the lizard's shedded its tail
This is the end of man's long union with Earth.

From life alone to life as one,
Think not now your journey done
For though your ship be sturdy, no
Mercy has the sea,
Will you survive on the ocean of being,
Come ancient children hear what I say
This is my parting council for you on your way.

Sadly now your thoughts turn to the stars
Where we have gone you know you never can go.
Watcher of the skies watcher of all
This is your fate alone, this fate is your own.

Watcher of the skies watcher of all
His is a world alone no world is his own,
He whom life can no longer surprise,
Raising his eyes beholds a planet unknown.

Creatures shaped this planet's soil,
Now their reign has come to end,
Has life again destroyed life,
Do they play elsewhere, do they know
more than their childhood games ?
Maybe the lizard's shedded its tail,
This is the end of man's long union with Earth.

Judge not this race by empty remains
Do you judge God by his creatures when they are dead.
For now the lizard's shedded its tail
This is the end of man's long union with Earth.

From life alone to life as one,
Think not now your journey done
For though your ship be sturdy, no
Mercy has the sea,
Will you survive on the ocean of being,
Come ancient children hear what I say
This is my parting council for you on your way.

Sadly now your thoughts turn to the stars
Where we have gone you know you never can go.
Watcher of the skies watcher of all
This is your fate alone, this fate is your own.

Watcher of the skies watcher of all
His is a world alone no world is his own,
He whom life can no longer surprise,
Raising his eyes beholds a planet unknown.

Creatures shaped this planet's soil,
Now their reign has come to end,
Has life again destroyed life,
Do they play elsewhere, do they know
more than their childhood games ?
Maybe the lizard's shedded its tail,
This is the end of man's long union with Earth.

Judge not this race by empty remains
Do you judge God by his creatures when they are dead.
For now the lizard's shedded its tail
This is the end of man's long union with Earth.

From life alone to life as one,
Think not now your journey done
For though your ship be sturdy, no
Mercy has the sea,
Will you survive on the ocean of being,
Come ancient children hear what I say
This is my parting council for you on your way.

Sadly now your thoughts turn to the stars
Where we have gone you know you never can go.
Watcher of the skies watcher of all
This is your fate alone, this fate is your own.

Standard bearers march to the tick of the clock
It's a war against time when you're fronting the flock
Determined resolute defiant and strong
Noble and Savage know they belong

In the heart of the city

The battlefield of love a ruffled feathered bed
From fluid moist lips the benediction's said
You love them and leave them with yesterday's guilt
Everything's on schedule in the empire that you built

In the heart of the city

You close a deal Thursday at 7.45
The train home is empty you're the only man alive
You throw away your clothes in a house of clouds
The window is sealed the furniture in shrouds

In the heart of the city

Standard bearers march to the tick of the clock
It's a war against time when you're fronting the flock
Determined resolute defiant and strong
Noble and Savage know they belong

In the heart of the city

The battlefield of love a ruffled feathered bed
From fluid moist lips the benediction's said
You love them and leave them with yesterday's guilt
Everything's on schedule in the empire that you built

In the heart of the city

You close a deal Thursday at 7.45
The train home is empty you're the only man alive
You throw away your clothes in a house of clouds
The window is sealed the furniture in shrouds

In the heart of the city

Like an arrow in the night
Like an arrow by the day

Come away from your bed at night
Leave all those empty halls behind
Have no fear of death, have no fear of life
The taste of victory ahead, the spirit never dies
Like an arrow in the night
Like an arrow by the day

A mission bell by the ghostly station
Tolling in the wind
The veins in your hand
Stretch like broken trees of winter
The last call the last port of entry
Like an arrow in the night
Like an arrow by the day

Like an arrow in the night
Like an arrow by the day

Come away from your bed at night
Leave all those empty halls behind
Have no fear of death, have no fear of life
The taste of victory ahead, the spirit never dies
Like an arrow in the night
Like an arrow by the day

A mission bell by the ghostly station
Tolling in the wind
The veins in your hand
Stretch like broken trees of winter
The last call the last port of entry
Like an arrow in the night
Like an arrow by the day

With Lana Turner on the screen beside me
The frame is hardly filled by Orson Wells
We switch into a Fred and Ginger number
That they're dancing oh so well

Blowing the blues all night
I'm sure I heard someone say
Stars never fade and everyone's dying to play
In Little America

We got a Chinese Elvis painted by Norman Rockwell
His part tonight will be played by Richard Pryor
The Mason Dixon line divides the free from all the rest so you can sell
Oklahoma to Cinderella from Long Island
And everyone's dying to play
In Little America

Lower your standards raise your prices on cable TV
Pretty woman seen at the death of a salesman
All covered with cream

And everyone's dying to play
In Little America

With Lana Turner on the screen beside me
The frame is hardly filled by Orson Wells
We switch into a Fred and Ginger number
That they're dancing oh so well

Blowing the blues all night
I'm sure I heard someone say
Stars never fade and everyone's dying to play
In Little America

We got a Chinese Elvis painted by Norman Rockwell
His part tonight will be played by Richard Pryor
The Mason Dixon line divides the free from all the rest so you can sell
Oklahoma to Cinderella from Long Island
And everyone's dying to play
In Little America

Lower your standards raise your prices on cable TV
Pretty woman seen at the death of a salesman
All covered with cream

And everyone's dying to play
In Little America

I see the valleys, I see the streams
I see the mountains and what's in between
I hear thunder fall from the sky
I see a world lost in your eyes

In my dreams I see you smile
I feel the sun, I want to stay for a while
I hear music just makes me cry
I see a world lost in your eyes

A one horse town, A dirt road
Way in the desert where the cactus grow
I hear you calling me mile after mile
I see a world lost in your eyes

I see the valleys, I see the streams
I see the mountains and what's in between
I hear thunder fall from the sky
I see a world lost in your eyes

In my dreams I see you smile
I feel the sun, I want to stay for a while
I hear music just makes me cry
I see a world lost in your eyes

A one horse town, A dirt road
Way in the desert where the cactus grow
I hear you calling me mile after mile
I see a world lost in your eyes

I'd like to paint your beauty all over the world
I'd like to paint your sadness

I'd like to paint your picture all over the world

I'd like to paint your beauty all over the world
I'd like to paint your sadness

I'd like to paint your picture all over the world

Take these pearls from an oyster shell
From the depths of the ocean bed
From the bottom of the sea like a wishing well

Take these stones fashioned into jewels
Like the essence of a half remembered song
From the crust of the earth to the limits of the sky

Take these stones fashioned into jewels
Like the essence of a half remembered song
From the crust of the earth to the limits of the sky

Take these pearls from an oyster shell
From the depths of the ocean bed
From the bottom of the sea like a wishing well

Take these stones fashioned into jewels
Like the essence of a half remembered song
From the crust of the earth to the limits of the sky

Take these stones fashioned into jewels
Like the essence of a half remembered song
From the crust of the earth to the limits of the sky

Take these pearls from an oyster shell
From the depths of the ocean bed
From the bottom of the sea like a wishing well

Take these stones fashioned into jewels
Like the essence of a half remembered song
From the crust of the earth to the limits of the sky

Take these stones fashioned into jewels
Like the essence of a half remembered song
From the crust of the earth to the limits of the sky

In the theatre of sleep
Where no reason remains
Dreamers and drifters
Make their entrance onto the stage
Non-stop scenery changes
With promptings in the dark
Trapped in unremitting violence
As trees stripped of their bark
When they're buried in your dream
The past is a foreign country
They do things differently there
You're back in the old schoolhouse
With rows and rows of chairs
Well it might be war or Christmas
With the tanks and guns and flares
Or a witch that wields her broomstick
The stars of your nightmare
When they're buried in your dream
I was trapped on the edge of a waterfall
In an old riverboat
A proud queen washed up at last
She's giving up the ghost
Slimy green water rising
I knew that I would die
I had no time to abandon ship,
The morning had arrived

Standing under the lamplight
In one of the nicer parts of hell
Behold this dreamer with rich red ruby lips
Some pay for the privilege
And some just pay to talk
Because there are many sides to the night

When Father Thames lies sleeping
His ever watchful sons
Divide up the spoils of the day's takings
A woman's work is never ever done
She's a child a slave a teacher and a fool
And then she vanishes from sight
Did no one ever tell you
There are many sides to the night

Standing under the lamplight
Selling perfume sweetcorn and lace
She looks beautiful from a distance
But it's too dark to see her face
I do it for my child alone
And who would say it's just not right
Verily I say unto you
There are many sides to the night

Standing under the lamplight
In one of the nicer parts of hell
Behold this dreamer with rich red ruby lips
Some pay for the privilege
And some just pay to talk
Because there are many sides to the night

When Father Thames lies sleeping
His ever watchful sons
Divide up the spoils of the day's takings
A woman's work is never ever done
She's a child a slave a teacher and a fool
And then she vanishes from sight
Did no one ever tell you
There are many sides to the night

Standing under the lamplight
Selling perfume sweetcorn and lace
She looks beautiful from a distance
But it's too dark to see her face
I do it for my child alone
And who would say it's just not right
Verily I say unto you
There are many sides to the night

As New Orleans slips far away
When the gas lights dim and the street cars fade
When the beast within takes on a new shape
The blood runs cold make no mistake

You're just a vampyre with a healthy appetite
And you stay awake half the night

A band strikes up and they're starting to play
When the sirens wail but they're way too late
The crowds don't see they're drunk anyway
The inquest said it was coming her way

You're just a vampyre with a healthy appetite
And you stay awake half the night

Well you ran to ground as you always do
And then they finally caught up with you
Well they sent you down and Old Smokey was waiting
But pressure groups being what they are these days
You were released after five years at a funny farm
In upstate bankrupt New York
To walk the streets once more

As New Orleans slips far away
When the gas lights dim and the street cars fade
When the beast within takes on a new shape
The blood runs cold make no mistake

You're just a vampyre with a healthy appetite
And you stay awake half the night

A band strikes up and they're starting to play
When the sirens wail but they're way too late
The crowds don't see they're drunk anyway
The inquest said it was coming her way

You're just a vampyre with a healthy appetite
And you stay awake half the night

Well you ran to ground as you always do
And then they finally caught up with you
Well they sent you down and Old Smokey was waiting
But pressure groups being what they are these days
You were released after five years at a funny farm
In upstate bankrupt New York
To walk the streets once more

As New Orleans slips far away
When the gas lights dim and the street cars fade
When the beast within takes on a new shape
The blood runs cold make no mistake

You're just a vampyre with a healthy appetite
And you stay awake half the night

A band strikes up and they're starting to play
When the sirens wail but they're way too late
The crowds don't see they're drunk anyway
The inquest said it was coming her way

You're just a vampyre with a healthy appetite
And you stay awake half the night

Well you ran to ground as you always do
And then they finally caught up with you
Well they sent you down and Old Smokey was waiting
But pressure groups being what they are these days
You were released after five years at a funny farm
In upstate bankrupt New York
To walk the streets once more

Nobody knows what tomorrow may bring
Or how far we may be blown by the wind
Over the fields and far from home
There are those who'll try to rob you of what you know.
One thing that's clear
One thing I know
Oh how I love you

Go sail away to a distant shore
Searching for something found inside your front door
One thing you'll see
One thing you'll know
Oh how I love you

You used to say that I'm so happy with you
Well, nothing's changed it’s just the things that we do
On those cloudy, cloudy days
When the skies are turned to grey
Something you know
Something for sure
Oh how I love you