Steve Jolliffe

When i talk to the trees
O'great trees who have learned to speak slowly
I know that they believe that they have an answer
Then i walk in the city where i cannot hear it

When i talk to the city
I have already learned three answers
Before i call the question
And slowly, i wish myself among trees
But can not hear myself wishing

When i talk to the people
Who are the trees that grow in the city
They reply with a fond kindness, slowly
But there is no answer
For experience to be made by mistake

Upon this key, time will slide,
Beyond the lock, you lose your mind.
And as our door becomes open,
A rush of sound is found inside
Creating dreams that pass you by.

You may live through your life a long long time..
But you will never know from where it came,
Yet all you've seen is what you've wanted to,
You're walking forward as you look behind,
Still watching those old memories fade and die...

This door is heavy, and is deeply stained,
With wasted tears, that try to fight in vain,
You may be sitting, feeling quite secure,
But listen carefully - and this key is yours -
For we can lead you far beyond that door...

There are dangers hidden, trust in that language
And it is precisely this conception that which must not be changed
The epitome of our language is patterns containment of thought and sound

I die to fight!!
I die to fight!!
I die to fight!!

Upon this key, time will slide,
Beyond each lock, you lose your mind.
And as our door becomes open,
A rush of sound is found inside -
Creating dreams that pass you by..

Bent cold sidewalk, open the gate,
I may be late but i can no longer wait.
Stealing the crown that stood me up,
I'm laying the table with dusty plates.
Bent cold sidewalk, open the gate,
I may be late but i can no longer wait.
Playing the god to fix your gaze,
I'm holding you firm on another day.
Bent cold sidewalk, open the gate,
I may be late but i can no longer wait.

Rising runner missed by endless sender, never coming back,
Rising runner, never coming back, ever running over.

Rising runner, you're missed by the endless sender,
Howling winds dig in your ears,
Steely cold and never getting warm.

Hells bells, you're alive
(shouting nonsense words)
On and on and on and on and on and on and on and on

Treading lightly, colored stones,
Often losing sight of goals
Embracing patterns long grown old
Leaving space is hard to fold.

Relax your eyes,
For after all,
We can but share these minutes,

Kaleidoscope,
Kaleidoscope,
Kaleida,
Kaleidoscope,
Kaleidoscope,
Kaleidoscope,

Cars and people rushing by,
Watch them laugh, hear them sigh,
Satin sounds, lots of million coloured lights,
"Some vermilion"
Flowers move or fluoresce,
disappearing iridescent
rolling clouds, shades of night,
Faces black, Faces white,
Kaleidoscope,
Kaleidoscope,
Kaleida,
Kaleidoscope,
Kaleidoscope,
Kaleidoscope,

Coloured shadows, alway haunting,
Drifting wild and undautning,
(???), distant daze, broken glass,
Coloured days.

Kaleidoscope,
Kaleidoscope,
Kaleida,
Kaleidoscope,
Kaleidoscope,
Kaleidoscope

Please Excuse My Face

Silently, you wave good bye,
Lots of love untied,
If my shiny eyes look sad,
Please excuse my face,
Blushing, smiling through the tears,
Please excuse my face,
I feel dead, I'll hide myself away,
I see you through crystal eyesight rain,
If see me on the street,
Please excuse my face,
Blushing, shrugging, trying to smile,
Please excuse my face,
I feel dead, I'll hide myself away,
I see you through crystal eyesight rain
If see me on the street,
Please excuse my face,
Blushing, shrugging, trying to smile,
Please excuse my face.

Silently, you wave good bye,
Lots of love untied,
If my shiny eyes look sad,
Please excuse my face,
Blushing, smiling through the tears,
Please excuse my face,
I feel dead, I'll hide myself away,
I see you through crystal eyesight rain,
If see me on the street,
Please excuse my face,
Blushing, shrugging, trying to smile,
Please excuse my face,
I feel dead, I'll hide myself away,
I see you through crystal eyesight rain
If see me on the street,
Please excuse my face,
Blushing, shrugging, trying to smile,
Please excuse my face.

Dive into yesterday, dive into yesterday
Dive into yesterday

Now since his disappearance through the smoke rings of our time
While the plaster jester is speaking out of tune
In moonlight swimming madness deep within Aladdin's cave
But with good old diamonds dancing, we can all smile too soon

Oh swing and sway, the petals say
Turn inside and out and please

Dive into yesterday, dive into yesterday
Dive into yesterday

Kaleidoscopic tambourines are tickling your ears
While the tiny goldfish all swim amongst the air
The Mardi Gras at midnight, the songs tumbling in sound
While Sh-Sh-Shakespeare floats with wild roses in his head

Oh, swing and sway, the patterns say
Time sign out and please

Relax your eyes, for after all
We can but share these minutes

Battalions in navy blue are bursting beige balloons
The water pistols are all filled with lemonade
The jester and the goldfish have joined minds above the moon
Oh, please kiss the flowers and you too will be safe

Oh, swing and sway, the patterns say
Time sign out and please

Dive into yesterday, dive into yesterday
Dive into yesterday, oh

Bursts of white cotton passing the window
Everyone talking, oh, so very low
And Captain Simpson seems to be in a daze
One minute high, the next minute low
Nobody knows where we are
Nobody knows where we are

Cigarettes burning faster and faster
Everyone talking about the everafter
And Captain Simpson seems to be in a daze
One minute high, the next minute low
Nobody knows where we are
Nobody knows where we are

Nobody will ever know why
Nobody will ever know why

Visions of childhood rush past my eyes
In seat number 30 somebody cries
And Captain Simpson seems to be in a daze
One minute high, the next minute low

Nobody knows where we are
Nobody knows where we are
Nobody knows where we are
Nobody knows where we are
Nobody knows where we are
Nobody knows where we are
Nobody knows where we are

In the night something is stirring
Someone is moving without a sound to his heels
Your heart is racing your mind is tracing
Pictures you can see, Lewis Tollani, it's me

Lewis Tollani, it's me
Lewis Tollani, it's me
I didn't mean to hurt you
I didn't mean to hurt you at all
I didn't mean to hurt you at all
I swear

With your eyes you have seen nothing
No single thing that any man would want to see
Your nerves are moving, your watch is losing
Precious seconds now gone, Lewis Tollani, it's me

Lewis Tollani, it's me
Lewis Tollani, it's me
I didn't mean to hurt you
I didn't mean to hurt you at all
I didn't mean to hurt you at all
I swear

Lewis Tollani
Lewis Tollani
Pretty things are gone

Mountainous pictures of coloured scenes appear upon my face
And the joss stick smoke of sense dissolves, forever in its place
The shadowy friends that line the walls all dream while laying down
While the window tapping silhouette in rain begins to drown

In the room of percussion
The discussion slides as you enter through the door
And the one armed bandit
Laughs aloud and disappears once more

Foolish thoughts of ecstasy are dead but without too much concern
In the heart, my hopes by millions lay twisted as they burn
The crooked faces of clocks appear and die in nightmare dreams
While juggling music surrounds us both and turns our thoughts to screams

In the room of percussion
The discussion slides as you enter through the door
And the one armed bandit
Laughs aloud and disappears once more
My God, the spiders are everywhere!

With ruby wine and our tangled nerves, our mouths flap in despair
And with tumbled words of poetry, we try and prove we care
But the glow-worm light of creativeness moves out into the rain
And the joss stick dies and disappears, its scent alone remains

In the room of percussion
The discussion slides as you enter through the door
And the one armed bandit
Laughs aloud and disappears once more
In the room of percussion
The discussion slides as you enter through the door
And the one armed bandit
Laughs aloud and disappears once more
My God, the spiders are everywhere!

Dear Nellie Goodrich
I am writing to you
To tell you of my love
Please don't be offended
I mean you no harm
Sure as the sun shines above

Dear Nellie Goodrich
I have watched from afar
You pass my house each day
The dreams that I dream
Are always about you
But, oh dear, what can I say?

In these few words that I'm writing
Is my life open for you to see
And one wish that I wish constantly
I wish that you could see me

In these few words that I'm writing
Is my life open for you to see
And one wish that I wish constantly
I wish that you could see me

Dear Nellie Goodrich
I am ending this letter
I will wait patiently
I will be thinking
And dreaming about you
Dear Nellie, please think of me

Braces gleaming on the beach
Northern accents, funny speech
People call each other "each"
And the telly's just out of reach
And Johnny's swimming expertly in a white-capped breaker
Oh holidaymaker, liberty taker
Nature forsaker, oh holidaymaker
Red face roasting in the sun
Curvy girls for everyone
Radio gang here they come
Spoiling everybody's fun
And Johnny's swimming expertly in a white-capped breaker
Oh holidaymaker, liberty taker
Nature forsaker, oh holidaymaker
The white surf is breaking softly on the sand
Where the seagulls cry for the bread that's in your hand
But you don't understand for why they cry
You're all holiday men with no sunshine in your eye - why?
Smiling queens walk to and fro
A middle-aged romeo
Tries but without seeds to sow
Lucky his wife does not know
And Johnny's drowning desperately in a white-capped breaker
Oh, holidaymaker, liberty taker
Nature forsaker, oh holidaymaker

The early morning castle stirred,
The King of the forest stared vacantly,
Toward the east.
His bloodshot eyes caught no reasoning,
A lazy fly settled on his suit of velvet,
And the king cursed the creation.
Like an unwanted shadow,
The Queen of conscience entered the already broken morning,
She spoke, "Eat my master".
The king moved to a coffin corner,
Where another lazy fly contemplated the dust of time.
"Bring me a kingdom and I will eat,"
his voice disturbed the dust and the fly.
"I am without power to bring you power,"
The Queen sighed like an autumn breeze.
"Then I will not eat."
The King moved to his guilty throne,
And seated himself amongst his ancestors.
"My King, if you want a kingdom and power,
If you want money and love, if you want respect and admiration,
then you must go out, and take it."
The King stared vacantly to the east,
And a dozen flies waiting in the dust stared back,
"I am the King, it is not my part to capture and claim,
It is my people's duty."
The Queen cried and the little crystal tears tickled her cheeks.
She brushed them away angrily,
"You have no people, and while you remain the ghost of the past,
you will never have people or a kingdom,"
She ran from the pathetic chamber.
A fly left with her.
The king breathed and thought deeply,
"I will have people," he said nervously to his conscience,
"I will have people."
The King of the forest never rose again from his guilty throne,
And the dust and the lazy flies lived on him,
And the King lived on his dreams,
And died on them.

A million white flowers in a field in the sky
Seemed to spell out a greeting as the children flew by
A guard in a chariot of silver and gold
Gave the children all tickets, then the story he told
Of a time in the future that was sunshine and flowers
And the children grew sleepy in the sky's white towers
They dreamed of the story that the guard had displayed
They saw all the wonders, tiny minds were amazed
They saw candy forests and dragons that breathed fire
On all that was evil in the misty mire

They came to the village where the turtles in caves
Made pies for the people and the lemonade
The people lived out by the sea and each day
The seagulls would wake them as they passed on their way
The people were kindly, they would sing to the sky
And each bright new morning, the sun shone from their eyes
The children passed over and all the people could see
As they dived from the sky to the treacle sea
They bathed on the white sand, minutes turned into hours
And the children all giggled and gave each other flowers

The King from his castle came down to the sea
And he spoke to the children so patiently
He gave them small presents and bid them farewell
And the children unwrapped them, tiny silver bells
Their tinkling floated across the island with ease
And it came back toward them on the perfume breeze
They smiled at the tinkling, they gazed at the sun
And they smiled at each other, pretty little ones
A beautiful white horse came down to the sea
And the children all climbed up as he knelt on one knee

They rode through the valleys and high over hills
And they laughed oh so loudly, their fear to kill
They came to a lakeside of deep velvet and green
And they all stared in wonder at its beauty serene
They climbed from the white horse, they watch as it goes
As they stood by the green lake water kissed their toes
A boat in the distance was suddenly there
Waiting to take the children to anywhere
The porcupine captain said that he didn't mind
In his coat of blunt needles, he looked very kind

His crew were six rabbits with fluffy white ears
And the children all stroked them and lost all their fears
They sailed through the sunshine, across the green lake
And they drank lemonade and they ate ice-cream cake
They landed in a dark cave as the boat disappeared
And they all stood in darkness, through the shadows they peered
But out of the blackness shone diamonds so bright
Their tiny white hands shielded eyes from the light
In a pool of quicksilver stood Neptune so wise
And pearls were his white teeth, bright diamonds his eyes

He spoke to the children in a voice of velvet
And he beckoned them to him, in a circle they sat
He told of sky island and of his magic cave
And magic pink seashells to the children he gave
They listened intently as the music came forth
From the magic pink seashells and nobody talked
But Neptune had vanished when they lifted their eyes
So they walked from the cave as two kingfishers cried
In the bright shiny sunlight, they got down on one knee
They listened to the sea shells of the musical sea

But the day grew much darker, so they climbed on the breeze
And they floated to the village, and the people were pleased
To see them so happy with their tinkling bells
And the people all listened to the musical shells
But the children were so sad, the time had come to leave
So the people waved goodbye and begged them to believe
Of the wonders they had seen in the island of the sky
And the children said they would and away they did fly
Through the white clouds of no time till forever it seems
And the children stayed children and they lived in their dreams

Bursts of white cotton passing the window
Everyone talking, oh, so very low
And Captain Simpson seems to be in a daze
One minute high, the next minute low
Nobody knows where we are
Nobody knows where we are

Cigarettes burning faster and faster
Everyone talking about the everafter
And Captain Simpson seems to be in a daze
One minute high, the next minute low
Nobody knows where we are
Nobody knows where we are

Nobody will ever know why
Nobody will ever know why

Visions of childhood rush past my eyes
In seat number 30 somebody cries
And Captain Simpson seems to be in a daze
One minute high, the next minute low

Nobody knows where we are
Nobody knows where we are
Nobody knows where we are
Nobody knows where we are
Nobody knows where we are
Nobody knows where we are
Nobody knows where we are

Braces gleaming on the beach
Northern accents, funny speech
People call each other "each"
And the telly's just out of reach
And Johnny's swimming expertly in a white-capped breaker
Oh holidaymaker, liberty taker
Nature forsaker, oh holidaymaker
Red face roasting in the sun
Curvy girls for everyone
Radio gang here they come
Spoiling everybody's fun
And Johnny's swimming expertly in a white-capped breaker
Oh holidaymaker, liberty taker
Nature forsaker, oh holidaymaker
The white surf is breaking softly on the sand
Where the seagulls cry for the bread that's in your hand
But you don't understand for why they cry
You're all holiday men with no sunshine in your eye - why?
Smiling queens walk to and fro
A middle-aged romeo
Tries but without seeds to sow
Lucky his wife does not know
And Johnny's drowning desperately in a white-capped breaker
Oh, holidaymaker, liberty taker
Nature forsaker, oh holidaymaker

Silently, you wave good bye,
Lots of love untied,
If my shiny eyes look sad,
Please excuse my face,
Blushing, smiling through the tears,
Please excuse my face,
I feel dead, I'll hide myself away,
I see you through crystal eyesight rain,
If see me on the street,
Please excuse my face,
Blushing, shrugging, trying to smile,
Please excuse my face,
I feel dead, I'll hide myself away,
I see you through crystal eyesight rain
If see me on the street,
Please excuse my face,
Blushing, shrugging, trying to smile,
Please excuse my face.