Matthew Fisher

we skipped the light fandango
and turned cart wheels cross the floor
I was feeling kind of sea sick
but the crowd called out for more
the room was humming harder
as the ceiling flew a way
when we called out for an other drink
the waiter brought a tray
and so it was that later
as the miller told his tale
that her face at frist just ghostly
Turned a whiter shade of pale

she said there is no reason
and the truth is plain to see
But I wandered through my playing cards
and would not let her be
One of sixteen vestal virgins
who were leaving for the coast
and al though my eyes were open
they might just have well been closed
and so it was that later
as the miller told his tale
that her face at first just ghostly
turned a whiter shade of pale

Fisher

Anna says it's only for a while
I say I need her but it only makes her smile
She says it's all the same to her,
It's just a game to her
To keep me waiting
Anna tells me secrets with her eyes
And all those promises might just as well be lies
I don't know what she wants from me
Or what she wants to be
But I wish I knew
Anna, don't you really care at all
The way I care for you?
Anna, don't you run away again
'Cause I don't know what I'd do
Anna, don't you know it just won't last
What's now the future will someday be the past
And when all your friends have let you down
You know I'll still be around
If you need someone
Anna, don't you really care at all
The way I care for you?
Anna, don't you run away again
'Cause I don't know what I'd do
Anna, don't you really care at all
Oh, the way I care for you?
Anna, don't you run away again
'Cause I don't know what I'd do
Anna ... ooh o-o ooh oo oo ooh
Anna ... ooh o-o ooh oo oo ooh

Fisher

Well I'm sittin' here in this lonely hotel room
The music's still ringin' in my ears
And I'm wonderin' just how long I've been away this time
But every time I cry
Those days I can't remember seem like years
And I want to get back in your arms again
Darling, get back in your arms again
When you're so far away it hurts more each day
I want to get back in your arms again ... Umm hmm ...
Well I turned on the TV just an hour ago
The same old movies, talk-shows and quiz games
I've seen pretty girls in a hundred different cities
And I can't remember one
To me their faces all look just the same
I just want to get back in your arms again
Darling, get back in your arms again
When you're so far away it hurts more each day
I want to get back in your arms again
Yes I want to get back in your arms again
Darling, get back in your arms again
When you're so far away it hurts more each day
I want to get back in your arms again ... Umm ... Ooh oo oo ooh.

Fisher

The faults you find in me are never ending
You break me down each time I've started mending
I think it's time for you to stop pretending
And leave me alone
You don't believe me when I say I'm trying
Think you don't hurt me 'cause I don't start crying
I think it's time for you to stop your lying
And leave me alone
'Cause if there's nothing for you here
Why don't you disappear?
If you think you might find somebody better
Why don't you give it a try?
I'm not standing in your way
I'll even help you pack your case
If you think you might find somebody better
Why don't you give it a try?
I never told you I could walk on water
But now it seems your memory's getting shorter
If I'm not good enough I think you oughta
Just leave me alone
You say I should be like those guys you mention
You're under some kind of misapprehension
To be like that just isn't my intention
So leave me alone
'Cause if there's nothing for you here
Why don't you disappear
If you think you might find somebody better
Why don't you give it a try?
I'm not standing in your way
I'll even help you pack your case
If you think you might find somebody better
Why don't you give it a try?
And now you tell me this is so surprising
Can't understand why my temperature's rising
I'm sick and tired of all your criticising
Just leave me alone!
And if there's nothing for you here
Why don't you disappear
If you think you might find somebody better
Why don't you give it a try?
I'm not standing in your way
I'll even help you pack your case
If you think you might find somebody better
If you think you might find somebody better
If you think you might find somebody better
Why don't you give it a try?
If you think you might find somebody better
If you think you might find somebody better
If you think you might find somebody better
Why don't you ... um ... yeah
If you think you might find somebody better
If you think you might find somebody better
If you think you might find somebody better
Why don't you ... ooh ... yeah
If you think you might find somebody better
If you think you might find somebody better
If you think you might find somebody better
Why don't you ... ooh ... yeah

Fisher

Never saw the sun rise in the morning
Or goin' down at the close of the day
Maybe I was far too busy worrying
Maybe I just looked the other way
And I wonder why I never saw it there before
When it was oh so plain to see
No I just don't know how I never saw it there before
Just how blind can one man be?
Never saw tall trees reaching to the sky
Only saw the dead leaves on the ground
Only saw the darkness here inside of me
Never saw the wonder all around
And I wonder why I never saw it there before
When it was oh so plain to see
No I just don't know how I never saw it there before
Just how blind can one man be?
Never saw the smile on my baby's face
Couldn't see the love shining in her eye
Never saw the tears rolling down her cheeks
When she was waving me goodbye
And I wonder why I never saw them there before
When they were oh so plain to see
No I just don't know how I never saw them there before
Just how blind can one man be?
Oh yeah
Just how blind can one man be?
Oh yeah
Just how blind can one man be?

M. Fisher-I. Fisher

Well the night she came
It was pouring with rain
And she was soaked to the skin
I hadn't seen her in two long years
I said 'Why don't you come on in?'
And while her clothes were drying
She kept on crying
She told me she'd come back for good
She asked me to give her one more chance
And like a fool I said I would
You know I reached out to her with an helping hand
But all I got was an empty glove
She was just looking for shelter
But I was looking for love
And I really thought she might change her ways
But a vulture can't change into a dove
She was just looking for shelter
But I was looking for love ... oh ... oh ... oh
Well after a while
She managed to smile
But her eyes were still a little red
She took me by the hand and led me upstairs
She said 'Why don't we go to bed?'
She told me she'd been a fool
To treat me so cruel
And she was sorry for what she'd done
When I went to sleep she was in my arms
But when I woke up in the morning she'd gone
You know I reached out to her with a helping hand
And all I got was an empty glove
She was just looking for shelter
But I was looking for love
And I really thought she might change her ways
But a vulture can't change into a dove
She was just looking for shelter
But I was looking for love ... umm
She was just looking for shelter,
Just looking for shelter
She was just looking for shelter
But I was looking for love
Just looking for shelter
Just looking for shelter
She was just looking for shelter
But I was looking for love
Just looking for shelter
Just looking for shelter
Just looking for shelter
I was looking for love
Just looking for shelter
(Yes she was)
Just looking for shelter
(Oh you know she was)
Just looking for shelter
And I was looking for love
Just looking for shelter
(Ooh)
Just looking for shelter
(Ooh)
Just looking for shelter
I was looking for love
Just looking for shelter ...

Fisher

Suzie's going out on the town tonight
You can see the way she's fixed her hair
The cotton dress fits a little too tight
But you know that the girl don't care
Oo-ee Miss Suzie,
Don't you know I'm a fool for you
Oo-ee Miss Suzie,
Won't you tell me what I've gotta do
Suzie lives on the poor side of town
Just about a mile away
She never draws the blinds when she goes to bed
You should hear what the neighbours say
Oo-ee Miss Suzie,
Don't you know I'm a fool for you
Oo-ee Miss Suzie,
Won't you tell me what I've gotta do
Suzie's got everything it takes
To make a grown man cry
People tell me she's so easy
But they don't know how hard I've tried
Oo-ee Miss Suzie,
Don't you know I'm a fool for you
Oo-ee Miss Suzie,
Won't you tell me what I've gotta do
Oo-ee Miss Suzie,
Don't you know I'm a fool for you
Oo-ee Miss Suzie,
Won't you tell me what I've gotta do
Won't you tell me what I've gotta do

Fisher

How can you say
That you'll never love again
And the scars are so deep
That they'll never really mend
Can't you see,
Love is sometimes a game that lets you down
Leaving you hurt inside but there's still the next time around
How can you see
When your eyes are still filled with tears
And the pain in your heart
Feels like it could last for years
Oh I know,
Love is sometimes a game that makes you cry
Leaving you standing all alone and wondering why
But it's only a game,
A game we all play sometimes
Yes it's only a game,
And games can be so unkind
Only a game,
Sometimes it's confusing
Only a game,
But it hurts when you're losing
One day you'll find
The pain doesn't hurt at all
You can face each new day,
You're no longer scared to fall
And you'll see
Love is sometimes a game that takes you high
Taking away the pain of all the tears you cry
But it's only a game,
A game we all play sometimes
Yes it's only a game,
And games can be so unkind
Only a game,
A game played by wise men and fools
Yes it's only a game
And nobody knows the rules
Oh oh ooh oo, only a game
Oh oh ooh oo, only a game
Oh oh ooh oo, only a game
Oh oh ooh oo, only a game

Fisher

It's been a long long time I know
I never could explain just why I had to go
Something inside of me told me I should run
And ever since that day
I've been running from your love
And as I ran from town to town
Your memory followed me and always tracked me down
Each time I closed my eyes I could see your face
Always asking why
I was running from your love
But now I realize that I was wrong
To be frightened by a love that seemed so strong
And if you'll take me back this time I'll stay
There's no reason now for me to run away
From your love
I don't have much to give it's true
But everything I have I want to share with you
We can forget the past while we're making up
For all that wasted time
I spent running from your love
'Cause now I realize that I was wrong
To be frightened by a love that seemed so strong
And if you'll take me back this time I'll stay
There's no reason now for me to run away
From your love

My amazon six-triggered bride
Now searching for a place to hide
Still sees the truth quite easily
But shrouds all else in mystery
While madmen in top hats and tails
Impale themselves on six-inch nails
And some Arabian also-ran
Impersonates a watering can

Some Santa Claus-like face of note
Entreats my ears to set afloat
My feeble sick and weary brain
And I am overcome with shame
And hide inside my overcoat
And hurriedly begin to quote
While some Arabian sheikh most grand
Impersonates a hot-dog stand

The Red Cross ambulance outside
Can only mean that I must hide
'Til dusk and finally the night
When I will make a hasty flight
Across the sea and far away
To where the weary exiles stay
And some Arabian oil-well
Impersonates a padded cell

About to die - the crowds applaud you
About to die - they'll resurrect you
Light a candle up in kingdom come
Light the way for the saviour's son
A candle burning bright enough to tear the city down

About to die - the crowds reward you
About to die - their cheers ignore you
Light a candle up in kingdom come
Light the way for the chosen one
No candle burned with fire enough to tear that city down

About to die - the crowds applaud me
About to die - they'll resurrect me
Light a candle up in kingdom come
Light the way for the savior's son
A candle burning bright enough to tear the city down

It's not that I'm so cheerful, though I'll always raise a smile
And if at times my nonsense rhymes then I'll stand trial
My friends are all around me but they only breathe through fear
Were I to cry, I'm sure that still they'd never see a tear

In darkness through my being here, away from you
The bright light of your star confronts me shining through

Dull and sullen, much subdued, my skull a stony glaze
Whirlpools rage on constantly, I'm not so well these days
There must be something somewhere near who sees what's being done
The harbour lights are burning bright, my wax is almost run

In darkness through my being here, away from you
The bright light of your star confronts me, shining through

Come Lollard, raise your lute and sing, and to my ears her beauty bring
Like Maddox in the days of old we'll feast and drink until we fold
And folding still we'll spare a thought for what's been lost and what's been caught
And maybe then begin again for love is life, not poison

In darkness through my being here, away from you
The bright light of your star confronts me, shining through

Oh, shining through....

Some say they will and some say they won't
Some say they do and some say they don't
Some say they shall and some say they shan't
Some say they can and some say they can't
(All right!)

All in all it's all the same,
But call me if there's any change

Some say there's nothing and some say there's lots
Some say they've started while some say they've stopped
Some say they're going and some say they've been
Yes, some say they're looking and some say they've seen
(Oh, yes!)

All in all it's all the same,
But call me if there's any change

Outside the gates of Cerdes sits the two-pronged unicorn
who plays at relaxation time a rhinestone flugelhorn
whilst mermaids lace carnations into wreaths for ailing whales
and Neptune dances hornpipes while Salome sheds her veils

Phallus Phil tries peddling his pewter painted pot
but Sousa Sam can only hear the screams of Peep the sot
who only sips his creme de menthe from terra cotta cups
and exhales menthol scented breath whilst spewing verbiage up

Down technical blind alleys live the wraiths of former dreams
And Greeps who often crossed them are no longer what they seem
And even Christian Scientists can but display marble plaques
Which only retell legends whilst my eyes reach out for facts

Yeah, my eyes reach out for facts

You'd better listen anybody,
'cos I'm gonna make it clear
That my life is unimportant;
What I've done I did through fear
There's a river running through me:
On its tide I tried to hide
Nonetheless I could not shake it,
And in the end it swept aside
All my feeble unimportance.
I can't say it, never mind
Can't you hear me mother calling you?
I'm cold, I'm deaf, I'm blind
And if only 'cos you're lucky,
We both know that's no find
I did think I'd be an actor.
What I am I'll leave behind

You'd better listen anybody,
'cos it's me and you --that's it
And in case you find your maker
Perhaps you'll plead for us a bit
All my sick is in my stomach,
All my sweat is clearly fear
And if you could see inside me
I don't think you'd have me here
Tell the helmsman veer to starboard,
Bring this ship around to port
And if the sea was not so salty
I could sink instead of walk
And in case of passing strangers
Who are standing where I fell
Tell the truth: you never knew me,
And in truth it's just as well

Still scowling black
good Captain Clack
must eat his humble pie
His bed is made
the colours fade
his eyes once wet are dry

The naked muse
who sits and chews
tobacco off a tree
removes his shoes
gives way to booze
and searches endlessly

See the naked jumberlack
sip his aphrodisiac
Cotton-picking farmers three
Though I lost my weather vane
and of sense I have one grain
I'm content sipping lemon tea

Well I opened my eyes this morning,
I wasn't at home in bed
There were four angels standin' 'round me
I thought I must be dead
Yeah I opened my eyes this mornin'
Thought I must be dead
There were four angels standin' 'round me
And the room was beaded red

Won't you have mercy
On your wicked son?
Take me up to heaven,
Or hell where I belong
Well

Well the sky began to tremble
The rain began to fall
Four angels standin' 'round me
And it weren't no social call
Yeah, the sky began to tremble
The rain began to fall
Got down on my knees prayin' Lord
But it didn't do no good at all

Won't you have mercy
On your wicked son?
Take me up to heaven,
Or hell where I belong
Well

Jostle, hassle, elbow bustle
in a swirling rainbow tussle
Caught and frozen, broken sheen
now unites for one brief scene

Lonely in the dark I grope
the key's in my kaleidoscope

Confused faces change their places
take up stances, exchange glances
Lost in multicoloured hues
there is no whole which I can choose

Lonely in the dark I grope
the key's in my kaleidoscope

In one face, one moment's fusion
realize the new illusion
Clutching fingers break the puzzle
jostle, hassle, elbow bustle

Still out in the dark I grope
the key's in my kaleidoscope

Don't eat green meat it ain't good for you
you know it killed your brother, killed your sister too
even fresh fried chicken on new-mown sand
can't beat red beans eaten outa your hand

Oh Mabel, Mabel! You know I love you gal but I'm not able
Mabel, oh Mabel, please get off the kitchen table

Don't slice no onions, don't peel no grape
dream about banana slice nor sniff around short cake
and if on a winter's day you find your sundial's wrong
you'll know the weather is what's brought it on

Oh Mabel, Mabel! You know I love you gal but I'm not able
Mabel, oh Mabel, please get off the kitchen table

Put the peas in the pot, put the pot on the hot
In the cellar lies my wife, in my wife there's a knife
so tote that hammer, lift that pick
and banish inhibition with a pogo stick

Oh Mabel, Mabel! You know I love you gal but I'm not able
Mabel, oh Mabel, please get off the kitchen table

Though I know the night has fallen and the suns sailed out to sea
I will wait here for the band to play the trumpet voluntary
And with one foot on the seashore and the other in the sand
I will stand here plaiting daisies whilst you play the piano-grand

Caprice, your bugle blew away the cobwebs from my ears
And for once I stood quite naked. unashamed, I wept the tears
Which I tried to hide inside myself from me, I mean from you
But the shame I found too painful and the pain it only grew

(Magdalene, my regal zonophone)

(originally Wash Yourself)

Wash yourself and see your sorrow, make every pitcher clean
Take a mop to swab the floor and destroy the evil dream
Counting houses full of lead, the evil eye on high
The streets awash with blood and pus, the new moon's in the sky
God's aloft, the winds are raging
God's aloft, the winds are cold
After leaving I was weeping - count it out in tolls
Watch the book, the page is turning - how the tale unfolds
Inside every cancered spectre,
inside-outside find your own
God's aloft, the winds are raging - God's aloft, the winds are cold

A local picture house
Was showing a Batman movie
You see this guy fly up in the sky
Thought to myself, "Why shouldn't I?"
Bought a pair of wings
Went upon the wall
Was about to jump into the air
When a man from the street called, he said:

"Hey wait a minute!
Don't you realize the danger?
What do you think you are
Some kind of angel?"

I considered for a minute
Thought "He only speaks the truth"
For the barbells on my eyelids
Only emphasized my youth
And the sawdust in my plimsolls
Means the same to him as me
But that's neither here nor further
So I spoke considerately

"If you understand
Just what I'm trying to say,
Whatever you do, don't grin,
You'll give the game away!"

By now a crowd had gathered
And it seemed that all was lost
In the anger of the moment
I had diced with death and lost
It seemed to me the time was right
So I burst into song
In the anger of the moment
The crowd began to sing along
I could not see a way out of this predicament
Just then a breeze
Cruised through the trees
And up in the air I went

I must have flown a mile
Or maybe it was eight
Thought to myself pretty soon
I'd hit the Golden Gate
Just then a passing bird
For no reason I could see
Took a peck at my wings
And that was the end of me
I went down, hit the ground
Faster than the speed of sound
Luckily I broke no bones
Only tore my underclothes
...
(fades, returns, fades again...)

You come to me at midnight and say, 'It's dark in here.'
You know you robbed me of my sight, and light is what I fear
I tell you that I can not see but you persist in showing me
those bangles that I paid for long ago

And though my face is smiling I'm really feeling low
and though you say you're with me I know that it's not so

Your skin crawls up an octave, your teeth have lost their gleam
The peaches snuggle closer down into the clotted cream
and for some unknown reason my watch begins to chime
and though I beg and plead with you, you tell me it's not time

And though my face is smiling I'm really feeling low
and though you say you're with me I know that it's not so

The sun seeps through the window to see if we're still dead
to try to throw some light upon the gloom around our bed
At quarter past the doorbell rings, the water faucet drips and sings
and still my reason will not rhyme, and still you tell me it's not time

And though my face is smiling I'm really feeling low
and though you say you're with me I know that it's not so

You really know that it's not so

My Prussian-blue electric clock's
alarm bell rings, it will not stop
and I can see no end in sight
and search in vain by candlelight
for some long road that goes nowhere
for some signpost that is not there
And even my befuddled brain
is shining brightly, quite insane

The chandelier is in full swing
as gifts for me the three kings bring
of myrrh and frankincense, I'm told,
and fat old Buddhas carved in gold
And though it seems they smile with glee
I know in truth they envy me
and watch as my befuddled brain


shines on brightly quite insane

Above all else confusion reigns
And though I ask no-one explains
My eunuch friend has been and gone
He said that I must soldier on
And though the Ferris wheel spins round
my tongue it seems has run aground
and croaks as my befuddled brain
shines on brightly, quite insane

(brooker / reid)

Skip softly, my moonbeams, avoid being seen
Pretend that perhaps you are part of a dream
Which (seen by some other such person as me)
Would only glow smiling and nod and agree

Skip softly, my moonbeams, for I have heard tell
That the stairs up to heaven lead straight down to hell
That pride is the last thing which comes before fall
I'd as soon talk to you as make love to a wall

While standing at the junction on 42nd Street
I idly kick a pebble lying near my feet
I hear a weird noise, take a look up and down
The cause of the commotion is right there on the ground
Imagine my surprise, thought I'd left it at home
but there's no doubt about it, it's my own tombstone

I went into a shop, and bought a loaf of bread
I sank my teeth into it, thought I'd bust my head
I dashed to the dentist, said, 'I've got an awful pain!'
The man looks in my mouth and screams, 'This boy is insane!'
Imagine my surprise, thought I'd left it at home
but there's a lump in my mouth of my own tombstone

I went to see a movie, got the only empty seat
I tried to stretch out in it, something blocking my feet
Finally the lights came up, and I could clearly see
a slab of engraved marble, just staring up at me
Imagine my surprise, thought I'd left it at home
but there's no doubt I'm sitting on my own tombstone

The Devil came from Kansas.
Where he went to I can't say
Though I teach I'm not a preacher,
And I aim to stay that way
There's a monkey riding on my back,
Been there for some time
He says he knows me very well
But he's no friend of mine

I am not a humble pilgrim
There's no need to scrape and squeeze
And don't beg for silver paper
When I'm trying to sell you cheese

The Devil came from Kansas.
Where he went to I can't say
If you really are my brother
Then you'd better start to pray
For the sins of those departed
And the ones about to go
There's a dark cloud just above us,
Don't tell me 'cos I know

I am not a humble pilgrim
There's no need to scrape and squeeze
And don't beg for silver paper
When I'm trying to sell you cheese

No I never came from Kansas,
Don't forget to thank the cook
Which reminds me of my duty:
I was lost and now I look
For the turning and the signpost
And the road which takes you down
To that pool inside the forest
In whose waters I shall drown

I am not a humble pilgrim
There's no need to scrape and squeeze
And don't beg for silver paper
When I'm trying to sell you cheese

When you knew that I had given all the kindness that I had
Did you think that it might be time to stop?
When you knew that I was through
That I'd done all I could do
Did you really have to milk the final drop?
Not content with my mistake
You behaved just like a snake
And you left me for a wasp without a sting
Tell all my friends back home
That I did it on my own
And that to their well-worn cares they should cling

When you knew that I had given all the kindness that I had
Did you feel you had to break that lonely vow?
When you knew that I was through
That I'd done all I could do
Did you really have to sow that final plough?
Not content with my mistake, you behaved just like a snake
And you left me for a wasp without a sting
Tell all the folks back home that he did it on his own
And that to their well-worn cares they should cling

There's you, you're sleeping over there
Whilst me I'm sitting here
With so much sea between us
I can't make it much more clear
There'll be no time for crying
We won't make it more than six
I could change my plea to guilty
But I don't think it would stick
Still those other ratings far too easy to despise
You've said so much in silence now I truly am disguised

Let him who fears his heart alone
Stand up and make a speech
For him perhaps an emperor's throne
If he could only speak
Far too few and far to follow
For shame I'll heed the cry
Be with me when I need a drink
Be with me when I die
Still those other ratings far too easy to despise
You've said so much in silence now indeed I am disguised

Pailing well after sixteen days, a mammoth task was set
Sack the town, and rob the tower, and steal the alphabet
Close the door and bar the gate, but keep the windows clean
God's alive inside a movie! Watch the silver screen!

Rum was served to all the traitors; pygmies held themselves in check
Bloodhounds nosed around the houses, down dark alleys sailors crept
Six bells struck, the pot was boiling - soup spilled out on passers-by
Angels mumbled incantations, closely watched by God on high

Lightning struck out - fire and brimstone! Boiling oil and shrieking steam!
Darkness struck with molten fury, flashbulbs glorified the scene
Not a man who had a finger, not a man who could be seen
Nothing called (not name nor number) - Echo stormed its final scream

Daybreak washed with sands of gladness, rotting all it rotted clean
Windows peeped out on their neighbors, inside fireside bedsides gleam
SHALIMAR, the trumpets chorused, angels wholly all shall take
Those alive will meet the prophets, those at peace shall see their wake

You know I caught a glimpse, thought I understood
But I left it all far behind
Now if I'd known then what I know now
Do you think I would've been so blind?
Gonna take myself down to a wishing well
I'm gonna make myself one last wish
And if you follow me there, better bring what you've found
'Cause my night has come and I'm going down

Gonna buy myself a big rockin' chair
And when I'm sittin' in that, then no one will peek
And if my friends will come, they'll see what I'm suffering from
I wish, I wish, I could rock myself to sleep
Gonna take myself down to a wishing well
Gonna make myself one last wish
If you follow me there, better bring what you've found
'Cause my night has come and I'm going down
......

(Fisher / Reid)

We'll hoist a hand, becalmed upon a troubled sea
'make haste to your funeral,' cries the valkyrie
We'll hoist a hand or drown amidst this stormy sea
'here lies a coffin,' cries the cemetery, it calls to me
And all for nothing quite in vain was hope forever tossed
No thoughts explained, no moments gained, all hope forever lost
One moment's space, one moment's final fall from grace
Burnt by fire, blind in sight, lost in ire

We'll hoist a hand, becalmed upon a troubled sea
I fear a mighty wave is threatening me
We'll hoist a hand, or drown amidst this stormy sea
'come follow after,' cry the humble, 'you will surely see ...'
But still for nothing quite in vain was hope forever tossed
No moments gained, no thoughts explained, all hope forever lost
One moment's space, one moment's final fall from grace
Burnt by fire, blind in sight, lost in ire

There's too many women and not enough wine
Too many poets and not enough rhyme
Too many glasses and not enough time
Draw your own conclusions

My old dog's a good old dog
My old man's a silly old sod
The human face is a terrible place
Choose your own examples

Went to the river, but I could not swim
Knew I'd drown if I went in
Lost my faith in a terrible race
Rest-in-peace hereafter

A robe of silk I'd be to you
And on our dreams we'd journey to
A land where shepherds herded sheep
An' all we wished within our reach
And golden sun an' silver light
To bright our day and quiet our night
And everybody else had flown
An' there was only us alone

And on our voyage I'd try to be
The only star that you could see
And guide you safe till night was done
An' then perhaps become the sun
And when you laid you down to sleep
A constant vigil I would keep
Though everybody else had flown
An' there was only us alone

They say this fair city has ten thousand souls
Some live in mansions
And some live in holes
Some eat from silver
And some eat from gold
Some sift through garbage
And sleep in the cold

I saw a great highway that stretched to the stars
I saw a deep river all choked up with cars
A babe in a cradle and a cat with the cream
An old English church yard and an old English dream

Once we had a country
And thought it so fair
If you look through the mirror
You can still find it there
But now our great country
Is broken and torn
And all of its promise
And liberties worn

I saw a great highway that stretched to the stars
I saw a deep river all choked up with cars
A babe in a cradle and a cat with the cream
An old English church yard and an old English dream

I saw a great plain in winter
All covered in snow
Ten thousand soldiers
That marched to and fro
I saw a broken down building
With ten thousand doors
But none of them open
And none of them yours

I saw a great highway that stretched to the stars
I saw a deep river all choked up with cars
A babe in a cradle and a cat with the cream
An old English church yard and an old English dream

You can give a dog a kicking
You can give a dog a bone
If you give your dog a kicking
Don't expect him to come home
You can call your dog a mongrel
You can call your dog a stray
Just remember in the end that

Every dog will have his day
Every dog will have his day Lord
Every dog will have his day
Just remember in the end that
Every dog will have his day

You can treat your dog with kindness
You can treat your dog with grace
Just remember in the end that
Every dog must know his place

Every dog must know who's master
Every dog must know who's boss
But whenever you run faster
It's the dog who ends up lost

Every puppy chews its balls Lord
Every puppy loves to scratch
When a puppy chews its balls Lord
Then you know you've met your match

Every dog will have his day Lord
Every dog will have his day
Just remember in the end that

Every dog just loves to play
Every dog just loves to play Lord
Every dog just loves to play
Just remember in the end that
Every dog will have his day

This life is a journey
From shadow to shadow
We are all fellow travelers
To the end of the day

This life is blindness
Fill it with kindness
Love marks the times as
We pass on our way

All of us needing
Something to believe in
To be the best we can

This life is a fable
From the grave to the cradle
A slow dance through the dark night
To the sweet light we crave

All of us needing
Something to believe in
To be the best we can

This life is a journey
From shadow to shadow
We are all fellow travelers
To the end of the day

We are all fellow travelers
At the end of the day

I've been body swerved, close observed
Down the well, kiss and tell
I've been lost an' found, underground
Good as gold, overload

I've been crazy glued, baby blued
Off the wall, too close to call
I've been Chinese rocks
I've been shadow boxed

I've been squeezed an' stroked, okee-doked
Gone an' went, heaven sent
I've been fluffed an' fussed, cuffed an' cussed
Show of hands, shadow lands

I've been down to the wire, house on fire
Reconditioned, under suspicion
I've been Chinese rocks
I've been shadow boxed

I've been instant karma, Dalai Lama
Living proof, an' cosmic truth
I've been powder kegged, heavy lead
Out of bounds, what's that sound

I've been down to the wire, house on fire
Reconditioned, under suspicion
I've been lost an' found, underground
Good as gold, overload

I've been crazy glued, baby blued
Off the wall, too close to call
I've been Chinese rocks
I've been shadow boxed

Your convent-cloistered, cluttered mind
[calls] out for me but I'm behind
You cannot see into your room
Whose perfumed depths sing songs of doom

But I am cold and cannot see
A way out of this mystery

Wild horses couldn't change your mind
Or help you up and let you find
That I am here cold or blind
That I have something left to find



But I am cold and cannot see
A way out of your mystery

An ali baba you would be
In search of treasure endlessly
And like some jewel you'ld comfort me
And in your showcase I would be

But I am cold and cannot see
A way out of your mystery

It was all over in the blink of an eye
Thousands of people walking by
A big black bird swooped out of the sky
Nobody knew the reason why

It was all over in a few seconds flat
Blue skies turned grey at the drop of a hat
Pillars of dust blocked out the sun
All that the people could do was run

We thought we were living on easy street
But they pulled the rug from under our feet

It was all over in an avalanche of pain
And now the world can never be the same
The dreams of so many have gone up in smoke
The ones who are left don't know how to cope

We thought we were living on easy street
But they pulled the rug from under our feet
They pulled the rug from under our feet

We've seen it before
The high flying act
Is it manic delusion
Or a statement of fact
That hot fevered brow
Them bright shining eyes
The hand on the heart
Those self serving lies
It's an ancient tradition
But everyone knows
Them gaudy old rags
Are the emperor's new clothes

We've heard it before
Your ego parade
You're always so sure
A hollow charade
You promise the moon
An' squander the earth
The only person you fool
Is yourself
It's an ancient condition
But everyone knows
Them gaudy old rags
Are the emperor's new clothes

We've seen it before
Those crocodile tears
The well should'a run dry
It's been so many years
You throw us a bone
Then ask for it back
The only thing you own
You stole from our backs
It's an ancient religion
But everyone knows
Them gaudy old rags
Are the emperor's new clothes

Before you go pointing the finger
Maybe you should check yourself out
Your past is wide open to question
Your future is clouded in doubt
Before you go pointing the finger
Maybe you should stand back and think
Are you gonna be making a difference
Or are you gonna be making a stink

Before you go pointing the finger
Maybe you should stand back and ask
Are you really up to the challenge
Do you feel you're facing the task
Before you go pointing the finger
Maybe you should know what it means
Have you always been mister blameless
Have you always kept your hands clean

Before you go pointing the finger
Maybe you should see if it's wise
Would you pass a vigorous inspection
Can you not be cut down to size
Before you go pointing the finger
Maybe you should stand back and think
Are you gonna be making a difference
Or are you gonna be making a stink

If I'm gonna die
Wanna die in the VIP room
Not out in the cold
With the rest of the goons
If I'm gonna choke
Gotta be on a silver spoon
If I'm gonna croak
Gotta be on a velvet rope

If I'm eating pie
I want the best silver plate
I ain't gonna lie
I want a big slice of the cake
If we're drinking fine champagne
Then I'm drinking a lake
I've gotta be eating
Off the fine silver plate

I wanna be shining
Up there with the stars
Gonna get me a sun tan
An' some big fat cigars
Gotta buy me some poon tang
With real crazy jars
I wanna be shining
Up there with the stars

If I'm gonna die
Wanna die in the VIP room
Not out in the cold
With the rest of the goons
If I'm gonna choke
Gotta be on a silver spoon
If I'm gonna die
I wanna die in the VIP room

This world is rich, but it is not mine
Where I live, hungry children are crying
I am not angry, at my own condition
I just want people to know my position

This world is rich, but it is not mine
My people are starving, that must be a crime
When some have so much, and some have so little
There must be a place, we can meet in the middle

This world is rich, but it is not mine
This world is rich, but it is not mine

Our water is poisoned, poverty's intense
We cry inequality, they just build a fence
We don't even own, the ditch where we're dying
This world is rich, but it is not mine

This world is rich, but it is not right
We're asking for help, before we run out of time
We can't live on talk, we just need a hand
We'll walk from the slums, to the promised land

This world is rich, but it is not mine

My amazon six-triggered bride
Now searching for a place to hide
Still sees the truth quite easily
But shrouds all else in mystery
While madmen in top hats and tails
Impale themselves on six-inch nails
And some Arabian also-ran
Impersonates a watering can

Some Santa Claus-like face of note
Entreats my ears to set afloat
My feeble sick and weary brain
And I am overcome with shame
And hide inside my overcoat
And hurriedly begin to quote
While some Arabian sheikh most grand
Impersonates a hot-dog stand

The Red Cross ambulance outside
Can only mean that I must hide
'Til dusk and finally the night
When I will make a hasty flight
Across the sea and far away
To where the weary exiles stay
And some Arabian oil-well
Impersonates a padded cell

Outside the gates of Cerdes sits the two-pronged unicorn
who plays at relaxation time a rhinestone flugelhorn
whilst mermaids lace carnations into wreaths for ailing whales
and Neptune dances hornpipes while Salome sheds her veils

Phallus Phil tries peddling his pewter painted pot
but Sousa Sam can only hear the screams of Peep the sot
who only sips his creme de menthe from terra cotta cups
and exhales menthol scented breath whilst spewing verbiage up

Down technical blind alleys live the wraiths of former dreams
And Greeps who often crossed them are no longer what they seem
And even Christian Scientists can but display marble plaques
Which only retell legends whilst my eyes reach out for facts

Yeah, my eyes reach out for facts

Conquistador your stallion stands
in need of company
and like some angel's haloed brow
you reek of purity
I see your armour-plated breast
has long since lost its sheen
and in your death mask face
there are no signs which can be seen

And though I hoped for something to find
I could see no maze to unwind

Conquistador a vulture sits
upon your silver shield
and in your rusty scabbard now
the sand has taken seed
and though your jewel-encrusted blade
has not been plundered still
the sea has washed across your face
and taken of its fill



And though I hoped for something to find
I could see no maze to unwind

Conquistador there is no time
I must pay my respect
and though I came to jeer at you
I leave now with regret
and as the gloom begins to fall
I see there is no, only all
and though you came with sword held high
you did not conquer, only die

And though I hoped for something to find
I could see no maze to unwind

Still scowling black
good Captain Clack
must eat his humble pie
His bed is made
the colours fade
his eyes once wet are dry

The naked muse
who sits and chews
tobacco off a tree
removes his shoes
gives way to booze
and searches endlessly

See the naked jumberlack
sip his aphrodisiac
Cotton-picking farmers three
Though I lost my weather vane
and of sense I have one grain
I'm content sipping lemon tea

Your multilingual business friend
has packed her bags and fled
Leaving only ash-filled ashtrays
and the lipsticked unmade bed
The mirror on reflection
has climbed back upon the wall
for the floor she found descended
and the ceiling was too tall

Your trouser cuffs are dirty
and your shoes are laced up wrong
you'd better take off your homburg
'cos your overcoat is too long

The town clock in the market square
stands waiting for the hour
when its hands they both turn backwards
and on meeting will devour
both themselves and also any fool
who dares to tell the time
And the sun and moon will shatter
and the signposts cease to sign

Your trouser cuffs are dirty
and your shoes are laced up wrong
you’d better take off your homburg
‘cos your overcoat is too long
...

Your trouser cuffs are dirty
and your shoes are laced up wrong
you’d better take off your homburg
‘cos your overcoat is too long
...반복

Your trouser cuffs are dirty...

Jostle, hassle, elbow bustle
in a swirling rainbow tussle
Caught and frozen, broken sheen
now unites for one brief scene

Lonely in the dark I grope
the key's in my kaleidoscope

Confused faces change their places
take up stances, exchange glances
Lost in multicoloured hues
there is no whole which I can choose

Lonely in the dark I grope
the key's in my kaleidoscope

In one face, one moment's fusion
realize the new illusion
Clutching fingers break the puzzle
jostle, hassle, elbow bustle

Still out in the dark I grope
the key's in my kaleidoscope

Lime Street in the afternoon
everybody crazy as a coon
I'm running round in my underpants
trying to find some kinda romance

Quarter past three [sic] on Lime Street
I got whipped right offa my feet
Didn't realize that I'd been caught
till I found myself in the County Court

'Mr Judge,' I said, 'Won't you please be kind
Have pity on me, a poor orphan child?'
Mr Judge he says with a long mean frown
'Orphan or not, you're going down!'

Well I screamed on my knees in the witness box,
'Lord have mercy on my golden locks.'
The judge I could see that he was snide
He says, 'The only kind of blonde you are's a peroxide!'

Oh Lime Street, Lime Street
Lime Street, that's where we meet

Don't eat green meat it ain't good for you
you know it killed your brother, killed your sister too
even fresh fried chicken on new-mown sand
can't beat red beans eaten outa your hand

Oh Mabel, Mabel! You know I love you gal but I'm not able
Mabel, oh Mabel, please get off the kitchen table

Don't slice no onions, don't peel no grape
dream about banana slice nor sniff around short cake
and if on a winter's day you find your sundial's wrong
you'll know the weather is what's brought it on

Oh Mabel, Mabel! You know I love you gal but I'm not able
Mabel, oh Mabel, please get off the kitchen table

Put the peas in the pot, put the pot on the hot
In the cellar lies my wife, in my wife there's a knife
so tote that hammer, lift that pick
and banish inhibition with a pogo stick

Oh Mabel, Mabel! You know I love you gal but I'm not able
Mabel, oh Mabel, please get off the kitchen table

Though I know the night has fallen and the suns sailed out to sea
I will wait here for the band to play the trumpet voluntary
And with one foot on the seashore and the other in the sand
I will stand here plaiting daisies whilst you play the piano-grand

Caprice, your bugle blew away the cobwebs from my ears
And for once I stood quite naked. unashamed, I wept the tears
Which I tried to hide inside myself from me, I mean from you
But the shame I found too painful and the pain it only grew

(Magdalene, my regal zonophone)

For you (whose eyes were opened wide whilst mine refused to see)
I'm sore in need of saving grace. Be kind and humour me
I'm lost amidst a sea of wheat
where people speak but seldom meet
And grief and laughter, strange but true
Although they die, they seldom cry

An ode by any other name I know might read more sweet
Perhaps the sun will never shine upon my field of wheat


But still in closing, let me say
for those too sick, too sick to see
though nothing shows, yes, someone knows
I wish that one was me

A local picture house
Was showing a Batman movie
You see this guy fly up in the sky
Thought to myself, "Why shouldn't I?"
Bought a pair of wings
Went upon the wall
Was about to jump into the air
When a man from the street called, he said:

"Hey wait a minute!
Don't you realize the danger?
What do you think you are
Some kind of angel?"

I considered for a minute
Thought "He only speaks the truth"
For the barbells on my eyelids
Only emphasized my youth
And the sawdust in my plimsolls
Means the same to him as me
But that's neither here nor further
So I spoke considerately

"If you understand
Just what I'm trying to say,
Whatever you do, don't grin,
You'll give the game away!"

By now a crowd had gathered
And it seemed that all was lost
In the anger of the moment
I had diced with death and lost
It seemed to me the time was right
So I burst into song
In the anger of the moment
The crowd began to sing along
I could not see a way out of this predicament
Just then a breeze
Cruised through the trees
And up in the air I went

I must have flown a mile
Or maybe it was eight
Thought to myself pretty soon
I'd hit the Golden Gate
Just then a passing bird
For no reason I could see
Took a peck at my wings
And that was the end of me
I went down, hit the ground
Faster than the speed of sound
Luckily I broke no bones
Only tore my underclothes
...
(fades, returns, fades again...)

You come to me at midnight and say, 'It's dark in here.'
You know you robbed me of my sight, and light is what I fear
I tell you that I can not see but you persist in showing me
those bangles that I paid for long ago

And though my face is smiling I'm really feeling low
and though you say you're with me I know that it's not so

Your skin crawls up an octave, your teeth have lost their gleam
The peaches snuggle closer down into the clotted cream
and for some unknown reason my watch begins to chime
and though I beg and plead with you, you tell me it's not time

And though my face is smiling I'm really feeling low
and though you say you're with me I know that it's not so

The sun seeps through the window to see if we're still dead
to try to throw some light upon the gloom around our bed
At quarter past the doorbell rings, the water faucet drips and sings
and still my reason will not rhyme, and still you tell me it's not time

And though my face is smiling I'm really feeling low
and though you say you're with me I know that it's not so

You really know that it's not so

She wandered through the garden fence
and said, 'I've brought at great expense
a potion guaranteed to bring
relief from all your suffering.'
And though I said, 'You don't exist,'
she grasped me firmly by the wrist
and threw me down upon my back
and strapped me to her torture rack

And, without further argument
I found my mind was also bent
upon a course so devious
it only made my torment worse

She said, 'I see you cannot speak
is it your voice that is too weak?
Is it your tongue that is to blame?
Maybe you cannot speak for shame.
Or has your brain been idle too,
and now it will not think for you?'
I hastened to make my reply
but found that I could only lie

And like a fool I believed myself
and thought I was somebody else
But she could see what I was then
and left me on my own again

My Prussian-blue electric clock's
alarm bell rings, it will not stop
and I can see no end in sight
and search in vain by candlelight
for some long road that goes nowhere
for some signpost that is not there
And even my befuddled brain
is shining brightly, quite insane

The chandelier is in full swing
as gifts for me the three kings bring
of myrrh and frankincense, I'm told,
and fat old Buddhas carved in gold
And though it seems they smile with glee
I know in truth they envy me
and watch as my befuddled brain


shines on brightly quite insane

Above all else confusion reigns
And though I ask no-one explains
My eunuch friend has been and gone
He said that I must soldier on
And though the Ferris wheel spins round
my tongue it seems has run aground
and croaks as my befuddled brain
shines on brightly, quite insane

(brooker / reid)

Skip softly, my moonbeams, avoid being seen
Pretend that perhaps you are part of a dream
Which (seen by some other such person as me)
Would only glow smiling and nod and agree

Skip softly, my moonbeams, for I have heard tell
That the stairs up to heaven lead straight down to hell
That pride is the last thing which comes before fall
I'd as soon talk to you as make love to a wall

we skipped the light fandango
and turned cart wheels cross the floor
I was feeling kind of sea sick
but the crowd called out for more
the room was humming harder
as the ceiling flew a way
when we called out for an other drink
the waiter brought a tray
and so it was that later
as the miller told his tale
that her face at frist just ghostly
Turned a whiter shade of pale

she said there is no reason
and the truth is plain to see
But I wandered through my playing cards
and would not let her be
One of sixteen vestal virgins
who were leaving for the coast
and al though my eyes were open
they might just have well been closed
and so it was that later
as the miller told his tale
that her face at first just ghostly
turned a whiter shade of pale

You know I caught a glimpse, thought I understood
But I left it all far behind
Now if I'd known then what I know now
Do you think I would've been so blind?
Gonna take myself down to a wishing well
I'm gonna make myself one last wish
And if you follow me there, better bring what you've found
'Cause my night has come and I'm going down

Gonna buy myself a big rockin' chair
And when I'm sittin' in that, then no one will peek
And if my friends will come, they'll see what I'm suffering from
I wish, I wish, I could rock myself to sleep
Gonna take myself down to a wishing well
Gonna make myself one last wish
If you follow me there, better bring what you've found
'Cause my night has come and I'm going down
......