Miscellaneous Lyrics

The Polaroid
You Hit me Where I Live
Roncevaux
The Boat of Millions of Years
w
Now and Forever
Firebrand
The Liquidator
Rift Valley
Rain, 3 a.m.


      

The Polaroid (extra on US "pH7")

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Me holidays on the Southern Sands, trying to get some fun by way of one night stands... I clocked this girl, thought l'd give her the chat - one of them Swedish blonde types and l've always fancied that. I showed her me Polaroid. She said "I like it, will you please take my picture?" I say "Right then", thinking this is gonna be me lucky day. She whips off her bikini top and I think "OK!" I say "It only takes a minute for this thing to develop." She says "I'd better push off now or me feller'll be jealous." Just then I felt a hand on me collar, and it was a Boy in Blue. He says "You can't take nude photographs on this beach," and "I'm arresting you." I protested me innocence, but it was no use, the picture was forming; he gave me the official warning that day. He'd seen me Polaroid, so what could I say? I looked around, but she'd disappeared, I say "You don't understand, this was all her idea" but the copper says "Don't worry son, I get the picture OK." He took me Polaroid and I got ten days.

You Hit me Where I Live (extra US track on "Skin")

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There was something in the conversation, ancient languages were breaking through; I was falling for infatuation - how about you? You say it's nothing special, that's just the way it is... you hit me where I live. Though I drink the cup it leaves me thirsting - what on earth am I supposed to do? When I try to speak I find my bursting heart full of you. You say it's only natural, you say forget and forgive... you hit me where I live. I was once the man who felt no passion; I was nothing till I fell for you. You're a duelist in your own fashion, eyes that run me through. You say that it's a mixed blessing, but I should take the gift you give... you hit me where I live.

Roncevaux (on "Time Vaults")

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Fight within a war within a song: Roland dies, but memory lingers on.... Soldier, approaching the Gates of Spain, treachery waits for you and the baggage train; a rearguard stand, your final war, it's what you've been living for. Soldier, as you sit astride Viellantif Durendal abides inside your sheath; soon you shall grace the day. Turpin and Oliver ride by your side, bishop and king's pawn about to slide; do you feel fit to slay? Carlon is riding far ahead and cannot hear your voice if you call; Ganelon, the traitor, in his tent cannot wait to hear the word of your fall...soon both shall laugh, in different ways. Soldier, approaching the Gates of Spain, the Paynim are sharpening up their blades. Glory! Your moment is here! Can you see Marsilion yet? Is that a vulture wheeling overhead? Twenty thousand Frenchmen, the flower of honour; stepfather's henchmen wait to fall on you - look around, the silent sound of death. Saracen plots and Frenchman aids his plans: ambuscade springs eternal life to man. Soldier, now white rises from the cliffs of Roncevaux - battle! Maybe you should heed the words of Oliver: it's time to blow your horn. Carlon twists and sc reams out in his sleep, Ganelon walks the night with knuckles raw; soon both shall die, in different ways. And you can see Marsilion now, Baligant wields Maltet in his hand; now's the time to hold to virtuous vows,now's the time to fight and die alone in foreign lands. Twenty thousand fall to sixty, there is no hope; Oliover can well say "I told you so" now....Blow the horn and sound the call for help! Too late, too late and Oliver falls, now only Turpin and thee, back to back; though Charelmagne wheels round tyo answer the call when he arrives he'll find your body hacked. Only revenge is left, Marsilion shall die, only revenge is left, the traitor's eye is beamed.... Roland, the song is ended, Roland, the song is ended, Roland, the Song has only just begun.

The Boat of Millions of Years (b side of "Refugees" single)

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Horus, the son of Isis, lay in the marshes of Buto, poisoned by Set. She called out to the High God Ra to kill this evil, that her child may live yet. Casting aside her present fears she called out on the Boat of Millions of Years... Ra came and saw and stopped the sun until he had cured the life of the innocent. Horus the Good lived in the North, in lands of fertility and beauty but Set stayed in the hard desert, to him belonged all drought and perversity. While he sheds his tears beneath the Boat of Millions of Years he fights to kill the hawk, bearing with him evil and darkness. But Horus lives with the sun. Forever the battle rages, evil tries to kill the innocent baby and only Osiris, the Lord of the Dead, can eventually save it. So we must cast aside our future fears and call out on the Boat of Millions of Years. The God of Love is on our side and with him we shall not die... there's life in the Sun! There's life in the Sun! Only in violence is the cause lost: in peace, grey Set can't kill our baby of love.

w (b side of "Theme One" single)

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Life is an endless succession of waves, you're happy and you're sad and you don't appreciate the good times until you'e in the bad.... You wake up one morning - w - and you're twice as unhappy as you've ever been before in your life. You wake up, go to the window and see smoke billowing across the lawn. You pick your feet up, drag yourself downstairs and you're gone. You wake up one morning - w - and you're twice as unhappy as you've ever been before in your life. You wake up, look to your left but you see no reassuring head. You stay in bed all day. At six o'clock you realise you're dead.

Now and Forever (on the Alice CD "Il Sole nella Pioggia")

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At first sight helplessly falling, all at once lighter than air; feels just like I've known you always... so now it starts, now and forever's begun. You are, you are the one. I've been waiting for so long. Now suddenly everything's shining, now suddenly everything's clear; here you are so close beside me and now you've come now and forever's begun. You are, you are the one I've been waiting for so long. At first sight helplessly falling, all at once lighter than air; suddenly synchronous heartbeats... so now it starts, now and forever, now and forever. Now our forever's begun.

Firebrand (b side of "People you were Going to" single)

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Sunday night, twewlve weeks before winter, the world is in a smoky haze. Suddenly there appears a rider in the East, brandishing flame. CHORUS:
"I ride and icy stallion, fire at each end and poison at the centre; you won't hear my words as I scream into the darkness: his plans are like a firebrand, his plans are like a firebrand." His steed strains as he reaches out over the reins and hurls his flame at the West. The mountains dissolve in fire and he races through them, screaming: CHORUS. He rides on into the further darkness brandishing his flame like a spear and below him there races his ghost steed draping the night in fear CHORUS. Njal, beware and heed the words which emanate from Hildiglum.

The Liquidator (on "Time Vaults")

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I read the news in a paper: no flowers, please, donations to charity like the N.S.P.C.V.d.G.G. - yeh, send the money to Guy and Hugh and David and me. It's a joke, there is no hope left, oh, whoever might disagree. Tell me juicy rumours, dish me the dirt, go on and rip the back right off my shirt. Tell me how I hate Hugh Banton, tell us that the bank account is zero and that anyway there's non-one left to play to... oh, well, there you go. Are we ever going to get this act together on time? It's been totally screwed up and I really just don't know. Is there any way of keeping a clean feed line? It's out of the question when the triple distortion booster's blown. "Jackson, please!" "What's the matter, man?" "You're freaking me out, you know." Only playing happy families, maybe playing different tunes, always playing too hard, too fast, too soon. Waiting for our fate to take us, waiting for the liquidator, can't be cut off by the paper in the middle of a show. Waiting for our fate to take us, waiting for the liquidator, the only news is bad news and the only story's breaking up or carrying on. Waiting, waiting, waiting, waiting... carrying on.


Rift Valley (on "Time Vaults")

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At the edge of the canyon, looking down upon the haze... which hides the future of this planet, home, our earth through all the days which have been and will come. I hear the running feet of those yet to follow. At the end of such life as I call my own I glimpse that yet to come; springing from me in the future trees of family shall run. I have carried the seed: conceived from me, all people multiply forward. When it's over they will dig me from the gorge and proclaim that I am the first Man: first soldier, first speaker, first tool-user, that with me civilisation began, in some order. I have stumbled... Is it right or am I planned? Still I feel it still I know that some day the world will fall to this human hand, this clenched fist. If that's the way it's going to be I can only say "Good luck!". You Men who follow on from me must crawl your way out of here or all our lives'll be trapped in the chasm. The dying day: I stand upon the edge, stare down at what's to come below. In a way there's all the future in me, destiny already known. Already tired in my heart, I start the long walk forward into Rift Valley, to rest in Rift Valley. Still instinctively trying to save my kind I survive into the future.

Rain, 3 a.m. (extra track on Virgin compilation "The Calm")

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Spitting drops of rain flow down and touch my cheek, intermingling with my tears as I silently weep. Then the fatality of life presses close and probes in my eyes.... And I'm cold and hungry tonight. These great black walls of brickwork bow low and oppress my mind like the words of people I thought I'd left far behind; the presence of the words and walls is too close and it's far too clear as the rain keeps washing through my tears, as the rain just washes through my tears. A drunk looks out at me and he quickly turns away; he's hiding deep inside himself all the ritual of this strange play. There's no-one else upon the street, just this dying old drunk and me and the cat that's hiding in the tree. My memory stretches back, as I continue to cry, to places where I went wrong, although I still don't know quite why. The flashing neon signsd proclaim "All is void where the human lives" and in the darkness no-one forgives. And in the darkness no-one forgives.

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