Tuesday, May 3, 2011
The Sleeping Prophet - At Last, Atlantis
There are so many things to see there, so bid fare thee well
The compass leads in one direction, we’re in need of insurrection
Leave these lonely rows to sow themselves
Behold the brazen bridges to the city,
In symmetry, ever splendid, suspended on high
Cry goodbye dear countryside, and say hello to Saint Poseidon
Oh, the thrill to finally feel alive
The admiral’s fleet is standing sentry, ‘round the reef at every entry
Open up the gates, for we’ve arrived
Welcome ye, to Atlantis
Topaz towers that touch the sky
Welcome, this is Atlantis
Hope and power and love preside
Hope and power and love divine
Can’t you see it’s easy in the city?
By committee, they’ve made freeways and speed trains below
Intertwined with aqueducts are power lines uninterrupted
Avenues of ivory hues aglow
Still, amidst the amethyst cathedral
I’m a needle in this haystack of prayer mats aligned
Parishioners on bended knee and missionaries sent to see
The crystal spires and sacred fires inside
(refrain)
Politicos protect the chosen city
With dignity, and the commerce could reverse the fall of Rome
The bourgeoisie is self-obsessed; the industry’s a thriving mess
The universities profess that all is known
With courts of quartz and jade erected, sagely by the architects
There’s never been a better place to call home
Welcome ye, to Atlantis
Topaz towers that touch the sky
Welcome, this is Atlantis
Hope and power and love preside
Hope and power and love divine
This is Atlantis…this is the Capitol
of all that is mapped, it’s all that we have, it’s the Lamp of Old
This is Metropolis…the perfect and prosperous
The Meridian Prime, the City Sublime, it’s Utopia
Yes, this is Atlantis…the Kingdom of Restless Seas
The Empire of Man, bestowed promised land, it’s our destiny
(refrain)
Welcome ye, to Atlantis
Topaz towers that touch the sky
Welcome, this is Atlantis
Hope and power and love preside
Hope and power and love divine
Topaz towers that touch the sky
Hope and power and love divine
The Sleeping Prophet - Oil of Sassafras
Trapped in her own body
A stoic and shrouded tomb
A rag doll, her only friend
Now all but forgotten
Just broadcloth and porcelain
----
She screams but isn’t heard
Betrayed by her body
A turbulent taciturn
A mother can’t change her vows
For daughters misbegotten
Another sad stranger now
----
Let’s see what we can do
Here we have the body
This is what you must do
Lest she be forgotten
----
The Spirit will soothe her soon
Awaken her body
A miracle through and through
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
The Sleeping Prophet - Hopkinsville
On the corner of
I’m not the only leader of a lost cause… to come from this lonely town
Prone to reverie, restless brothers, we… take flight
Bare feet on the sod, through the goldenrods…we glide
Let’s take a late swim in Lake Blythe
Make haste, the sun waits for no child…
It’s throwing shadows on the cold floor
As haunted as it ever has been
By a red coat widow from the old war
I’m not the only leader of a lost cause… to come from this lonely town
I’m not the only leader of a lost cause… to come from this lonely town
Back at Beverly, one-room academy…in thought
I let loose a smile, pride of the Pennyrile…I’m not
But put the book under my pillow
And in the morn, I’ll recite Thoreau
Gifted beyond my comprehension
Mystics with the best intentions
I’m not the only leader of a lost cause… to come from this lonely town
I’m not the only leader of a lost cause… to come from this lonely town
(The Ohio Valley Railroad, leads me home wherever I go)
The cardinals, the grey squirrels, the coffee trees
The black rows, tobacco, my father’s pleas
Monday, December 3, 2007
jealousy. plagiarism.
you will never be a part of it
you can’t just react to the fads—
and expect to see the art of it
but you keep repeating the leads—
that never get back to the start of it
would you consider this a victory?
because even hit or miss gets something sweet
apparently you’re granted amnesty
or so you would have me to believe
because all the world’s a page for your and me
and we are merely plagiarists, you see?
oh, put your fingers to the strings
oh, fill your empty lungs with air and sing
your hands are painted red—
with the scarlet of contempt
because you can’t just wake the dead—
without putting someone else to rest
but it won’t be us, you can trust—
oh charlatan, you charlatan
so we move for the proof, the truth—
oh surely you can answer it
oh, put your fingers to the strings
oh, fill your empty lungs with air and sing
if you’ve got dreams to be the king,
this rock crown won’t mean a thing
so fill your empty lungs with air and sing
Friday, November 23, 2007
let's be honest, we're liars
We're off setting fires on doorsteps.
But what valor we lack,
we make up for in tact...we adore it
When you fall for these verses,
They're all voodoo curses we're casting.
Yeah, cause we've got your number,
The spell you've been under, it's tragedy
Nostalgia leaves a sweet taste in your mouth.
And only sweet naivety can wash it out.
So if i speak of sadness,
Make mention of madness, believe me.
If I wax poetic,
Come back copasetic....you need me
To unravel the clues
That you're traveling through, just to find me.
Cause I'm hidden deep,
Yeah, I'm Mr. Mystique...by design, see?
Nostalgia leaves a sweet taste in your mouth.
And only sweet naivety can wash it out.
I'm completely capable of emulating apical
celebrities with expertise, if that's what you prefer from me.
I'm absolutely underspoken, call it tact, a graceful broken
English air, so debonair...with eloquence and charm to spare....
Cause I know what you want from me.
And I don't care to disagree.
Nostalgia leaves a sweet taste in your mouth.
And only sweet naivety can wash it out.
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
There, There
Don't fret the end is near.
We've been waiting our whole damn lives
Just to get right here.
There, there my dear
It's desperate here indeed.
If you can hear my voice
It's the only noise you'll need
So say it...and say it like you mean it.
Because we have cast away what we believed in.
From silence, I sing out
There, there my love
Somewhere above we'll meet.
Though we're on different planes,
It's the same sad sky beneath our feet
So say it...and say it like you mean it.
Because we have cast away what we believed in.
From silence, I sing out
Monday, October 15, 2007
Black Tie Affair
With a double-Windsor tourniquet.
And with a rise in his arm, and with rice in his hair,
Another tumbled, turned, and went….turned and went
It was a white dress occasion. And with a white-washed stare,
She remembers sins more innocent.
With no reservations, lilies pinned in her hair
She upends her precious Percoset... she turned and went
Father! Father, I forbid.
What dishonor! I beg:
Are there any here among thee?
Father, Father, don’t forget:
Cast upon her my regrets.
Have you not an ear for honesty?
Father, Father, I dissent!
Put a cross on your forehead, font full of kerosene...
Young maiden and the match in hand.
Now the doves unstirred, and the belfry is hushed
As cities burn, it’s ash to ash
Under October rain, are we not entertained?
By the panic parade after that
(oh God) the aftermath, and ash to ash
(oh God) the aftermath!
Father! Father, I forbid.
What dishonor! I beg:
Are there any here among thee?
Father, Father, don’t forget:
Cast upon her my regrets.
Have you not an ear for honesty?
Father, Father, I dissent!