The sun shines high above
The sounds of laughter
The birds swoop down upon
The crosses of old grey churches
We say that we're in love
While secretly wishing for rain
Sipping Coke and playing games
September's here again
September's here again
He knows well his wicked ways
A course of bitterness
A grudge held from his childhood days
As if life had loved him less
Reading down his list of names
He ticks them one by one
He points the barrel at the sky
Firing shots off at the sun
''I am the law and I am the King
I am the wisdom, listen to me sing''
He carves out the victim's names
In the wooden butt of the gun
He leans well back against the tree
He knows his Kingdom's come
He'll breath a sigh, self satisfied
The work is in good hands
He shoots the coins into the air
And follows where the money lands
''I am the law and I am the King
I am the wisdom, listen to me sing''
He pauses at the city's edge
Of hellfire and of stone
He summons up the devil there
To give him courage of his own
He'll free the sinners of deceit
They'll hear his name and run
His justice is his own reward
Measured out beneath the sun
''I am the law and I am the King
I am the wisdom, listen to me sing''
And my name's on the gun
Work has just begun
For the boy with the gun
''Climb the stairs
And step into my dreamhouse''
These words are yours, Maria
The waters warm
(Hold me)
The table bare
(Till the worst is past)
Until the summer nights return
Until we close our eyes
Maria, your every thought's my heartbeat
Maria, save a thought for me
Standing firm on this stony ground
The wind blows hard
Pulls these clothes around
I harbour all the same worries as most
The temptations to leave or to give up the ghost
I wrestle with an outlook on life
That shifts between darkness and shadowy light
I struggle with words for fear that they'll hear
But Orpheus sleeps on his back still dead to the world
Sunlight falls, my wings open wide
There's a beauty here I cannot deny
And bottles that tumble and crash on the stairs
Are just so many people I knew never cared
Down below on the wreck of the ship
Are a stronghold of pleasures I couldn't regret
But the baggage is swallowed up by the tide
As Orpheus keeps to his promise and stays by my side
Tell me, I've still a lot to learn
Understand, these fires never stop
Believe me, when this joke is tired of laughing
I will hear the promise of my Orpheus sing
Sleepers sleep as we row the boat
Just you, the weather, and I gave up hope
But all of the hurdles that fell in our laps
Were fuel for the fire and straw for our backs
Still the voices have stories to tell
Of the power struggles in heaven and hell
But we feel secure against such mighty dreams
As Orpheus sings of the promise tomorrow may bring
Tell me, I've still a lot to learn
Understand, these fires never stop
Please believe, when this joke is tired of laughing
I will hear the promise of my Orpheus sing
The night is dark and cold
The strong winds and the rain
Crack the branches upon my window
The devils beats his drum
Casting out his spell Dragging all his own down into hell
The ticking of the clock
Inexorably goes on
The howling of the stray souls of heaven
The treasures of the cove
Where the traders stored their gold
Echo voices still dead to the world
Underneath the vine
Shaded by the leaves
I still hold you close to me
Beneath the open stars
Beneath the pillows and the sheets
I still hold you dear to me
The ticking of the clock
Surely sunrise won't be long
When darkness hides inside its own shadow
The devil beats his drum
Casting out his name
Dragging all his own down into shame
She rises early from bed
Runs to the mirror
The bruises inflicted in moments of fury
He kneels beside her once more
Whispers a promise
''Next time I'll break every bone in your body''
And the well-wishers let the devil in
And if the river ran dry they'd deny it happening
As the card players deal their hands
From the bottom of the deck
Row upon row of feudal houses blow away
Medicine for the popular complaint
When the poets dreamed of angels
What did they see?
History lined up in a flash at their backs
When the poets dreamed of angels
What did they see?
The bishops and knights well placed to attack
Shadows form knights and pawns
Upon the squares
Blood is drawn up from the well
Secret signs brought the crime
Right to your door
An innocent guilty as hell
Oh, the cot is open wide
Damp with milk and honey
Gone the mother and the child
In Jesus name
Should they be waiting there
On my return
I may run into their arms
Walking on a razor's edge
Unconcerned
Game is lost again
I'll never learn
I'm waiting on the empty docks
Watching the ships come in
I'm waiting for the agony to stop
Oh, let the happiness in
I'm watching as the gulls all settle down
Upon the empty vessels
The faded whites of their wedding gowns
The songs of hopeless selflessness
The cold December Sun
A cold that blisters
The hands of a working man
Wasted
I'm waiting on the empty docks
Watching the ships roll in
I'm waiting for the agony to stop
Oh, let the happiness in
Oh, let the happiness in
Listen to the waves against the rocks
I don't know where they've been
I'm waiting for the skies to open up
And let the happiness in
Oh, let the happiness in
Oh, let the happiness in
'Cause it's coming
Coming on
Let the happiness in
Oh, let the happiness in
'Cause it's coming
Coming on
On the banks of a sunset beach
Messages scratched in sand
Beneath a roaming home of stars
Young boys try their hand
A Spanish harbouring of sorts
In Catalonian bars
They were pulled from a sinking ship
And saved for last
On the waterfront the rain
Is pouring in my heart
Here the memories come in waves
Raking in the lost and found of years
And though I'd like to laugh
At all the things that led me on
Somehow the stigma still remains
Watch the train steam full ahead
As it takes the bend
Empty carriages lose their tracks
And tumble to their end
So the world shrinks drop by drop
As the wine goes to your head
Swollen angels point and laugh
''This time your god is dead''
On the waterfront the rain
Is pouring in my heart
Here the memories come in waves
Raking in the lost and found of years
And though I'd like to laugh
At all the things that led me on
Somehow the stigma still remains
Is our love strong enough?
The wounds on your hands never seem to heal
I thought all I needed was to believe
Here am I, a lifetime away from you
The blood of Christ, or the beat of my heart
My love wears forbidden colours
My life believes
Senseless years thunder by
Millions are willing to give their lives for you
Does nothing live on?
Learning to cope with feelings aroused in me
My hands in the soil, buried inside of myself
My love wears forbidden colours
My life believes in you once again
I'll go walking in circles
While doubting the very ground beneath me
Trying to show unquestioning faith in everything
Here am I, a lifetime away from you
The blood of Christ, or a change of heart
My love wears forbidden colours
My life believes
My love wears forbidden colours
My life believes in you once again
The silence of the park
The moonshine after dark
Came to keep ber company
The tiny golden cross lay upon her throat
Hands clutching tight her rosary
The rain upon her lips
Eyes opened with a kiss
Just too late for us to see
She sits upon the ground
Face covered by a shroud of midnight canopy
And when the lightning starts
The secrets in her heart
Merge within the rain patterns
And when the shadows fall
The promise of it all
Is lost inside the tears that linger on
A1l the things we'd hoped
Would always keep us close
Stand between us now, as fences
The letters that we wrote
Have all gone up in smoke
And now you're just too far to listen in
When alI but hope is lost
You believe at any cost
In things that make the living lighter
And when the shadows fall
The promise of it all
Is lying in the bed besider her
