Jim Faupel

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Lyrics

Here Be Dragons (2003)
Reap It
Fishing For The Sun
Poor John
Guinevere on Monday Morning
Mind Without Flame
Look for My Lady
Lammas
Wilhelmesleod
Soul Quest
 
Sail On (2005)
Sail On
No-One Understands
This Love
You Are You
 
Khnosti (2008)
Jipamari
Justify
He And She (Again)
Bring It On
Life Song
The Man In These Clothes
Don't Hurt Me
Mitchell & Shaw
  Famcrasl
Long Haul
Learn Again
Spy in the Atmosphere
Just For The Record
Louise
Dawn of a New Day
 
Reinventing the Wheel (2009)
Brother By My Side
River In Egypt
Black Sheep Morning
Blues For Sonny
Freya
Dark Narcotic
Method Man
Stranded
Cerridwen
Tribiani Time


Reap It
(Faupel – 5:59)

I got the Mojo working
Ah, you better hear me talkin'
And you can tell where I've been
I've been to lie with the May Queen
Beneath a black moon rising
I was the Thunder and the lightening
And when I lay my song down
Everybody better gather 'round

You know my mama was the raging Sea
You know her magic wasn't lost on me
You know my daddy was the howling Wind
Look on the mountain, you'll see where I've been

I heard the cold high wind blow
When I fell down at the crossroad
I got the black cat bone, now
I've seen the Goddess in a stone, now
And when the Awen found me
I was a flame at Caer Abiri
I was a seething cauldron
I was a veil in the autumn

I was the child of an engineer
Feel no pain, baby, show no fear
I was the child of an English rose
Look at the prophet in the pauper's clothes
You got to reap it - hard
Reap it - now
Come on over and I'll show you how
You got to reap it - fast
Reap it - slow
Ain't that the way that the story goes?

(Spoken) : I am five fingers across a man's shin
A sheer-white eaglet
Most withered of woods
I am the last stroke
Of the esteemed Boibel-Loth
The wisest among you
Shall now name the bard!

I've been a grim night-stalker
I've been a bold fire-walker
I've been a shining blade, now
I've been a roebuck in the glade, now
I've been a season weeping
I've been a tom cat a-creeping
And on the Isle of the Mighty
I am the wind in a high tree

I was a brother to the moon and stars
Up in Caer Sidi you can see real far
I was a lover to the virgin soil
I been with Morda while the cauldron boil
You got to reap it - hard
Reap it - now
Come on over and I'll show you how
You got to reap it - fast
Reap it - slow
Ain't that the way that the story goes?


Fishing For The Sun
(Merlinus Insanus Effectus Est)
(Faupel – 5:02)

Phoebus shall walk the open sky
Ariadne close the gate
I am the sage, too proud to cry
I am a child, resigned to fate
Dear wolf, your limbs are worn
Dear friend, my clothes are torn
And we have nowhere left to run
Reflection holds them bound
So still, they leave no sound
Alone and fishing for the sun

Black are the hearts and spoils of war
Black are the minds that meet the blow
Black is the wounded open sore
Black are the birds of Gwenddoleu
And Venus in her flight
Describes a faithless night
My love's unwinding has begun
And Mars, the purple singed
You find me wild, unhinged
Alone and fishing for the sun

Freedom found the Titan bound
And he admired her silver wings
Speak the names of Field and Flame
Summer's end will find you laughing

Suffer the wind, the rain, the snow,
Still I crave no company
Dignity's armour fields the blow
Puppets and kings are naught to me
And from the wind-torn heights
Ganeida coldly writes
Of all the things we should have done
Taliesin turned to go
When Arthur failed to show
And left me fishing for the sun.


Poor John (The Wounded Healer)
(Faupel – 7:54)

Well I've watched the winter sunset
I've seen Cernwn lead the hunt across the sky
I've made love with Aphrodite
I've drunk deeply from the well of Woden's eye

And Poor John is a river
Poor John is a stream
Poor John is the shaper of a long-forgotten dream
Poor John is a prophet
Poor John is a priest
Poor John is a wounded healer waiting for release
And I fear him
I can't go near him
Poor John is up there and I'm down here

Well I've made friends in high places
And I've danced within the circles of the sun
And I've sipped the black still water
In the canyons 'neath the world where I began

And Poor John is an acorn
Poor John is a leaf
Poor John had a fleeting glimpse, but it was all too brief
Poor John is a mountain
Poor John is a ledge
Poor John is a desperate hero, dancing on the edge
And he scares me
His world ensnares me
Poor John is up there and I'm down here

Everybody knows Poor John
Everyone say he's real gone
Sleeping in the sun too long, Poor John
I don't know but I've been told
Faerie food can steal your soul
Breathless body sleeping cold, Poor John

After winter's isolation
I can find emancipation in the spring
On that dark and distant island
I can wander while the sirens softly sing

And Poor John is on fire
Poor John is a flame
Poor John is a tightrope walker, lucid then insane
Poor John is unhappy
Poor John is alone
Poor John is a weary traveler trying to get back home
And I see him
But I won't be him
Poor John is up there and I'm down here


Guinevere On Monday Morning
(Faupel – 6:36)

When she came, she came without warning
With no announcement or address
And when she said she'd love to share the morning with me
I was suitably impressed
But nobody knows now where Guinevere's gone
Though I long to stand near her
For she was not made
To fight the crusade on her own

But she's my lover, yes, she's my friend
She's Guinevere on Monday morning
All I had to do was send a message
She felt the same
If I should fall, she's not to blame
She's still the keeper of my flame

I gaze on the ocean where Guinevere rides
With the waves to escort her
But how will she stand
Against the enemy's hand on her own?

But she's my lover, yes, she's my friend
She's Guinevere on Monday morning
All I had to do was send a message
She felt the same
If I should fall, she's not to blame
And all the prophets know her name

And princesses steal, while Guinevere gives
My life has a meaning while Guinevere lives
We won't put on a show
Or make vows that we know will be broken
The sun appears darkened in Guinevere's eyes
Her soldiers are ready to pay with their lives
The thoughts that lie dark
In Guinevere's heart are unspoken

When she flies
She draws pentagrams and circles
Where even angels fear to tread
And when she sighs
Then the spirits of the whirlpool
Come to ease her aching head
And everything's easy when Guinevere smiles
Fill the orchard with laughter
For Guinevere's palm
Holds the hexes and charms of this world

And she's my lover, yes, she's my friend
She's Guinevere on Monday morning
All I had to do was take her far away
To sleep, to dream
Don't fence her in, it's not her scene
She's always Guinevere
It doesn't matter where she's been


Mind Without Flame
(Faupel – 5:18)

I have a second face nobody gets to see
There's someone in my place, I know that it's not me
Who craves the drunken haze, false solace there to find
Slow-burning, sickly-sweet, your curse, the clouded mind

I plead my innocence, a slave of circumstance
Mary-Jane and Bacchus came and led me in the dance
Robin and Marion can't always be to blame
When my mind is without flame

Fake prophets overwhelm, your vacant lore they preach
I stumble farther in to numb discretion's breach
Stand naked 'neath the sun, the silence of the deer
When Autumn's day is done, you mumble in my ear

It's not a hiding-place
It's not a home
It's not an easy friend
When you're alone
It doesn't make you feel
Like ten feet tall
It doesn't leave you anything at all

I find your leering eyes so quick to see the stain
I find your leaking mouth so keen to spread my fame
Cold mathematicians love to see me take a fall
"Look behind you, Orpheus" the cruel spectators call


Look For My Lady
(Faupel – 4:07)

Look for my Lady, come laughing with the dawn,
Look for my Lady, the sleeping soil re-born
Ever a-waiting for her soul-kiss
Ever the Awen plays on her lips
Ever anointing distant sun-ships, na-na-na-na
Ever immune to all that winter can bring
Ever attuned to all-as-one as I sing

Look for my Lady, she journey with a smile
Look for my Lady, she tarry for a while
I am the bones within her barrow
I am the plough deep in her furrow
I am the new life in her marrow, na-na-na-na
I am the Eagle-Child whose father has flown
I am the dancing Stag whose antlers are grown

Look for my Lady in wind and wave and stream
Look for my Lady beneath the mantle green
Every field and every fountain
Every vale and every mountain
Every bard this tale recounting, na-na-na-na
Every child within the palm of her hand
Every seed within the womb of her land


Lammas
(New Shake 'Em On Down)
(Faupel – 5:47)

The darkness is behind us
The Green One's coming soon
All of Mother's children
Will be dancing 'neath the moon

And I believe I gotta shake 'em on down
Dark lover, Maiden, Mother
Sing my soul back home

Man be joined with woman
Earth be joined with sky
Fate has dealt my father's hand
And laid him down to die

My mother's name was Arianrhod
The stars her silver gown
My father was the Lord of the Forest
Wore the antlered crown
Don't you miss me, mother
I'll recover
Sing my soul back home

Brother better hang your head
Sister wail and cry
Planting time has been and gone
John Barleycorn must die

Master, cease my labour
John Barleycorn is dead
His blood is spilled upon the Earth
And you shall have your bread


Wilhelmesleod
(Faupel – 6:58)

Bear up my body
My breath, she grows thin
Build up my barrow
And lay me within
Courage, my son, when this Earth-race is done!
And weep not for sorrow or shame
Raise up your standard, this emblem of manhood
Remember I loved you, remember I left you my name

Look to your mother
For her I'm afraid
Forsaking all others
Was the covenant we made
The well-spring of love is more precious than gold!
A wonder, my son, you will learn
Open your word-hoard and pour out your soul
Look to your task, now this empty cask is to burn

When the All-father comes to call
You must help me to stand
To walk in his valiant hall
Give me your word
Let me die with my sword in my hand

Bring me my bottle
Let me drink a last toast
To my sons and their good-wives
Who loved me the most
Bring me the mead that my daughters have made
And think of me, quiet and calm
And if your fate leads to Valhalla's gates
I'll be there to meet you, to hold you again in my arms.


Soul Quest
(Faupel - 6.15)

The Lord of Summer wears an Oaken crown
And he has worn the Holly too
The Ashen King has hewn the Alder down
Hear me sing it here for you

Tell me mister, have you seen my soul?
She passed this way a day before
She's my sister, mother, maid and Queen
And she's my washer at the ford

I met the Long Man on a Tiwesdæg morn
In a doorway on a hill
He held me fast, a band of nyd and ðorn
I couldn't break it with my will

Cruel Miller, grind me down and drink my blood like wine
Don't leave me on the threshing floor
I've learned the secrets of the wheat and of the vine
But I can't feel the wind no more
Oh Brighid, why can't I have milk and honey?
Oh Medbh, why can't I wear your crown?
Inspiration, why d'you leave me lonely?
Is the poor boy
Sinking down?

A gentle shade who walks the ancient vale
Came and drew my soul away
My flyweight frame is just an empty shell
She's not living here today


Sail On
(Faupel—7:14)

Through my silent contemplation you lie sleeping in my arms
And your beauty almost more than I can bear
In other-worldly isolation we are sheltered from the storm
And the magic we have made will linger there
But I see dawn's icy fingers come to infiltrate the night
I know Rhiannon's birds will spread their wings and soon take flight
Though it's not for me to reason why
I lie beside you spent too tired for dreaming

So sail on—though tomorrow I'll miss you
I ain't too proud to kiss you goodbye
Sail on—Caledonia's calling
Though I know in the morning I'm going to cry

Though I know you're hesitating, we can't change the way we feel
And the time will surely come to say goodbye
Though the road ahead is waiting, I am stuck behind the wheel
As you turn your swooping prow towards the sky
And the waves rise up to meet you as you stretch to kiss the wind
And Boreas will greet you for to guide you home again
And a thousand questions haunt my lips
Though nothing I could say would bear repeating

Somehow Sunday's shining glory turns to Monday's rain
Suddenly I'm yearning for your gentle hand again
Something so extraordinary, Father, Sun and Mother Mary
Please don't let my fragile senses drive my love away

And I watch the time-worn ocean break in fragile waves beside
As the sand accepts my footfall and I kiss the ageing tide
And our memory forms a bright cascade
Your voice more haunting than the lark ascending

Through my silent contemplation you lie sleeping in my arms...


No-one Understands (Outside the Shelter)
(McNamara / Rae / Trickett—4:45)

In the land outside the shelter strange monoliths fill the air
Shadows cast for a hundred miles - did the public servants care?
And if the nations can't agree then will we die like all the rest?
The caveman kicks inside our head and shows us who is best
Diversity is strength, the strength that gives us power
Open hearts and open minds grow stronger by the hour
A lifetime of achievement swept away by idle hands
Each one has an answer, but no-one understands

Listen to the chaos as you're lying in the street
Dissonant cacophony with a dull, relentless beat
Wavelengths of confusion drilling holes inside our head
Ask no questions, tell no lies – bang! bang! bang! you're dead!
This would-be age of reason is constantly replayed
Nothing learnt from pointless wars, no progress ever made
Unwillingness to listen is the cord which binds our hands
Each one screams the answer, but no-one understands

Stop! Stop right now!
You! You must know how!
Your life is in your hands!
And no-one understands

All you've ever striven for is here within your reach
You can man the barricades but you can't make a speech
A million years of history conveniently ignored
And protests to the contrary so desperately flawed
The clock is ticking slowly on the wing commander's wall
Every hour it chimes our fate, a summons for us all
Take your bread and water but take care to wash your hands
It's far too late tomorrow if no-one understands


This Love
(Faupel—5:57)

This love is stronger than the stallion whom Vortigern employed
This love is older than the ancient kings who ruled the yawning void
I'll face the madding crowd; I'll shake my antlers proudly
I'll sing your morning song; I have been waiting far too long

This love is broader than the sceptered island stretching sea to sea
This love is everything we've ever known; this love is you and me
I'll fan your Beltaine fire; this love is deeper, wider
Higher than the highest mountain; I have become a roaring flame

        Well, I've seen her in the summer in her purple gown
        She can ride side-saddle, she can shoot you down
        She's been to Heaven and to Hades on her silver wheel
        This ain't no glamour, by the hammer I can tell she's real
        She's got that sweet Dutch magic in her fingertips
        Driven by the rhythm with the honey deep in her hips

This love is wilder than an untamed horse upon the slopes of Spain
This love is brighter than the morning star; this love can have no name
This love's a waxing moon; Allfather smiles upon our union
And all the while, our love can only smile

        Well I've seen her on the mountain by the water's edge
        She wouldn't sign no paper, wouldn't make no pledge
        She brought Sweet Jake Justice to his bended knee
        She crossed the wine-dark waters of the hidden sea
        I got to praise Allfather for the way she walk
        I'm yawning in the morning and that ain't only tom-cat talk


You Are You (Indeed, Baby!)
(Faupel / Rae—7:08)
Oh baby so aloof
Can't face the natural truth
I guess we've got a lot to learn
You're two people night and day
It doesn't matter anyway
Don't want to see you crash and burn

I thought that I knew you
I don't know who I'm talking to
You're looking at me - you're not who I see...
I don't know who I'm talking to

All this time I couldn't find what was happening inside you
You made sure that you closed the door, you did so well to hide you
Common sense, your pretence, I could not get past you
No-one knew, only you, firmly to your mast you

Then one day it fell away when you least expected
Flashing light, such an eerie sight, you were you reflected
Big surprise, thin disguise, hole above your shoulder
Pain and joy! Girl and boy? Suddenly much older...

All your tears, so many years living in the twilight
Night and day, a different way, looking through the skylight
Truth or dare, I don't care, everything you sold me
You're still you through and through, everything you told me

Now I know that I know you
Now I know who I'm talking to
You're looking at me and you're all that I see
Now I know who I'm talking to


Justify
(Faupel—4:18)

Saw you today, you wouldn't look my way
You wouldn't even smile or say hello
"Faithless!", she cried, let you decide
But there's another side and I think you know
But you remember all the times I brought you down
I'm still upstanding though my dignity's left town
So I won't stay, but I won't slope away
The change has come and there's no-one
To justify

Too late to try, bad luck goodbye
You sprinkled hot foot powder on my trail
No common ground, don't turn around
You might see more than half the tale
So look me in the eye next time you stonewall me
Good luck, bad vibe, another jaded divorcee
But I've no time to talk of tender crime
It's a dirty deed, but I've no need
To justify

I hate to break your sad misguided cheap ideals
I lived the fairytale 'neath Tarantino's wheels
But it's OK, I don't have much to say
The change has come—now it's over and done
Don't justify


He and She (Again)
(Rae—7:11)

He: Late at night, a warm invite, lightly served and so polite
She: "Please allow, show me how, come to me, I need you now"
He: "It's so late", tempting fate, fearing one retaliate
She: "Don't be coy, you silly boy, fill your yearning soul with joy!"
He: Close the drawer, tread the floor past the sleeper's open door
She: This is me (carefully) count my breathing rhythmically
He: Soaring high through evening sky, through the liquid night I fly
She: I am here, have no fear, see me feel your glow appear
 
He: Suddenly you're in my vision, swaying in the breeze
No time now for indecision, floating expertise
Neither loving, neither hating, nothing but we two
In an ecstasy of waiting, all I see is you
She: Mind to mind as I become you, melding into one
You are all that I succumb to, frailty undone
Take my hands across the ocean, catch me when I fall
Let me drown in the emotion, you and I are all
He: Time is spinning all around us, colours turn to grey
Still the future must surround us, leading us away
Seconds pass as years before us, æons in an eye
While the centuries implore us, only you and I
He: Higher still atop the mountain, starlight in our hair
Drowning in the burning fountain, gasping yet for air
With the universe revolving, angels serenade
Passion endlessly evolving, colours all cascade
 
Both:  A world within a world hidden from all slumber


Bring It On
(Faupel—8:34)

You come on eagle's wings
To sing of half-remembered things
Beyond the cradle or the grave
You whispered gentle truth
And I deserve no further proof
Of the friendship we have made
And your voice is warm, inviting
As the stars collide upstairs
Should our disparate souls, alighting
Intervene in man's affairs?

On yellow hide I saw
A land beyond the Western shore
The Child of Harvest overcame
I come to contemplate
The cold capricious hand of Fate
That laid Him in the Earth again
And my soul is prone and trembling
Asking nothing in return
While Orpheus descending
Tells me of a love that burns

Sister, O Sister, you cut the cards
The Raven came and surely saw us
Sister, O Sister, I wept within your arms
As though you were our Mother before us

And you who came on eagle's wings
I'm truly filled with awe
The pain and rapture that you bring
I could not ask for more
With your beauty devastating
Spartan Helen falls behind
Your burning kiss ignites my soul
How could you be so kind?
And your jewel-encrusted stairway
Leads to courtyards of the Sun
Where a host of marble monuments
Extol the things you've done
But if cold and vacant statues
Know your station and your name
Then I would that I was made of stone
Not wrapped in burning flame...
...and barefoot through Avalon she ran!

Maybe I'll live alone
Enshrouded by your memory
Maybe I'll die upon the blood-soaked field
Your name upon my lips

Maybe a thousand angry Valkyries
Will bear me home
Maybe you're waiting on a distant shore
Your hands outstretched...

If this is love and desperation, bring it on
If this is bold imagination, bring it on
If this is bright emancipation, bring it on
If it's the price of inspiration, bring it on
Bring it on!


Life Song
(McNamara—6:11)

In time, and outside time
Your love remains the same
In life and in between the lives
Your love has touched me there
I reach for all that you have given
Searching for the light
Of the times that stand given

Giver of the song
Player of the long-abiding presence
Taker of the power
Show me how
How to radiate this hour
And take this meaning home
Astride this longing given

True light, true life
Touching all that you reveal
Making one and shining on
Unifying now
Bursting forth to flow
Here amid the throng
Of anticipation given

Leaning towards the night
Reaching for the path ahead
Seeing the light
Shining in your heart
A journey undertaken
Through the surf or undertow
Of moments truly given


The Man In These Clothes
(Faupel—9:05)

The man in these clothes would say I've broken every rule
I've stolen your love and played you for a fool
And you in the shadow, you can't face another dawn
I've broken my promise and left you so alone

We didn't know the way it would go when our two became one
So far away, that September day in the sun

The man in these clothes has seen the pleasure and the pain
A cold empty vessel and the shell is what remains
And you in your rage, you say you want to break my bones
A love torn and tainted for which the body now atones

So far to fall, too crippled to crawl, we were flying so high
Then we discover the water of love has run dry

The man in these clothes can see that you're hurting
The man in these clothes still cares
The man in these clothes is listening and learning
You're always a part of the man in these clothes

The man in these clothes can still remember you in white
Your smile and your whisper as you stepped into the light
Our future, our fortune was impossible to tell
Now the man in these clothes can only wish you well


Don't Hurt Me
(Rae / Faupel—8:28)

I know who you are
I know who you are
You've taken me over
We've travelled so far
You were all I lived for
And my only care
But now it's all over
This hopeless affair
And all I hear is my own breathing
And my head is running wild
You've taken all my memories
I'm just a little child—don't hurt me!

You promised me freedom
But poisoned my life
I made you my master
You buried the knife
You thought that you owned me
But you were so wrong
You preyed on my weakness
But I grew up strong
And all I hear is my own breathing
And my head is running wild
I've got you by the throat now
So where's your little child?—won't hurt me!

Now I am the master
Now I make the rules
I'm not your possession
Not one of your fools
I no longer need you
Though I still bear your scar
I've seen right, right through you
I know who you are!
And all you hear is your own breathing
And your head is running wild
You're just a distant memory
You're just a little child—can't hurt me!

And so, old friend, it's come to this
The Jesus cloak, the Judas kiss
With studied precision you set out your stall
Sold us a lie and made fools of us all
And now, ten years on, you think you're still bad to the bone?
Just an empty voice, empty threats, on the end of a telephone
A sad spectre lurking in a darkened doorway
Well, we can play that if you like, you can have it your way

See, you've been away, old son, and I've grown
I take care of myself, I look out for my own
I can hold up my head, and I don't need you
There's nothing for you here, go find another cheap slag to screw
Is that the only way that you can get your kicks?
A manipulation addict, gagging for a fix
But it's your last cheap ticket, your last head-fuck
You've exhausted my patience, my love and your luck

If I were you, sunshine, I'd stay right away
Or come back to the manor, and deal with The Blade
You're laughing now, pal, but you'll get yours
Your shame lasts as long as this endures


Mitchell and Shaw (Inverted)
(Faupel—4:42)

Creeping back into the room,
Try not to make a sound
Suppressing everything you have to say
Crawling back into the ring
To take it lying down
It's been so long, you know no other way

Who leaves you nothing when they take it all?
Who's got it? Mitchell and Shaw
Who's got the love that's fit to break your balls
Who's got it? Mitchell and Shaw

Slipping through the Northern door
To make a churchman's oath
Contemplating every word you say
Sleeping 'neath the bones
Of matrimony's holy ghost
Jesus doesn't want you anyway

Richer for poorer, you can have my wealth
Who's got it? Mitchell and Shaw
You fed my sickness and you wrecked my health
Who's got it? Mitchell and Shaw

Mitchell and Shaw used to have a rapport
While their love shone red and gold
Talk of the town, well, they got around
Before it all turned ugly, sick and cold
You wouldn't say it was bound to go that way
On the outside they were strong
They wouldn't tell of their bleak domestic hell
Where your best is always wrong
Mitchell and Shaw fought to even the score
So the war would carry on

Crouching in the corner
With the shadows closing in
Broken down with nowhere left to go
Unclean eyes and dirty lies
And we know where you've been
Fix your plastic smile, on with the show

Who's got the muscle fit to break your heart?
Who's got it? Mitchell and Shaw
Co-signed in blood: until us death do part
Who's got it? Mitchell and Shaw


Long Haul
(Rae—6:31)

    The crew of the Innova Park Mining Corporation ship prepared their final checklist. They'd gone through this rigmarole a hundred times before, of course, but still it never got any easier. As they prepared their stasis pods for the months of suspended animation which lay ahead of them, Captain Jonathan Bagger knew...
    "You OK, Wolf? You've got that look again." Debs could always tell when her Captain was uneasy.
    "I'm fine."
    "Not another one of your premonitions...!" Wolf was famous for his second sight. "Can you give me a hand to recalibrate the modulation rotary?"
    "Bitch!", Wolf muttered under his breath. He hated Debs. He just couldn't understand her obsession with TV, not to mention her ridiculous choice of clothing. Silk pyjamas and posh frocks on a deep space mining freighter, for heaven's sake!
    "Don't you think I look fab in silk, babe?", she teased.
    Wolf didn't. Smiling, he didn't reply. He was smiling because he knew that this would be Debs' final long haul. He knew that her stasis pod was going to malfunction. He knew this because he had programmed it to malfunction. He was going to kill Debs. And then he'd be free. Until he tracked down the next one.
    "Crew to final takeoff positions", crackled the intercom, "preparing to open the space doors."
    "OK everyone, see you on the other side!" said Wolf.
    Debs winked and whispered, "Nighty night, babe, unless you fancy waking me a little earlier..." Wolf didn't. Quite the reverse...
    The space doors slid silently open, and Captain Bagger and his crew of eleven vanished into hyperspace.
    Only ten would return...


Learn Again
(Faupel—5:46)

And the fire becomes a burning ember
Cerridwen the Queen shall come
And when the Earth and Sky remember
Taliesin's work is done

You've got to take it with you
Ain't nothing I can give you
Turn around and learn again

And Atulya will journey
Guided by my sister's hand
And in the vale I want her only
Manu has become my land

You speak the charm of making
My Wyrd is for the taking
Turn around and learn again

And when Akhia rides in splendour
Even Vali shields his face
And in the waning of December
Then the Brave assumes his place

You speak of shining glory
But that's another story
Turn around and learn again


Spy in the Atmosphere
(Rae—4:51)

I am the spy in the atmosphere
I am the spy in the atmosphere
I am distant but so near
I am the spy in the atmosphere
And I'm taping everything you hear
I am the spy in the atmosphere

I am the window in the sky
I am the window in the sky
You will tell me when you lie
I am the window in the sky
And it doesn't matter what you try
I am the window in the sky

I am the ultra-violet ray
I am the ultra-violet ray
I know everything you say
I am the ultra-violet ray
And I'm with you every night and day
I am the ultra-violet ray

I am the footprint in the snow
I am the footprint in the snow
I am the voice you'll never know
I am the footprint in the snow
And I'm watching everywhere you go
I am the footprint in the snow

And you will never get away
And you will never get away
You have no choice but to stay
And you will never get away
And I'm going to make you pay and pay
And you will never get away

Well I am everywhere
Well I am everywhere
I stare and stare and stare
Well I am everywhere
You turn and I'm already there
And I am everywhere

I am the spy in the atmosphere
I am the spy in the atmosphere
Who knows when I'll appear?
I am the spy in the atmosphere
And I prey upon your deepest fear
I am the spy in the atmosphere


Just for the Record
(Faupel—7:51)

I was on first-name terms with Gods and Queens
But you negated that, you said you didn't need it
I was the monkey wrench in all your schemes
But I was always short and, God, you made me feel it
No turning back, no magic wand
I broke my geasa without trying
And if we had a sacred bond
How could we leave each other crying?

You were not the only one
Who suffered in the war
Unspoken poems and broken bones
I've never seen their like before
I was not the only one
Who couldn't quite let go
Let the record show...

You were the magistrate of all my songs
And they were always keen to play the role you cast them
You were the clerk collating all my wrongs
And when the court resumed you couldn't quite see past them
Delusional come closing time
I had no voice for my confusion
The killing floor, your mask sublime
I preferred the safety of delusion!

I should not have knelt beneath
The monument of shame
I should not have nursed the dæmon
Fed him and apportioned blame
I should not have forced the hand
Of fortune, now I know
Let the record show...

Must I fall into the madness of confessing
And obsessing over things I cannot change?
Must I walk into the sadness of remembrance
Independence doesn't always quiet your pain

But I never meant to break you down
Lonely rider in a one-horse town
My reputation as a faded clown
Is keeping me from sleep at night
I toss and turn
I don't know where to go
I know it wasn't right to blight you
But somebody had to show
That everything is torn
Long before that bitter morn
I know...

O bleak inspector of my tapestries
If I dropped a stitch I knew that you'd be waiting
You ask me why should you go on your knees
Just because my ego needs fellating
And when I made to abdicate
You shot the guards and stormed the palace
When Wonderland broke up the band
You found me playing draughts with Alice

You and I should not have fallen
Victim to the curse
I only tried to live a lie
'Cos honesty is so much worse
Fair to say I rue the day
I dealt the final blow
Let the record show...


Louise
(Faupel—4:15)

It's the rising moon
Speaks roughly to her little girl
Don't give away the goods too soon
It's your foolish pride
That says stay close to what you know
It's not a sin to feel alive!
Don't believe their lies
Meet the bitter sting of criticism
Right between the eyes
Yesterday has gone
And though your lovers may have fell away
Your vision lingers on
    And Louise is striking poses
    And striking out alone
    She doesn't need a mother
    Or a man to feel at home
    Louise is on to something
    She can feel it in her bones
    But it's not easy—Louise

In uncertain times
It isn't hard to see
You must be clever to be kind
Every single day
Is cut and dried and nullified
It isn't hard to stay away!
Honey ain't you heard?
There's a new bitch on the block
And she can cut you with a word
Yesterday has gone
And though your shaman-sickness fell away
Your symptoms linger on
And your doctors and your teachers
Wonder where the old Louise has gone
But she's proud and pained and pretty
And she's really coming on strong
    And Louise is making waves
    Without permission or pretence
    She'd rather skate upon a razor blade
    Than sit upon the fence
    And when her words are framed in amber
    Generations hence
    Will you remember—Louise?

Don't ya look surprised
With your witch's silhouette
You're not so hard to eulogise
Yesterday has gone
And though my silence fell away
My admiration lingers on
And all the preachers and the prophets
Try to tell you that you're wrong
And you remind me a lot of my boy-child self
Before the whole thing went Pete Tong
And you turn the wheel so well
You send the teacher back to school
And you've smashed down all the windows
And you've broken every rule
And you've shown the Three Wise Monkeys
To be nothing more than fools
    And Louise she doesn't care
    If you're a sinner or a saint
    Louise can tell just what you are
    And see just what you ain't
    And I know there's a raw and honest beauty
    Underneath all that powder and paint
    But it's not easy—Louise
    Louise—Louise—Louise


Dawn of a New Day
(McNamara / Rae—9:22)

I'm travelling on this lonely road
With only this life to behold
I don't doubt that I'll lose my way
I have so very much to say
I took the car and I missed the train
I waved my lover from the plane
I need to see her soon again
Waiting for this new day to begin

It's not been easy to decide
I found me a guru who confides
It's not a simple task for me
I guess I'll have to wait and see
I saw her in the astral light
She don't give up without a fight
She follows me through journeys long
Waiting for this new day to begin

In the blinking of an eye
I can see this world go by
And although it isn't strange
With my new life to arrange
I feel the weight and I feel the power
When I'm asleep, and in the hours
That keeps me waking in my heart
Waiting for this new day to begin

Time will draw unto a close
All that nature does expose
And in the presence of the sun
I can feel my work is done
I move towards a better day
I can hardly keep away
Counting endless nights and days
Waiting for this new day to begin


Brother By My Side
(Faupel—4:27)

Well the Man on the Hill was only taking cash
I put five on Brittle Ben
Straight out of the stalls and he fell at the first
But he got back up again
And the jockey got me thinking
Of what is and what used to be
When the walls came down and there was no-one left
Just the Big Man, you and me

Well we grew up with hard promises
I know you've paid the price
Whether whiskey, wine or women
Seems the Gods were shooting dice
And we called ourselves blood brothers
In our teenage joie-de-vivre
And as September marks the summer's end
You should know I still believe
My brother by my side

Well we've seen all kinds of madness
Every brand of insanity
From the razor blade to my daddy's shade
To d.i.v.o.r.c.e.
And I hope we've learnt our lessons
And I trust we'll know the score
When it's you, me and Bigs
Just like Murtaugh and Riggs
Too old for this shit anymore
My brother by my side

Now the evening shadows are closing in
And I shiver and close the door
And there just ain't no escaping
We ain't seventeen no more
And before too long I'm drinking
Tell myself I'm doing fine
When the record man calls I hope I've got the balls
I can't fuck it up this time
My brother by my side

Well the Man on the Hill was only taking cash
I put five on Brittle Ben
Straight out of the stalls and he fell at the first
But then he got back up again
And it's that old horse we're riding
On the day our ship comes in
Allfather in heaven's gonna raise his glass
And say "Let the hombres in!"
My brother by my side


River in Egypt
(Faupel—5:39)

Now here come memory up my garden path
I turn my head away, I scorn her and I laugh
But I know she won't just slope away this time
Oh, what's to lose?
Ain't got the blues and I feel fine

Now here come guilt, she's at my window pane
I did not hope to see her quite so soon again
But I know I'll have to answer her this time
Oh, what's to lose?
Ain't got the blues and I feel fine

Here's accusation knocking at my door
We know the game, we've both been here before
But I know she won't be letting go this time
Oh, what's to lose?
Ain't got the blues and I feel fine

Now here come justice click-clack on my stairs
There ain't no way she'll catch me unawares
But I know there's no looking back this time
Oh, what's to lose?
Ain't got the blues and I feel fine

Oh baby girl, I look into your eyes
I see the teardrops there your mother cries
And I know I'll have to answer you in time
Oh, what's to lose?
Ain't got the blues and I feel fine

And here come whiskey for my aching head
She'll share my burdens and she'll share my bed
But I know I'm sure to let her down some time
Oh, what's to lose?
Ain't got the blues and I feel fine


Black Sheep Morning
(Faupel—3:55)

So this is my last shout
I won't be stepping out no more
Tangier's claim to fame
Has never prayed for rain before
And the Huntress and the Skull Splitter
Are taking down the tents
Though the crimson moon prevents the Djinn from forming

It isn't hard to see
The fading jewels that we have worn
And here the memory lies
And evening's crimson skies are torn
Our baby in the crib
I dealt the coldest twist of fate
Ain't it strange the way it takes you without warning?

Black sheep Morning finally had to come
The only jury is the dawn
And when she's faded and the Sun has breached my tomb
I'll rise from Hela's womb, unsteady, yawning

All those uncited wrongs
All those unfinished songs of yore
Take the witness stand
No-one to lend a hand no more
And Judas and his father
Find a cold, uneasy truce
The shadow of the noose is quietly calling
Black sheep Morning


Blues for Sonny
(Faupel—4:46)

Won't you gather round me, people
And a story I will tell
Won't you gather round me, people
And a story I will tell
About my mama's lonely boy child
Sleeping in a ten-foot cell

From my waking to my childhood
I was forced to weep and moan
From my waking to my childhood
I was forced to weep and moan
Loneliness my bread and butter
And the darkness was my home

I says I roll and I tumble
And God knows I've paid my fare
Well I roll and I tumble
And God knows I've paid my fare
From the Blessed Isle of Apples
All the way to Turner Square


Freya
(Faupel—6:50)

Once I believed I was a good man
Did like I should, man
But I fell on my face
I could have been a contender
Now the Pretender
Is limping home in disgrace
And so I live uneasy on my own
While my demons chase the sun
And in the morning
I'm just like every other man

        Freya, Freya
        You won't recall the times we cried
        Freya, Freya
        No matter what they tell you
        You're still your father's pride

Once I could count on a phone call
Now there's a stonewall
When I walk in the room
My cold charade has been played out
All those I've paid out
Say “not a moment too soon”
I was the haughty fool who always dressed in white
Now all the world can see the stain
And in the morning
I'm just like every other man

And you won't believe I didn't mean to break your mother's heart
You'll blame the learned brotherhood for tearing us apart
They'll say the man I used to be is not the man you know
Freya, Freya, Freya it's not so

Once I believed I was a hero
Walked like de Niro
But I died on my arse
Once I believed I'd be a martyr
Genau wie mein Vater
But that's all in the past
Yes I wear the things that I have done
Like an old raincoat tarred and torn
And in the morning
I'm just like every other man


Dark Narcotic
(Faupel—2:36)
You let me write if I want to
You make me write if I don't
You'll break my back if I let you love me
You'll rape my mind if I don't

You say there's no repercussion
You say your motives are pure
You make me groan in disease or wonder
You make me long for the cure

And every time I think I'll put you down
I fall back under your spell
They tell me there's a new drug in town
You got me jonesing to get well

And I can't get you out of my system
Can't get you out of my veins
Lady you're such a dark narcotic
About to drive me insane

You bade me sit by your fire
You swore I would not get burned
Lady you leave a real hard lesson
You know that I'll never learn...


Method Man
(Faupel—3:45)
Putting on my armour
And go see the Method Man
Need a dagger and a sharpened blade
Oedipus don't give a damn
He's the Method Man...

He's got a serpent smile and a poison pen
He'll tell you why, he's gonna tell you when
You'll catch consumption every time he sneeze
You'll lose your licence if you don't say please

And when the walls came down it was only him and me
Que sera sera, what will be will be
Putting on my armour
Need a method in my rock 'n' roll
Doesn't matter if you're dead inside
That mother-fucker ain't got no soul
He's the Method Man...

I ain't bragging but it's understood
That I could do you proud and do you good
He'll be drinking wine and you'll be parking cars
Making waves and he'll be shooting stars
He's the Method Man...

He doesn't feel the cold, he doesn't feel no pain
It doesn't feel alright, it doesn't feel the same
But the Method Man, he just don't care
As he slaps you with his vacant stare
The Method Man...

I ain't bragging but it's understood
That I could do you proud and I could do you good
He'll be drinking wine and you'll be parking cars
And you'll be making waves and he'll be shooting stars


Stranded
(Faupel—4:55)
Everybody seems to know
The right and proper way to go
When you have lost your way
Well-meaning fools may lend a hand
But they could never understand
The language of the lonely ocean spray
All the haunting brittle cries
Of the seagull when she flies
The game and gambolling horses on the foam
Your need to comprehend
Is my prison in the end
That keeps me safe at home

But I'm awake and I'm aware
In my dainty silver chair
Drinking sugar-coated sunshine
As you sup your rosy lee
And the gentle twitching rain
Comes to join me in my game
Though there's nothing here
For Adam's kind to see

Gentle strangers make demands
And try to force my elven hands
To thankless and unnecessary tasks
Mummy, dearest, don't intrude
You'll spoil the fairies' interlude
They'd welcome you if only you could ask
And Mother Shipton you've been told
Knew the winter and the cold
And sang and spoke of things that came to pass
But nobody hears the child
Who's waxing weird and wild
Behind the looking-glass

Where the bees have lost their sting
And the dancing flowers sing
And Daddy stands like seven stones
A hundred storeys tall
I can watch the trees turn purple
As I dance a jagged circle
'Cos I know he'll never let me take a fall

All my friends are passing strange
They play the most peculiar games
In twos or threes or more
Vacant, tall, I stand alone
An orphan of the Twilight Zone
With rasping voices knocking at the door
And when Superman arrived
Borne on Otherworldly tide
You held a special party just for him
But Teacher's cold delight
Is baby's Kryptonite
I feel you closing in

All the things you fail to see
Are so pertinent to me
A fractured pale reflection
Haunting Mummy's waking eyes
And nobody seems to fathom
Daddy's biting dark sarcasm
Or the guilty things he tries to hide


Cerridwen
(Faupel—9:03)
O Cerridwen, remember when
I shone upon your fields
The tribe of Abred danced, and I was glad
In Caer Lludd's grove, we gently strove
The mystery to find
The only peace of mind I've ever had
Through rain, oh unafraid we were
Through wind, oh undismayed we were
The soil and sun reveal their naked proof
O dark and ever-changing one
O mother of my darling song
Cerridwen, it's time you knew the truth

That I have stumbled and I have faltered
And worshipped kinder, lesser Gods upon your altar
And made your coracle a burning ship of fools
Would you believe that I still love you?

Alone and lost, I've wondered oft
And vainly hoped to sing
My ogham fews I've cast and waited long
By blackened tree, you'd come for me
On raven's clouded wing
The last degenerate child of Awen-song
Through darkness you would find me there
Afraid the light would blind me there
I saw that lay beyond the Flaming Door
My trembling hands have paid the price
My writhing nerves Her sacrifice
Cerridwen, it's time you knew the score

Of how I long to tell your story
Of your solitude, your strength, your raging glory
The rings you gave me for things you knew I'd not yet done
Would you believe they're taking form?
Would you believe they're taking form?
Would you believe?
Would you believe?
Would you believe they're taking form?

And all my demons take their turn
My vision stings, my Awen burns
You know I never asked for this
O Cerridwen
You bitch!

Please don't trust the ones who thrust
Their point of view in front of you
And tell you it's the only way to go
Don't believe the kings and thieves
Who tell you all your dreams will fall
Into the yawning dark abyss below
It's not the only way to go
My Lady shines and wants to show

Cerridwen, the road is calling
Thanks to you the day is dawning
I can see the scheme in all you do
Cerridwen, my star is rising
Clear, compelling, hypnotising
Every bard should find a prize in you

So I have come to ask for quarter
Your Pheryllt fire burns across the water
The cauldron bursts, the poisoned horses sink below
Would you believe, I want to know?
Would you believe, I want to know?


Tribiani Time
(Faupel—3:30)
Cats-nap through the daytime
Can't sleep sound at night
I'm getting that feeling
That something ain't right
I said I ain't leaving
But then again I might
God knows, it's Tribiani Time

I get up in the morning
And I shoulder the weight
Of the letters I've written
And the choices I've made
Well I'm downing that Black Sheep
Now, ain't that appropriate?
Must be Tribiani time

Each night I go walking
Streets narrow and wide
With a tear in my raincoat
And a hole in my pride
When you got a good friend
Have him stay right by your side
Bring it on, Tribiani time

Oh Mama, dear Mama
Oh where have you been?
Look down on your boy-child
And see the shame I'm in
Come dry all my tears, Ma
Forgive me all my sin
Tell me it's Tribiani time

Oh, one more hit from the bottle
Don't make me go home
Just leave me here drinking
Up here by myself alone
One scotch and one bourbon
For the women I've known
Last call for Tribiani time