The Red Sea
I tap the wheel, stare out into the red sea
But sometimes I think it’s harder coming home at night
I join the vying dying ranks and we
Face the recriminations of evanescent twilight
Sometimes I think it’s more than a shame
I hear the night calling my name
Turn up the heat and grumble,
“Hell, I’m not to blame.”
Throwing dice at this rigged game
Our money muzzle will keep us tame
And our fear will keep us humble
But the night calls us as kings all the same
Angel, fold your wings around me
I need a touch of the divine
The only freedom I ever found we
Only reach when we combine
I tap the wheel, stare out with dim eyes
The taillights blur into a flame
I snap, I feel the pull of demise
As the voice on the radio calls out my name,
“Hey boy, it’s easier in a trance
That can make the weak feel strong
I’ve got a little ditty that makes the whole world dance,
Come on, why don’t you sing along?
Check it out; I’ve got my cheque,
Check it out; I’ve got my life
I never get to see my children
And neither does my wife
I’ll make myself small,
But I’ll be the world’s biggest mouse
And I cannot have a home
But I can provide half a house
On the shore of man’s dreams
I’ve seen tyranny’s wicked smile
He paces with our best intentions
Up and down the aisle”
Angel, fold your wings around me now
I need to breathe, I need to grow
Choking on the bit, but I don’t know how
I’ll ever be able to let go
Simple beauty seems to confound me
It gilds the path that once was mine
Angel, fold your wings around me
I need a spark of the divine
Take this unaltered sacrifice
Let sleep drag another corpse away
Where are we going, what do we want, and what’s the price?
Well, who are we, anyway?
At night I listen through the rain
To the wind’s forlorn refrain
If all the lies were gone
What else would remain?
Absalom, you human stain,
O, Absalom, you squandered brain
Why are you counting on
The trademark of Cain?
Angel, fold your wings around me
I need a touch of the divine
Compromises abound; see
Where I used to toe the line
Check it out; I’ve got my cheque
Check it out; I’ve got my life
I’ll never get to see my children
And neither will my wife
My heart lost to the grind,
My mind lost to the sea,
And I am just a sailor
And that’s all I’ll ever be
St Elmo wears the crown
For St Vitus to covet
And the radio laughs last
With, “Take this job and love it.”
But sometimes I think it’s harder coming home at night
I join the vying dying ranks and we
Face the recriminations of evanescent twilight
Sometimes I think it’s more than a shame
I hear the night calling my name
Turn up the heat and grumble,
“Hell, I’m not to blame.”
Throwing dice at this rigged game
Our money muzzle will keep us tame
And our fear will keep us humble
But the night calls us as kings all the same
Angel, fold your wings around me
I need a touch of the divine
The only freedom I ever found we
Only reach when we combine
I tap the wheel, stare out with dim eyes
The taillights blur into a flame
I snap, I feel the pull of demise
As the voice on the radio calls out my name,
“Hey boy, it’s easier in a trance
That can make the weak feel strong
I’ve got a little ditty that makes the whole world dance,
Come on, why don’t you sing along?
Check it out; I’ve got my cheque,
Check it out; I’ve got my life
I never get to see my children
And neither does my wife
I’ll make myself small,
But I’ll be the world’s biggest mouse
And I cannot have a home
But I can provide half a house
On the shore of man’s dreams
I’ve seen tyranny’s wicked smile
He paces with our best intentions
Up and down the aisle”
Angel, fold your wings around me now
I need to breathe, I need to grow
Choking on the bit, but I don’t know how
I’ll ever be able to let go
Simple beauty seems to confound me
It gilds the path that once was mine
Angel, fold your wings around me
I need a spark of the divine
Take this unaltered sacrifice
Let sleep drag another corpse away
Where are we going, what do we want, and what’s the price?
Well, who are we, anyway?
At night I listen through the rain
To the wind’s forlorn refrain
If all the lies were gone
What else would remain?
Absalom, you human stain,
O, Absalom, you squandered brain
Why are you counting on
The trademark of Cain?
Angel, fold your wings around me
I need a touch of the divine
Compromises abound; see
Where I used to toe the line
Check it out; I’ve got my cheque
Check it out; I’ve got my life
I’ll never get to see my children
And neither will my wife
My heart lost to the grind,
My mind lost to the sea,
And I am just a sailor
And that’s all I’ll ever be
St Elmo wears the crown
For St Vitus to covet
And the radio laughs last
With, “Take this job and love it.”