IT WILL HAPPEN ANYWAY, SO THEY SAY
THAT SOME THINGS ARE UNSTOPPABLE,
BUT MORE LIKELY A COMPROMISE PROBABLE;
THE EVENTS THAT WILL BE A FIRST:
GRADUATION, PASSING YOUR DRIVING TEST,
A LOVE AFFAIR, MAYBE SKYDIVING IS BEST,
TRAVELLING HAS A RING TO IT, BIT BY BIT
YOU'LL DEVOUR THE GLOBE, AS YOU PROBE
INFORMATION - NOW YOUR PAST EDUCATION;
BUT FIRST BECOMES SECOND AND THIRD,
SOMETIMES THE WHOLE LOT SEEMS ABSURD,
WHAT DO YOU WANT? YOU CAN'T REMAIN DORMANT,
BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY TIME IS BRIEF,
IT COME QUICKLY AND DISAPPEARS LIKE A THIEF.

I WROTE AN ESSAY - THEY GAVE ME A NINE,
YOU COULD USUALLY TELL WHEN IT WAS ONE OF MINE,
YOU HAD TO KEEP IT SHORT, KEEP IT SWEET,
A BEGINNING, MIDDLE AND END MADE IT NEAT,
THEN THERE WAS THE MAGIC, MAYBE SOMETHING
TRAGIC AND FINALLY A REALIZATION - THAT'S IT,
IMAGINATION IS BORN FROM MADNESS AND
MAYBE A LITTLE SADNESS - UNDERSTAND
PATHOS, THE POWER OF EXCITING TENDER EMOTIONS;
WHAT WAS SOFT BECOMES HARD, SUDDENLY
YOU HAVE THE RICHNESS, EXPERTISE OF A BARD,
NOW WHEN YOU COME TO THE END, LOVE WILL TRANSCEND,
LIKE CONTROLLED PASSION, THERE IS NO DEVIL,
GOODNESS WILL ALWAYS TRIUMPH OVER EVIL.

IT WAS AUTUMN AGAIN - A BEAUTIFUL AMBER
FALL FROM GRACE, FROM GREEN TO BROWN
WHEN SUMMER'S DEFENCES WERE DOWN,
BUT NOT FAZED, NOTHING COULD BE ERASED;
TODAY WAS RESOLUTE, DETERMINED TO
REMAIN IN PLACE, IN THE HEARTS
AND MINDS OF A GENERATION - ALL
WAS EVENLY PACED; BUT STRANGELY
NOT ENOUGH TO OPEN YOUR HEART,
TO WASH AWAY THE DUST - A NEW START;
SO YOU HAVE TO LIVE WITH WHAT YOU'VE GOT,
A COMPROMISE, A PACT, MORE LIKELY THAN NOT,
TWEAK THE SIDES WHERE THE DEVIL RIDES -
FIND A PLACE WHERE NOTHING HIDES.

WHERE CAN YO'U FIND SUCH 'FEARFUL SYMMETRY?'
IT WAS TRUE THAT THE LINES CAME TOGETHEIR
BUT YOU WONDERED WHETHER THE POWER WAS
THERE OR CAME FROM A SOURCE BEYOND OUR OWN;
IF I HAD THE POWER, I'D EAT YOU UP,
CONSUME YOUR ENERGY, MAKE A MYSTERY,
PUT MY PAWS TO A GOOD CAUSE, BECAUSE
I WAS MADE TO DEVOUR MY PREY, SO THEY
SAY THAT I'M ON A ROLL, I'LL TAKE YOU WHOLE;
IT'S TIME TO SLEEP AWHILE - CLOSE MY LARGE
LUMINOUS GREEN EYES, MAKE A FEW SIGHS,
PUSH AT THE AIR AS THOUGH I'M CATCHING
AN INVISIBLE FLY, DREAM OF SUNNY GRASS
BE WARY OF MY RHYTHM WHEN I COME TO PASS.

SOMEBODY SAID THAT: ' YOU MUST TRY EVERYTHING ONCE,'
AND NOW I'VE NEVER BEEN THE SAME SINCE
I WENT UP THE MOUNTAIN SINCE
I BECAME TRAPPED IN HEAVEN, EVEN
THEN IT WAS ANOTHER FINE DAY IN PARADISE,
WHICH WAS MORE THAN HALF AS NICE
BECAUSE I WAS FREE AND WHERE I
WANTED TO BE, ALTHOUGH INITIALLY
I COULD NOT GET DOWN, I COULD
SEE THE BAYS OF CAPE TOWN -
THE VIEW THE FIRST EXPLORERS SAW,
THE BEAUTY WAS SO GREAT THAT YOU WANTED MORE;
THEN IT WAS TIME FOR ME TO LEAVE THIS PLACE
OF 'NEVER-NEVER' BUT THE MEMORY WOULD STAY WITH ME FOREVER.

I  WAS  WITH  YOU  WHEN  YOU  WERE  SMALL,
I'M  STILL SITTING  ON THE  BED  NOW YOU'RE TALL,
I  KNOW  ALL  YOUR  THOUGHTS, EVEN HOW  YOU  FEELED,
BUT  THERE  WAS  NOTHING  I  COULD  DO - MY LIPS ARE SEALED,
I  WISH  I  COULD  WALK  AND  TAKE  A  STROLL,
BUT  TO  LOOK  PRETTY  AND  SIT  HERE  IS  MY  ROLE,
I  COULD  GIVE  YOU  ADVICE, TELL  YOU  WHAT  TO  WEAR,
BUT YOU WOULDN'T TAKE IT EASY FROM A TEDDY BEAR,
IT WOULD BE CLEVER TO PUT MY THOUGHTS INTO YOUR MIND,
YOUR CHOICE OF ACTION WOULD NOT BE FAR BEHIND;
HOW YOU GREW, TRAVELLED THE WORLD SO FAR AWAY,
WHEN YOU RETURNED, I STILL HAD NOTHING TO SAY,
I'LL ALWAYS WATCH OVER YOU AS LONG AS YOU NEED ME,
WHEN YOU'RE FINALLY GONE - I'LL MISS YOU TERRIBLY.

THE COLOURS WERE GRAINY BROWN AS YOU WENT DOWN,
THERE WERE DARK MARKS ON THE BACK LIKE A HALFWAY FROWN,
THE HILLS UNDULATED WITH BEACONS FOR ALL TO SEE,
A REMINDER AND KEYNOTE SHOWING WHERE YOU WANTED TO BE;
PERHAPS THERE HAD BEEN NO RAIN FOR A LONG TIME,
BUT WHEN IT CAME, WAS LIKE A LONG LOST FRIEND OF MINE,
IN TORRENTS, WAITING FOR SO EVER IT COULD NEVER HAVE BEEN
LIKE THIS BUT WHOSE TO SAY WHEN YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU MISS;
YOU DON'T KNOW IF IT'S ENOUGH TO SATISFY YOUR THIRST,
AND WHEN DO YOU LAUGH - MAYBE ONLY WHEN IT HURTS,
ONLY WHEN IT'S NOT OVER, YOU RETURN TO THE BEGINNING,
IT'S ONLY REALLY GOOD, HELD IN LIMBO, WHEN YOU'RE NOT WINNING;
YOU WERE TOLD TO GO FOR IT - ACHIEVE A ZENITH BY ALL MEANS,
BUT WHEN YOU WERE DRY, YOU REALIZED IT WAS A FIGMENT OF YOUR DREAMS.

I CAN SEE THINGS WHICH YOU COULD NEVER SEE,
IT MUST BE A GIFT TO UNRAVEL A MYSTERY,
I KNOW WHAT YOU'RE THINKING, REPORT BACK TO MYSELF,
IF I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER, THERE'S A BOOK ON THE SHELF;
I HAVE SECRET MEETINGS WITH MY ALTER - EGO -
CHASTISED, REBUKED, ADMONISHED, THE LAST TIME I LOOKED
AT A CATALOGUE OF MISTAKES, SOME REAL, SOME FAKES,
I HAVE EXPERIENCE, LEAN BACK WITH HANDS BEHIND MY HEAD,
ASK YOURSELF:  WHAT HAVE I DONE, AM I GOOD IN BED?
NOW, SPIES HAVE NO TIME FOR ANYTHING, DO AS THEY'RE TOLD,
NO KNICK-KNACKS - I KNEW ONE WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD,
BY THE TIME HE RETURNED - HIS HOUSE HAD BEEN SOLD;
I'LL GIVE YOU INFORMATION, TELL YOU WHAT YOU WANT TO HEAR,
WHEN YOU REALLY NEED ME - I'LL ALWAYS BE NEAR.

WE WERE HEADING TOWARDS BEIJING AS I SIPPED MY DRINK,
I KNEW THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING WRONG FASTER THAN YOU THINK,
A YOUNG IRANIAN WAS STANDING UP BRANDISHING A KNIFE,
WHEN THAT HAPPENS - YOU IMMEDIATELY FEAR FOR YOUR LIFE;
ALSO AN OLDER MIDDLE EASTERN MAN WAS UP IN THE FRONT OF THE PLANE,
WE WERE CIMBING - I WONDERED IF I'D SEE MY FRIENDS AGAIN,
THE AIR SEEMED THIN BUT NO MASKS DROPPED FROM THE CEILING,
PEOPLE STRUGGLING FOR BREATH - EVEN THE MIDDLE EASTERN MAN WAS KNEELING,
THR PLANE SEEMED TO TURN AND STARTED TO DROP IN HEIGHT,
SO LOW OVER THE MAINLAND - YOU COULD SEE LIGHT,
THEN THERE WAS ANOTHER TURN AND WE BEGAN TO CLIMB,
SUDDENLY THE CO-PILOT APPEARED, SHOUTING: 'THERE'S
BEEN A CRIME,'
INTO HIS MOBILE PHONE BUT WOULD ANYONE HEAR HIM
SO FAR AWAY?
THOSE WHO COULD STILL BREATHE BEGAN TO PRAY.

I MET LEONARDO - 'SO, TERRY, YOU'RE NEARLY A WRITER,
I WAS AN INVENTOR, SCULPTER, ARTIST, MICHAELANGELO FIGHTER,
I THINK HE WON BUT HE DIDN'T PAINT THE LAST SUPPER
AND THE MONA LISA - I LEFT SOMETHING UNDERNEATH.'
'I BOW TO YOUR BRILLIANCE LEO, WERE YOU REALLY THE HEAD
OF THE MASONS AND THE ILLUMINATI? DID YOU HAVE BOYS IN YOUR BED?'
'NONE OF YOUR **** BUSINESS - YOU JUST STICK TO YOUR
HOMESPUN PHILOSOPHY AND TRY NOT TO BE SUCH A BORE,
YOU WANT SOME ADVICE? I'LL GIVE IT TO YOU WHETHER YOU
LIKE IT OR NOT: YOU'LL BE AMAZED AT THE THINGS YOU CAN'T DO,
YOU CAN'T ESCAPE THE JUDGEMENT OF GOD YOU POOR SOD,
YOU CAN'T EVEN WRITE, DON'T WORRY - I'LL GIVE YOU THE NOD,
I'M WATCHING, BEARD AN' ALL, I KNOW THAT YOU'LL MISS ME,
JUST REMEMBER THAT YOU WERE IN THE COMPANY OF LEONARDO DA VINCI.'