| LYRICS
"A FAREWELL TO
KINGS"
Words by Neil Peart, Music by Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart
When they turn the pages of history
When these days have passed long ago
Will they read of us with sadness
For the seeds that we let grow
We turned our gaze
From the castles in the distance
Eyes cast down
On the path of least resistance
Cities full of hatred Fear and lies Withered hearts And cruel, tormented
eyes Scheming demons Dressed in kingly guise Beating down the multitude
And scoffing at the wise
The hypocrites are slandering
The sacred halls of Truth
Ancient nobles showering
Their bitterness on youth
Can't we find
The minds that made us strong
Can't we learn
To feel what's right and wrong
Cities full of hatred Fear and lies Withered hearts And cruel, tormented
eyes Scheming demons Dressed in kingly guise Beating down the multitude
And scoffing at the wise Can't we raise our eyes And make a start
Can't we find the minds To lead us closer to the Heart
"XANADU"
Words by Neil Peart, Music by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson
"To seek the sacred river Alph To walk the caves of ice To break
my fast on honey dew And drink the milk of Paradise...."
I had heard the whispered tales
Of immortality
The deepest mystery
From an ancient book. I took a clue
I scaled the frozen mountain tops
Of eastern lands unknown
Time and Man alone
Searching for the lost ---- Xanadu
Xanadu ---- To stand within The Pleasure Dome Decreed by Kubla Khan
To taste anew the fruits of life The last immortal man To find the
sacred river Alph To walk the caves of ice Oh, I will dine on honey
dew And drink the milk of Paradise
A thousand years have come and gone
But time has passed me by
Stars stopped in the sky
Frozen in an everlasting view
Waiting for the world to end
Weary of the night
Praying for the light
Prison of the lost ---- Xanadu
Xanadu ---- Held within The Pleasure Dome Decreed by Kubla Khan To
taste my bitter triumph As a mad immortal man Nevermore shall I return
Escape these caves of ice For I have dined on honey dew And drunk
the milk of Paradise
"CLOSER
TO THE HEART"
Words by Neil Peart and Peter Talbot,
Music by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson
And the men who hold high places
Must be the ones to start
To mould a new reality
Closer to the Heart
The Blacksmith and the Artist
Reflect it in their art
Forge their creativity
Closer to the Heart
Philosophers and Ploughmen
Each must know his part
To sow a new mentality
Closer to the Heart
You can be the Captain
I will draw the Chart
Sailing into destiny
Closer to the Heart
"CINDERELLA
MAN"
Words by Geddy Lee, Music by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson
A modest man from Mandrake Travelled rich to the city He had a need
to discover A use for his newly-found wealth
Because he was human
Because he had goodness
Because he was moral
They called him insane
Delusions of grandeur
Visions of splendour
A manic depressive
He walks in the rain
Eyes wide open Heart undefended Innocence untarnished
Cinderella Man
Doing what you can
They can't understand
What it means
Cinderella Man Hang on to your plans Try as they might They cannot
steal your dreams
In the betrayal of his love he awakened To face a world of cold reality
And a look in the eyes of the hungry Awakened him to what he could
do
He held up his riches
To challenge the hungry
Purposeful motion
For one so insane
They tried to fight him
Just couldn't beat him
This manic depressive
Who walks in the rain
"MADRIGAL"
Words by Neil Peart, Music by Geddy Lee and Alex Lifeson
When the dragons grow too mighty
To slay with pen or sword
I grow weary of the battle
And the storm I walk toward
When all around is madness
And there's no safe port in view
I long to turn my path homeward
To stop awhile with you
When life becomes so barren
And as cold as winter skies
There's a beacon in the darkness
In a distant pair of eyes
In vain to search for order
In vain to search for truth
But these things can still be given
Your love has shown me proof
"CYGNUS X-1"
Words by Neil Peart, Music by Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and Neil Peart
Book One ---- The Voyage
Prologue
In the constellation of Cygnus
There lurks a mysterious, invisible force
The Black Hole
Of Cygnus X-1
Six Stars of the Northern Cross
In mourning for their sister's loss
In a final flash of glory
Nevermore to grace the night....
1
Invisible
To telescopic eye
Infinity
The star that would not die
All who dare
To cross her course
Are swallowed by
A fearsome force
Through the void
To be destroyed
Or is there something more?
Atomized ---- at the core
Or through the Astral Door ----
To soar....
2
I set a course just east of Lyra
And northwest of Pegasus
Flew into the light of Deneb
Sailed across the Milky Way
On my ship, the 'Rocinante'
Wheeling through the galaxies,
Headed for the heart of Cygnus
Headlong into mystery
The x-ray is her siren song
My ship cannot resist her long
Nearer to my deadly goal
Until the Black Hole ----
Gains control....
3
Spinning, whirling,
Still descending
Like a spiral sea,
Unending
Sound and fury
Drowns my heart
Every nerve
Is torn apart....
To be continued
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