Peter Sinfield - King Crimson Lyrics

8/10/2019 Peter Sinfield - King Crimson Lyrics

1/13

"21st Century Schizoid Man"

Cat's foot iron claw

Neuro-surgeons scream for more

At paranoia's poison door.

Twenty first century schizoid man.

Blood rack barbed wire

Polititians' funeral pyre

Innocents raped with napalm fire


Death seed blind man's greed

Poets' starving children bleed

Nothing he's got he really needs


"I Talk To The Wind"

Said the straight man to the late man

Where have you been

I've been here and I've been there

And I've been in between.

I talk to the wind

My words are all carried away

I talk to the windThe wind does not hear

The wind cannot hear.

I'm on the outside looking inside

What do I see

Much confusion, disillusion

All around me.

You don't possess me

Don't impress me

Just upset my mind

Can't instruct me or conduct me

Just use up my time

I talk to the wind

My words are all carried away

I talk to the wind

The wind does not hear

The wind cannot hear.


2/13

"Epitaph"

The wall on which the prophets wrote

Is cracking at the seams.

Upon the instruments if death

The sunlight brightly gleams.

When every man is torn apart

With nightmares and with dreams,

Will no one lay the laurel wreath

As silence drowns the screams.

Between the iron gates of fate,

The seeds of time were sown,

And watered by the deeds of those

Who know and who are known;

Knowledge is a deadly friend

When no one sets the rules.The fate of all mankind I see

Is in the hands of fools.

Confusion will be my epitaph.

As I crawl a cracked and broken path

If we make it we can all sit back

and laugh.

But I fear tomorrow I'll be crying,

Yes I fear tomorrow I'll be crying.

"Moonchild"

Call her moonchild

Dancing in the shallows of a river

Lovely moonchild

Dreaming in the shadow

of the willow.

Talking to the trees of the

cobweb strange

Sleeping on the steps of a fountain

Waving silver wands to the

night-birds song

Waiting for the sun on the mountain.

She's a moonchild

Gathering the flowers in a garden.

Lovely moonchild

Drifting on the echoes of the hours.


3/13

Sailing on the wind

in a milk white gown

Dropping circle stones on a sun dial

Playing hide and seek

with the ghosts of dawn

Waiting for a smile from a sun child.

"The Court Of The Crimson King"

The rusted chains of prison moons

Are shattered by the sun.

I walk a road, horizons change

The tournament's begun.

The purple piper plays his tune,

The choir softly sing;

Three lullabies in an ancient tongue,

For the court of the crimson king.

The keeper of the city keys

Put shutters on the dreams.

I wait outside the pilgrim's door

With insufficient schemes.

The black queen chants

the funeral march,

The cracked brass bells will ring;

To summon back the fire witch

To the court of the crimson king.

The gardener plants an evergreenWhilst trampling on a flower.

I chase the wind of a prism ship

To taste the sweet and sour.

The pattern juggler lifts his hand;

The orchestra begin.

As slowly turns the grinding wheel

In the court of the crimson king.

On soft gray mornings widows cry

The wise men share a joke;

I run to grasp divining signs

To satisfy the hoax.

The yellow jester does not play

But gentle pulls the strings

And smiles as the puppets dance

In the court of the crimson king.


4/13

"Peace - A Beginning"

I am the ocean

Lit by the flame

I am the mountain

Peace is my name

I am the river

Touched by the wind

I am the story

I never end.

"Pictures Of A City"

Concrete cold face cased in steel

Stark sharp glass-eyed crack and peel

Bright light scream beam brake and squeal

Red white green white neon wheel.

Dream flesh love chase perfumed skin

Greased hand teeth hide tinseled sin

Spice ice dance chance sickly grin

Pasteboard time slot sweat and spin.

Blind stick blind drunk cannot see

Mouth dry tongue tied cannot speak

Concrete dream flesh broken shell

Lost soul lost trace lost in hell.

"Cadence And Cascade"

Cadence and Cascade

Kept a man named Jade;

Cool in the shade

While his audience played.

Purred, whispered, "Spend us too:

We only serve for you".

Sliding mystified

On the wine of the tide

Stared pale-eyed

As his veil fell aside.

Sad paper courtesan

They found him just a man.

Caravan hotel

Where the sequin spell fell

Custom of the game.

Cadence oiled in love


5/13

Licked his velvet gloved hand

Cascade kissed his name.

Sad paper courtesan

They knew him just a man.

"In The Wake Of Poseidon"

Plato's spawn cold ivyed eyes

Snare truth in bone and globe.

Harlequins coin pointless games

Sneer jokes in parrot's robe.

Two women weep, Dame Scarlet Screen

Sheds sudden theatre rain,

Whilst dark in dream the Midnight Queen

Knows every human pain.

In air, fire, earth and waterWorld on the scales.

Air, fire, earth and water

Balance of change

World on the scales

On the scales.

Bishop's kings spin judgement's blade

Scratch "Faith" on nameless graves.

Harvest hags Hoard ash and sand

Rack rope and chain for slaves

Who fireside fear fermented wordsThen rear to spoil the feast;

Whilst in the aisle the mad man smiles

To him it matters least.

Heroes hands drain stones for blood

To whet the scaling knife.

Magi blind with visions light

Net death in dread of life.

Their children kneel in Jesus till

They learn the price of nail;

Whilst all around our mother earth

Waits balanced on the scales.

"Cat Food"

Lady Supermarket with an apple in her basket

Knocks in the manager's door;

Grooning to the muzak from a speaker in shoe rack

Lays out her goods on the floor;


6/13

Everything she's chosen is conveniently frozen.

"Eat it and come back for more!"

Lady Window Shopper with a new one in the hopper

Whips up a chemical brew;

Croaking to a neighbour while she polishes a sabre

Knows how to flavour a stew.

Never need to worry with a tin of 'Hurri Curri':

"Poisoned especially for you!"

No use to complain

If you're caught out in the rain;

Your mother's quite insane.

Cat food cat food cat food again.

Lady Yellow Stamper with a fillet in a hamper

Dying to finish the course;

Goodies for the table with a fable on the labelDrowning in miracle sauce.

Don't think I am that rude if I tell you that it's cat food,

"Not even fit for a horse!"

"Peace - An End"

Peace is a word

Of the sea and the wind.

Peace is a bird who sings

As you smile.

Peace is the loveOf a foe as a friend;

Peace is the love you bring

To a child

Searching for me

You look everywhere,

Except beside you.

Searching for you

You look everywhere,

But not inside you.

Peace is a stream

From the heart of a man;

Peace is a man, whose breadth

Is the dawn.

Peace is a dawn

On a day without end;

Peace is the end, like death

Of the war.


7/13

"Cirkus"

Night: her sable dome scattered with diamonds,

Fused my dust from a light year,

Squeezed me to her breast, sowed me with carbon,

Strung my warp across time

Gave me each a horse, sunrise and graveyard,

Told me only I was her;

Bid me face the east closed me in questions

Built the sky for my dawn...

Cleaned my feet of mud, followed the empty

Zebra ride to the Cirkus,

Past a painted cage, spoke to the paybox

Glove which wrote on my tongue-

Pushed me down a slide to the arena,

Megaphonium fanfare.In his cloak of words strode the ringmaster

Bid me join the parade...

"Worship!" cried the clown, "I am a T.I.

Making bandsmen go clockwork,

See the slinky seal Cirkus policeman;

Bareback ladies have fish."

Strongmen by his feet, plate-spinning statesman,

Acrobatically juggling-

Bids his tamers go quiet the tumblers

Lest the mirror stop turning...

Elephants forgot, force-fed on stale chalk,

Ate the floors of their cages.

Strongmen lost their hair, paybox collapsed and

Lions sharpened their teeth.

Gloves raced round the ring, stallions stampeded

Pandemonium seesaw...

I ran for the door, ringmasters shouted,

"All the fun of the Cirkus!"

"Indoor Games"

Indoor fireworks amuse your kitchen staff

Dusting plastic garlic plants

They snigger in the draught

When you ride through the parlour

Wearing nothing but your armour-

Playing Indoor Games.


8/13

One string puppet shows amuse

Your sycophantic friends

Who cheer your rancid recipes

In fear they might offend,

Whilst you loaf on your sofa

Sporting falsies and a toga-

Playing Indoor Games, Indoor Games.

Your mean teetotum spins arouse your seventh wife

Who pats her sixty little skins

And reinsures your life,

Whilst you sulk in your sauna

'Cos you lost your jigsaw corner-

Playing Indoor Games, Indoor Games.

Each afternoon you train baboons to sing

Or swim in purple perspex water wings.

Come Saturday jump hopper, chelsea brigade,High bender-trender it's all Indoor Games.

No ball bagatelle incites

Your children to conspire,

They slide across your frying pan

And fertilize your fire;

Still you and Jones go madder

Broken bones-broken ladder-

Hey Ho...

"Happy Family"

Happy family, one hand clap, four went by and none come back.

Brother Judas, ash and sack, swallowed aphrodisiac.

Rufus, Silas, Jonah too sang, "We'll blow our own canoes,"

Poked a finger in the zoo, punctured all the ballyhoo

Whipped the world and beat the clock, wound up with their share of stock.

Silver Rolls from golden rock, shaken by a knock, knock, knock.

Happy family, wave that grin, what goes round must surely spin;

Cheesecake, mousetrap, Grip-Pipe-Thynne cried out, "We're not Rin Tin Tin."

Uncle Rufus grew his nose, threw away his circus clothes

Cousin Silas grew a beard, drew another flask of weird

Nasty Jonah grew a wife, Judas drew his pruning knife.

Happy family one hand clap, four went on but none came back

Happy family, pale applause, each to his revolving doors.

Silas searching, Rufus neat, Jonah caustic, Jude so sweet.

Let their sergeant mirror spin if we lose the barbers win;


9/13

Happy family one hand clap, four went on but none came back

"Lady Of The Dancing Water"

Grass in your hair stretched like a lion in the sun

Restlessly turned moistened your mouth with your tongue.

Pouring my wine in your eyes caged mine glowing

Touching your face my fingers strayed knowing.

I called you lady of the dancing water.

Blown autumn leaves shed to the fire where you laid me

Burn slow to ash just as my days now seem to be.

I feel you still always your eyes glowing

Remembered hours salt, earth and flowers flowing

Farewell my lady of the dancing water.

"Lizard"

Farewell the temple master's bells

His kiosk and his black worm seed

Courtship solely of his word

With Eden guaranteed.

For now Prince Rupert's tears of glass

Make saffron sabbath eyelids bleed

Scar the sacred tablet of wax

On which the Lizards feed.

Wake your reason's hollow vote

Wear your blizzard season coatBurn a bridge and burn a boat

Stake a Lizard by the throat.

Go Polonius or kneel

The reapers name their harvest dawn

All your tarnished devil's spoons

Will rust beneath our corn.

Now bears Prince Rupert's garden roam

Across his rain tree shaded lawn

Lizard bones become the clay-

And there a Swan is born

Wake your reasons' hollow vote

Wear your blizzard season coat

Burn a bridge and burn a boat

Stake a Lizard by the throat.

Gone soon Piepowder's moss-weed court

Round which upholstered Lizards sold


10/13

Visions to their leaden flock

Of rainbows' ends and gold.

Now tales Prince Rupert's peacock brings

Of walls and trumpets thousand fold

Prophets chained for burning masks

And reels of dream unrolled...

Night enfolds her cloak of holes

Around the river meadow.

Old moon-light stalks by broken ploughs

Hides spokeless wheels in shadow.

Sentries lean on thorn wood spears

Blow on their hands, stare eastwards.

Burnt with dream and taut with fear

Dawn's misty shawl upon them.

Three hills apart great armies stir

Spit oat and curse as day breaks.Forming lines of horse and steel

By even yards march forward.

"Formentera Lady"

Houses iced in whitewash guard a pale shore-line

Cornered by the cactus and the pine.

Here I wander where sweet sage and strange herbs grow

Down a sun-baked crumpled stony road.

Dusty wheels leaning rusting in the sun;Snuff brown walls where Spanish lizards run.

Here I'm shadowed by a dragon fig tree's fan

Ringed by ants and musing over man.

I'll unwind my old strings while the sun shine down

Won't climb any high thing while the sun shine.

Formentera Lady sing your song for me

Formentera Lady sweet lover.

Lamplights glows on old guitars the travellers strum;

Insence children dance to an Indian drum.

Here Odysseus charmed for dark Circe fell,

Still her perfume lingers still her spell.

Time's grey hand won't catch me while the sun shine down

Untie and unlatch me while the stars shine.

Formentera Lady dance your dance for me

Formentera Lady dark lover.


11/13

"The Letters"

With quill and silver knife

She carved a poison pen

Wrote to her lover's wife:

"Your husband's seed has fed my flesh".

As if a leper's face

That tainted letter graced

The wife with choke-stone throat

Ran to the day with tear-blind eyes.

Impaled on nails of ice

And raked with emerald fire

The wife with soul of snow

With steady hands begins to write:

"I'm still, I need no lifeTo serve on boys and men

What's mine was yours is dead

I take my leave of mortal flesh"

"Ladies Of The Road"

A flower lady's daughter

As sweet as holy water

Said: "I'm the school reporter

Please teach me", well I taught her.

Two fingered levi'd sister

Said, "Peace", I stopped I kissed her.

Said, "I'm a male resister",

I smiled and just unzipped her.

High diving chinese trender

Black hair and black suspender

Said, "Please me no surrender

Just love to feel your Fender".

All of you know that the girls of the road

Are like apples you stole in your youth.


Been around but are versed in the truth.

Stone-headed Frisco spacer

Ate all the meat I gave her

Said would I like to taste hers

And even craved the flavour


12/13

"Like marron-glaced fish bones

Oh lady hit the road!"


Are like apples you stole in your youth.


Been around but are versed in the truth.

"Islands"

Earth, stream and tree encircled by sea

Waves sweep the sand from my island.

My sunsets fade.

Field and glade wait only for rain

Grain after grain love erodes my

High weathered walls which fend off the tide

Cradle the windto my island.

Gaunt granite climbs where gulls wheel and glide

Mournfully glide o'er my island.

My dawn bride's veil, damp and pale,

Dissolves in the sun.

Love's web is spun - cats prowl, mice run

Wreathe snatch-hand briars where owls know my eyes

Violet skies

Touch my island,

Touch me.

Beneath the wind turned wave

Infinite peace

Islands join hands

'Neathe heaven's sea.

Dark harbour quays like fingers of stone

Hungrily reach from my island.

Clutch sailor's words - pearls and gourds

Are strewn on my shore.

Equal in love, bound in circles.

Earth, stream and tree return to the sea

Waves sweep sand from my island,

from me.


13/13

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Peter Sinfield - King Crimson Lyrics