WUTHERING HEIGHTS LYRICS

1. Away!

Roll, roll, roll...

Do you hear the waves?
The waves are calling us
To refuge or to ruin

Look to the future
Do you see a light?
Leave all that can be spared behind

Salt in the air
Whirlwinds unfurl
Towards new shores
Or the end of the world

Away!

2. The Mad Sailor

If this is the end, then what was it all worth?
Don't bother to ask, there's no price on this earth
'Cause life's still a mystery
You can't cost-benefit-analyse it
And the hereafter's all in our minds
Though we try to disguise it
Still it shall be exciting to see the end of the show
Abra-macabra, baby, here we go!

"The Meaning of Life", well I don't really care
Though this could be the last time we come up for air
And maybe there's really no reason to stay
Still I'll play you a shanty to brighten your day

Quiet! When they pull the plug on this world all mechanic
A dreamgig to play on the deck of this last Titanic

I will dance on the gunwale, as the ship's going down
I will write no solemn epitaphs
For a world that's gone insane
When there is no tomorrow, even then will I know
That as long as the minstrels are playing
All is not in vain

Maybe the meaning was lost on the way
Maybe we've anchored at the last bay
But I will not lose spirit, though it may not be sound
So crack open the barrels if we're really going down

Riot!
When the lights go out, law and order vanished
They'll beg to be steered free
By the mad sailor that they banished

I will dance on the gunwale, as the ship's going down
I will write no solemn epitaphs
For a world that's gone insane
When there is no tomorrow, even then will I know
That as long as the minstrels are playing
All is not in vain

I will welcome the Gods in their chariots of war
Stand up as they fire the first round
I'll have peace of mind, when the new day will find
Your carts and castles only dust on the ground
And I'd be as dead as the rest and it would not mean a thing
Misanthropoetica! Allow me this last fling

Liar! Did they cry, freak, absurd and manic
But when this ship turns upside down these rats will panic

The weight of the world proved much too tough
Just dragging myself along was more than enough
But remember my words like marks from a whip
This old salt will go down with his ship

I will dance on the gunwale, as the ship's going down
I will write no solemn epitaphs
For a world that's gone insane

I will dance on the gunwale, as the ship's going down
I will write no solemn epitaphs
For a world that's gone insane
When there is no tomorrow, even then will I know
That as long as the minstrels are playing
All is not in vain

3. The Desperate Poet

If Shakespeare himself be raised from his grave
There'd be no words for the emptiness I feel

I released the beast inside me, but it had gone tame
I rang the churchbells high on the hill, but no one came
I try capturing images, but my camera is blind
And the stars that I reach for
Just the movieset of my mind

Is this pain in vain
That I feel
Or is real art
Made in this fashion
With passion
I don't know

I'm a desperate poet, lost for words and I know it
My ink is dry, though I try, still my words will not fly
I'm a desperate poet, and I know that I owe it to you
To deliver the goods, and I would, if I could
But this tune that I'm destroying
Shows there's nothing more annoying
Than a desperate, desperate poet, so it seems

I sign my name in blood, but it's not binding
I turn every stone, but I'm not finding anything
My pen should be on fire, but it's not igniting
Ready for war, I don't know what I'm fighting for

Is this wordsmith
Worth his salt
Or is it all just
Pages from a phrasebook
Who took the words
Out of my mouth

I'm a desperate poet, lost for words and I know it
My ink is dry, though I try, still my words will not fly
I'm a desperate poet, and I know that I owe it to you
To deliver the goods, and I would, if I could
But this tune that I'm destroying
Shows there's nothing more annoying
Than a desperate, desperate poet

I would sing of the loves that we all once knew
And the ones that we ended up with
Of the memories that you've buried so deep in the past
You start to wonder if they're only a myth
I would sing of the strong and all of the wrong
That they've wrought for the weak of the will
Of those who have nothing but a desperate embrace
To hold on to when the night's growing chill
I would sing of the false ones who have taken up rule
And the true ones who were burned at the stake
Of the ones who run free and the ones who enslave
Of an honest day's work and an unmarked grave
Of the Sun and the Earth and of fire and rain
Of longing and of power and of lust and of pain
A symphony of triumph for the day hope returns
Or a soundtrack to insanity when all the world burns!

Flame of creation all but dead
Still it burns however lightly
Would that I could see it burst again
Into a fire shining brightly

I'm a desperate poet, lost for words and I know it
I'm a desperate poet, and I know that I owe it to you
To deliver the goods
I'm a desperate poet, lost for words and I know it
My ink is dry, though I try, still my words will not fly
I'm a desperate poet, and I know that I owe it to you
To deliver the goods, and I would, if I could
But this tune that I'm destroying
Shows there's nothing more annoying
Than a desperate, desperate poet

4. Tears

Grimly I recall a child who greeted life with open arms
But this child had to become a man
His own crops to sow
And 'neath the shade of sanity
Their bitter taste would grow

With false pretence were written
The articles I signed
Once aboard, to nothing came
All that I designed

If this bitter taste of anger could be washed away
Maybe I could trust the promise
Of another day
If only I could...

Cry, cry
Salty tears on dusty ground
Inner screams that make no sound won't echo
Wish that I could cry, cry
Fertile tears on barren soil
No longer trying to recoil
But rather learning to enjoy
Life as it be
Tears of anger make a man of me

I long for a time ere the mysteries were solved
As the blanks on the map were filled
The blanks in our hearts were growing
Now that all roads lead back here
There's no point in going

I want to master more
Than just staying afloat
I long to write a tale that differs
From what others wrote

If this sense of longing could be washed away
Maybe I would meet the challenge
Of another day
If only I could...

Cry, cry
Salty tears on dusty ground
Inner screams that make no sound won't echo
Wish that I could cry, cry
Fertile tears on barren soil
No longer trying to recoil
But rather learning to enjoy
Life as it be
Tears of longing make a man of me

There's no way to cut the Gordian Knot
Of past webs entangled
The cry inside you try to fight
So free breath is strangled
We might only have our berth on board this vessel once, no more
Would that I could cut the ropes and finally leave the shore

Seems to me that we must walk the plank with open eyes
And not for shattered hearts of men
Do the seagulls cry...

Cry, cry
Salty tears on dusty ground
Inner screams that make no sound won't echo
Wish that I could cry, cry
Fertile tears on barren soil
No longer trying to recoil
But rather learning to enjoy
Life as it be
Tears of sorrow make a man of me

5. Weather The Storm

Dark sails on the horizon
The maelstrom will take us down
It's a rainy day for the end of the world
Yet I see a lighthouse far away, it's winking at me
(like an image of an image)
If you see it too, then it must be real

Then at last here we stand
On this last bit of dry land
As the waves are closing in
We have been here before
Though it looks dark for sure
This time the end seems ready to begin

This could be the ultimate day
Yet there's nothing to say
We'll hold on to each other
And take on the world

The living spirit trapped and hurt
By boundaries of written word
Walks forlorn in twilit halls
But I see deep in your eyes
A fire burning bright and high
A mirror of a future that still calls

At ease I go into the night
With you by my side
We are one
And we'll take on the world

Who knows if we'll see each other again
Who knows if this is the end
If we'll see tomorrow my friend
But we are together
Let that be the hope that we cling to
Let that be the rope we hold on to
And when the sun comes over the hills
I suspect we will be here still
'Cause together we'll weather the storm
We'll weather the storm

Rain and snow may fall, the wolves may call
Still we will be strong
Winds may shatter the land, still we will stand
Because we belong

Who knows if we'll see each other again
Who knows if this is the end
If we'll see tomorrow my friend
But we are together
Let that be the hope that we cling to
Let that be the rope we hold on to
And when the sun comes over the hills
I suspect we will be here still
'Cause together we'll weather the storm
We'll weather the storm

And after the rage of the storm is calmed
And all again is free
I will call for you
And you will call for me
And we'll walk hand in hand
On a glimmering path towards the stars
Of a shimmering hue we are
With you, I believe we are forever

Who knows if we'll see each other again
Who knows if this is the end
If we'll see tomorrow my friend
But we are together
Let that be the hope that we cling to
Let that be the rope we hold on to
And when the sun comes over the hills
I suspect we will be here still
'Cause together we'll weather the storm

6. The Field

At the edge of a dream, it seems
I walk at the edge of a field
I touch the soil
Searching for something

To the ground I kneel, I feel
The presence of all who went before
And suddenly
The veil between us is no more

Like a fastforwarding film the surroundings change
The clouds passed swiftly overhead
But the field is constant, at ease
Like a warm, green bed

For aeons did my fathers draw
Their life up from this earth
Now next to this my years of rambling
Seem of little worth

And in a flash I want nothing
But to tend this piece of land
Provide for myself and my kin
By the strength of my hand

Give me well-tilled earth
Under an open sky
Ale and song as the evening goes by
Skin against skin, then an untroubled sleep
All in a simple man's dream
All else you can keep

Here nothing's changed
Save for the lessening of hope
For I've been a rambler, a pirate, a gambler
I don't know
How to make things grow

And it frightens me we keep our fortunes
Locked in towers of glass
And soon we must bury our future
When we lose our past

Give me well-tilled earth
Under an open sky
Ale and song as the evening goes by
Skin against skin, then an untroubled sleep
All in a simple man's dream
All else you can keep

Not lightly balanced are the scales
When fortune's weighed against ambition
Happier it seems is he
Who does not struggle for a mission
No one recalls how the picture should look
All cling to his own little piece of the puzzle
Always on the hunt for new distractions
Gone is the joy of working the muscle

It's like peeling an onion
Trying to remove all that's foul and false
I know there is truth in this ground
Hear the sound
As down the ages it calls

Give me well-tilled earth
Under an open sky
Ale and song as the evening goes by
Skin against skin, then an untroubled sleep
All in a simple man's dream
Give me well-tilled earth
Under an open sky
Ale and song as the evening goes by
Skin against skin, then an untroubled sleep
All in a simple man's dream

And the rest you can keep

7. The Last Tribe

And no one shall mark the grave of the last man...

The chieftain stares into the fire
A shadow of a tear upon his face
He's not really wise or old, no gets old no more
He just happens to be leading
The remnant of the race
And he knows not all will make the night
He knows this time they've lost the fight

Some still speak of the flower-tribe
Who laid their weapons down, and tried
To live in peace, but were overrun
When greed replaced need

Then fast downhill it went from there
Until all the land was bare
Now they cower in the moonless night
And pray they'll see the day

Lesser sons of greater sires
Bearing wood to their own pyres
One of them may look towards the sky
And raise his broken voice to cry...

O, Mother Earth, how could we forget
The gifts you gave, the things you let
Us do to you, to live off you
And dance beneath the stars
O, Mother Earth, how could we have known
The love you gave's not lightly thrown
Away, will you have mercy on your daughters and your sons
Or have your peace once we are gone

The hunters tell of a place they've found
Where paper stands in leather bound
Filled with mystic signs
That none now can unwind

And one who says he's very bold
Claims he's seen a chest of gold
But the others say such things are vain
They give no shelter from the rain

The vulture riding winds up high
Espies these wicked creatures die
From time to time his blood will chill
When he hears their song from hill to hill

O, Mother Earth, how could we forget
The gifts you gave, the things you let
Us do to you, to live off you
And dance beneath the stars
O, Mother Earth, how could we have known
The love you gave's not lightly thrown
Away, will you have mercy on your daughters and your sons
Or have your peace once we are gone

When all again is wrapped in green
And the balance is restrained
None will recall the sad laments
Of dethroned kings of yore

O, Mother Earth, how could we forget
The gifts you gave, the things you let
Us do to you, to live off you
And dance beneath the stars
O, Mother Earth, how could we have known
The love you gave's not lightly thrown
Away, will you have mercy on your daughters and your sons
Or have your peace once we are gone

8. Water Of Life

I am no wise man
But I reckon that the Gods of old
Bound the secret fire of life
Inside this dram of gold

Bringing warmth to the cold
Helps a human heart be bold
Keeps me healthy, keeps me young
Animates to love and song

Malt, smoke and peat
The land beneath my feet
Salty sea and open sky
Hear the seagulls cry

Acqua Vitae
Uisge Beatha
Water of Life

9. Lost At Sea

Another dawn out here
Or so I reckon it must be
A slightly paler shade of grey around
If not inside of me

I stand firm here now
At this ship's prow
But I'm a proud captain no more
I rule this crew with a heavy hand
But they are but ghosts
And I feel only the biting rain
On my face at most

There are great powers here
But I can't wield them
I am no god, can't bend the elements to my will
Though I've prayed to the lords of wind and rain
All around me remains
Still

We are given this board game and a few of the pieces
But most are missing
Then the Lady Fortuna robs you of judgment and breath
As soon as you're kissing

With the scarcest of provisions
Upon the icy waves we're cast
So far from home
No birds shall land on these masts

Drifting, ever drifting
The ever calmer waters terrifying me
Shifting, pray winds be shifting
Carry me away to anywhere but here
Drifting, ever drifting
The ever calmer waters terrifying me
Shifting, pray winds be shifting
Life is a beautiful ship
But I am lost at sea

I left the homely fire to wrestle the sea
But if they reckon me dead, am I still me?
I cannot turn back, yet see no lands ahead
Bound to sleep on the ocean's bed
There is no straight road, no enchanted isles
The world is bent, and so am I
No one can bridge what time and oceans sever
Those realms are lost, should I sail forever

Drifting, ever drifting
The ever calmer waters terrifying me
Shifting, pray winds be shifting
Carry me away to anywhere but here
Drifting, ever drifting
The ever calmer waters terrifying me
Shifting, pray winds be shifting
Life is a beautiful ship
But I am lost at sea

Sometimes I believe
I hear a lonely piper playing
Somewhere, out there in the mist
But the notes melt away
Like snowflakes in my hand
There is no harbour
There is no fiddle band

Sometimes I believe
I see faint lights twinkling
Somewhere, out there in the mist
But they are not lanterns
To help lonely sailors find
Their way, I know, they are but
Flickers in my mind

Maybe I am gone already
I feel I should go, I would go
Draped only with an almost faded glow
A cape sprayed with a few sands of glory
I could leave them, I would leave them
They are nothing, 'tis all folly
My spirit is ready to go into the soothing darkness

Touching the stars
Perchance to dream
With luck to escape into the night
But still this rope that binds me
To the living lands won't be untied
It is worn thin as a single strand of hair
Yet it holds like a wire of steel

Another dawn out here
Or so I reckon it must be
A slightly paler shade of grey around
If not inside of me

Visibility still naught
Surface is calm but mirrors nothing
New clouds keep coming in
Though my sails won't unfurl
If clouds indeed they be
Or smoke from the scorching of the world

Water's dark below me
Dark as my heart and as cold
Do not feel alive
Only feel I'm growing old

Drifting, ever drifting
The ever calmer waters terrifying me
Shifting, pray winds be shifting
Carry me away to anywhere but here
Drifting, ever drifting
The ever calmer waters terrifying me
Shifting, pray winds be shifting
Life is a beautiful, mystical, magical ship
But I am lost at sea

I left a homely fire, but forgot the road back
I laid roses on a grave, but forgot both name and tears
The anchor will reach no bottom
The wind won't fill the sails
All is now dark
All is now dark
All is now dark
I am lost at sea

10. Sympathy

[bonus track]
[Uriah Heep cover]





WUTHERING HEIGHTS LYRICS