Love Walk – the Lyrics
© John Gibbens & Armorel Weston 2005
1. Zero
Zero came from the desert with nothing but hunger,
Rolling into the city to be a high number.
He said, I came out of nowhere and I’m running on empty
But if I hadn’t been there you’d’ve had to invent me.So he sleeps in a doorway and gets treated like nothing
But he dreams of the big day and a world where he’s something.
Yes he dreams that he’s Midas or some maharajah
And whatever he touches just gets larger and larger.Go, go, Zero…
Now he’s low as he could go and his rags are in tatters.
Still he knows in his own soul it’s the journey that matters
And he knows in the end he’ll be up on that mountain,
Crowds at his feet and no-one around him.Getting by from day to day is daily getting harder.
We don’t live by bread alone but we can’t live on nada.Now he’s wheeling and dealing with a nod and a handshake.
For this deal that he’s sealing they hand him a blank cheque,
And when it’s all over, in the big white Mercedes
He heads off with the chauffeur and several young ladies.Go, go, Zero…
Now Zero’s the be-all and Zero’s the end-all,
The wheel in a wheel that returns to sender.
He spins like a gold ring, all round the hero,
So you go and do your thing and be bigger than zero.Go, go, Zero…
2. Inward Road
You’re on the outward journey
On an inward road.
The bridge behind you’s burning
As you pick up the load.
The crows fly over the cornfields,
The dogs bark back in town.
It’s the moment of the morning
You find you are alone.Ahead lie grief and danger,
Hostility and shame,
The comfort of a stranger,
The loss of your own name.
Sun burns through the branches
In the chilly wind of dawn.
Dew on the barbed wire flashes.
Blackbird sings on the thorn.The neighbours always had you pegged
For someone who’d move on.
The question every how-do begged
Was where to and how long?
They didn’t build their town on love
But superstitious fear
And push came gradually to shove,
Now it’s time that you weren’t here.Ahead lie thirst and hunger,
Maybe an unmarked grave.
Still you’ll live to be younger
Spending the time they save.
Robin sings in the hedgerow,
Sun streams over the wood.
Robin sings in the hedgerow.
You’re leaving now for good.
3. Your Love Is My Heaven
I lost my way, I lost my trust
And I can’t see through all this dust.
I’m flying home, I’m flying home.I had enough of here below
But I had nowhere else to go.
I’m flying home, I’m flying home.Your love is my heaven…
I lost my heart, I lost my head,
I saw the blood of angels shed.
I’m flying home, I’m flying home.Your turned me on, you knocked me out
Now I’ve got nothing left but doubt.
I’m flying home, I’m flying home.Your love is my heaven…
I’ve got no time for you right now,
I’ve got clearance from the tower.
I’m flying home, I’m flying home.The moon is low, the stars are high,
My feet are winged, my road’s the sky.
I’m flying home, I’m flying home.Your love is my heaven…
4. Walking Before You Fly
Though it’s true what they say about travelling light,
I could do with your burden tonight.
I’m shaking and snaking and shedding my load
And I can’t for the moment think why
A chicken like me crossed the road.
Maybe she thought you should try
Walking before you fly…Come on now, princess, and give me the gist.
This was her careful reply:
There once was an eagle that stood on my wrist
And I was the jewel in his eye.
Fairytales end with a twist,
’Cause time came and I told him I’m
Walking before you fly…Wheels raising mist in a rain rolling west,
Rusty sun ready to rest.
Vapour trails crossed in a window of blue.
I think I know what to do.We’ve blown all the fuses like kings of the blues,
Still got a heartache to lose.
At eleven the door slams and in comes your knight,
Loosens his midnight-blue tie,
Holds up his watch to the light,
Says, Let’s you and me go get high.
Walking before you fly…Milky cloud drifts past a three-quarter moon,
Blackbird’s rehearsing a tune.
From slumbering earth to the sweet by-and-by,
Orion he strolls up the sky.Walking before you fly…
5. Show Me That
Late one warm midsummer night
Above the Vale of the White Horse,
Waiting for someone to write
Their message in the corn,
There were bright unearthly lights
Moving over me.
I felt shining alien eyes:
What do you want to see?Don’t take me to your leader,
Just make these be revealed here:The heart without guile,
The all-round fair trial,
The month old baby’s smile –
Show me that. Show me that
Kindly loving act
Performed with quiet tact
With no thought of the payback –
Show me that, show me that.Me and my friends
Come here from the galaxy’s ends
And we’d like you to show usThe total stranger fed
A share of daily bread
Then led up to a bed –
Show me that. Show me that
Horn of plenty
Playing tunes for la gente,
Not just the top twenty –
Show me that.Show me that
You love your brother,
You protect each other,
There’s no charge for labour
When you help your neighbour.Show me that
Blanket of gold
That keeps from the cold
The weak and the old –
Show me that. Show me that
Food that the children
Have always to fill them
And why they cry so seldom –
Show me that.
Show me that
Your fears have vanished,
You love your planet;
Deep thought that’s given
To everything living.Me and my friends
Come here from the galaxy’s ends
And although you don’t know us,
Across the Milky Way
The milk of human kindness spreads its fame
And we’d like you to show us,
Please.
6. Remains
My confidence is waning,
My bloodhound he keeps fainting,
My mansion still needs painting
And I just found the skull of a saint in
The back of my cupboard.The sun and the moon are shining
On a river’s silver lining
Down past where the vines are entwining
And the dogs are whining and dining
On old Mother Hubbard.The wind sweeps over the plains
And dust fills the ruts in the lanes
And no-one remembers the reigns
Of the kings and all that remains,
All that remains are the chains.But my spirit is inwardly mobile
Although they shot my best profile
And I lost you down by the turnstile,
I could wait till forever and meanwhile
Remains to be discovered.So I pack a sky-blue suitcase
With a photograph of your beautiful face
Then I wait till stormy Tuesday
To strangle my blues with a bootlace
And take off like a bird…
7. Moment Ago
There was a moment for a moment
Just a moment ago
And it was travelling quickly,
It was moving slow,
And which way it went I feel I’ll never know.
There was a moment for a moment
Just a moment ago.There was a willow in the background
And a river up front.
Someone was humming the blues
And the weather was warm.
Your hand in the water was feeling it slow.
There was a moment for a moment
Just a moment ago.There was a fair in the distance
And the music played loud.
It was the Miracles singing ‘Tears of a Clown’.
And I was ready as I’ll ever be.
8. I’ll Be Around
Too many fallen, too many ones that saw
The deadly night come crashing round their door.
I wouldn’t want to let another human down
So I’ll be around.Stumbled onto freedom coming out of nowhere,
Dangled like the hanged man with tangles in my hair.
I couldn’t seem to get two feet back on the ground
So I’ll be around.The blue sky without
Which birds fly about,
The green sea beneath
Little fishes breathe,
The brown ground under
Filled with wonder
The circle of my days.Running on the spot will never get you nowhere.
You’d better take a walk, boy, or sit back in your chair.
How can I lay my bet on a steel horse town?
I’ll be around
And I’ll see you around.Too many fallen, too many ones that knew
But you know I’ll catch you if it’s happening to you.
That old sun’s long set and you’re still around
So I’ll be around.
I will be around.
9. Skye Time
I had blood for breakfast, I’ll need apples for tea.
It was good for you, I’m hoping it will be for me.The sun burst brightly from under the cloud.
No premeditation, I’m thinking aloud.The engine’s in gear, running on diesel,
The painter’s in clover behind the easel.
Trees in the meadow shedding their fruit,
Thieves in the alley dividing the loot.I come to the convent when the evening’s purple and pink.
The chains you forged, I’m smashing them link by link.
Yes I come to the convent when the evening’s purple and rose,
To the big oak door that the nuns never close.Stars in their billions are blinking awake.
The moon is a splinter, the silver tongue of a snake.
You’re under my skin now with a hook that won’t break.
I hear your voice echo from a boat out on the lake.Even at midnight, you can still smell the heather.
It’s sweeter than ever when we are together.
Promises, promises, bloom and they fade.
Promises, promises – there are better things to be made.The iron wheel’s grinding and stripping its cogs.
The hare on the hillside’s outrunning the dogs.
The half-life of some things is millions of years
And some things won’t wash off with twice that many tears.I hope that the gun works; I bought it mail order.
We’ll find out soon enough, when we’re over the border.
We’re good companions, unlikely as it seems.
We keep waking up in each other’s dreams.
10. In the West
Add what belongs to you
Minus wrongs done to you,
You’ll find you haven’t much choice left.
You’re able to stand,
You’ve got one good right hand
And the smoking remains of a voice left.You started out young,
Your foot on the first rung,
Your head in a cloudscape of glory.
You put your time in,
Kept smiling and climbing
On into the uppermost storey.I know you’re ready to rest.
Believe me, though, you’re still the best.
You know I’d believe if you said
Tomorrow the sun will arise in the west…Darkness accumulates
Over the pearly gates,
There is no time for wrong turnings.
One little step more
To that great golden doorway
Beyond which lie all of our yearnings.You see, kid, you’re a liar
Because that sacred fire
Was extinguished before you came on the scene.
There’s just ashes and dust
In this heart that you trust
And I’m not even half who I have been.It’s not like when I was a lad.
Now this world seems weary and sad
And I’ll never get back home unless
Tomorrow the sun should arise in the west…So lend me a hand, son,
Into that bright mansion
And you take my crown if you care to.
It’s not gold, it’s lead,
And once it’s on your head,
Well, you think you wear it, but it wears you.See now, I’m slipping away
With one final brilliant ray
And no-one knows what happens next.
Tomorrow the sun may arise in the west…
11. Holy Hill
I crossed the river Into the country of twelve fields.
The trees were newly green,
Breezes with that homecoming feel.
I was taken up,
Up into the heights.
We went around it three times
Then I was shown the sights.We turned our backs to
The west and the coming night.
Great clouds of darkness
Rolled in from the ocean wide.
The little lights were stranded,
Stranded in the wailing wind,
But my vision brightened
As the daylight dimmed.I saw the mighty
Leaders mad with reason
And the spring was broken
On the twisted wheel of the seasons.
Some swelled up with famine,
Some floated swollen in the floods,
And some men were swollen up,
Proclaiming themselves gods.Saw a single woman,
She was loving but unwed.
Light fell around her
And by it hungry souls were fed.
Two men were speaking
Out against the wrong
And when the people heard them
They weren’t let to speak for long.Fear consumed my eyes
And I would have asked that rock to fall
But he said, Dread not,
Lift up your eyes and stand tall.
And when I looked again
We were safe from all harm.
The breathing night had fallen,
All the countryside was still and warm.
12. Paradise Behind Barbed Wire
The sword is turning
And the caretaker coughs.
Something is burning
That we forgot to switch off.
She comes from a good home,
She’s got the Moët on ice.
She whistles Like a Rolling Stone
While she reruns Miami Vice.
Put another rock on the fire.
There’s paradise behind barbed wire.Salt where you bleed, sir,
And there’ll be honey for tea.
Your dog is a pizza
But you still get the fleas.
Gave all she could give –
I hate to mention the price:
One pound of flesh, I believe;
Now you want your second slice.
Kiss me with the tongue of a liar.
There’s paradise behind barbed wire.Some day all of this will be yours,
Meanwhile you can stay on all fours.
Remind me to rewind and pause
The wide-open jaws
Of paradise behind barbed wire.Freefalling angels
Asleep in a cardboard box
Where the kind hands of strangers
Strip the hands off all the clocks.
Now the one love is tainted,
You try everything twice,
So let’s get acquainted
With the judgment of the dice.
Put me in the heavenly choir:
I’m a workman worthy of hire
In the marketplace for a buyer.
I move mountains and sink in the mire
Of paradise behind barbed wire.
13. She’s My Hero
She’s my hero,
See where she goes,
You and me know
She’s my hero.
She’s my hero.Batman and Robin,
They come to her sobbin’.
Marlowe and Sam Spade,
When they needed aid,
She stepped from the shade.The night she took the boys on,
Their whisky spiked with poison,
She drank them all down off the bar.
She can tame the serpent
And make the beast her servant,
She’s something more than a star.She’s my hero…
Judge Dredd and Tarzan
And who was that masked man?
Yes the Lone Ranger,
They call her in danger.
She’s their good angel.In the furnace of the desert
She’ll shade you with her feathers
And lead you in a pleasanter place.
Under cover of a willow
With her heart for your pillow
And the sky is her beautiful face.She’s my hero…
In the valley of the shadow
When the moon is getting madder,
Someone kicked the ladder away.
She’ll get you to the river
And heal the pain you give her
And break your chains of silver today.Seen her been put down
And look, she’s still standing
In bare feet and nightgown
Upon the top landing
Where she beat the dragon.She’s my hero…
14. To the Bone
You leave the place that’s safe and warm
And go to face the midnight storm.
When you put on the uniform
Of one who walks alone,
You be prepared to wear,
Wear it to the bone,
To the bone…From soft delights that aim to please,
Through darker lights that steal your ease,
Beneath the fruit of knowledge trees,
You walk on ways of stone
And feel the spirit freeze,
Freezing to the bone,
To the bone…The phantoms kiss and disappear.
The devil whispers in your ear,
But someone else is always near.
One day you will be shown,
For there’s a light that shines,
Shining to the bone,
To the bone…Although you go with no-one there
And bear a blow too harsh to bear,
The time will come to share your care
And know as you are known,
For there’s an eye that sees,
Sees us to the bone,
To the bone…
15. Infinity
Just like the rails ’neath this rolling train,
Just like two raindrops down the windowpane,
Although I’m speeding and outward bound
We will be meeting on higher ground.
’Cause I’ll see you when you see me,
When we come to infinity.For there’s a place where all the lines converge.
Once through this black hole we will emerge
In a far dimension to part no more.
It’s no invention – these things are sure.
I’ll see you when you see me,
When we come to infinity.So though we say goodbye and fare-thee-well,
Though I pack my suitcase and hurt like hell,
On the other side our ways will cross
And there we’ll find everything we lost.
’Cause I’ll see you when you see me,
When we come to infinity.In a pink new sky the stars go out.
We’re burning diesel, hear the hooter’s shout.
Acceleration will bring us round
To the final station in holy ghost town.
I’ll see you when you see me,
When we come to infinity…
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