Somewhere Down That Way

He’s wobbling on the edge of time
Standing on the thin red line
Dividing us, north-south, east-west, black-white
The clock on the mantle is ticking still
The people gather at the foot of the hill
As he reads from two stone tablets carved with lye

He’s lying, eyes closed, on the ground
The wind makes such an infinite sound
On the snake-grass, tiptoe quietly through the fields
The clock on the mantle is smoking now
The people mill about and wonder how
As he turns the tablets into steel

Somewhere down that way
There’s a rock fallen from the stars
The world just cracks and falls apart
Kaleidoscope trapped in its heart
So let the raging fires start
The people place their bets
On buckets filled with hands and heads
The day is coming to an end
He lets the rope down through the bend
Somewhere down that way

He’s playing with a marching band
It keeps him away from the video stand
That paralyzes him, tongue-tied, don’t know what to say
The clock on the mantle has fallen off
The people of it have long forgot
He picks up the pieces and places it up again

Somewhere down that way
There’s a ghost in the machine
Its face is flashing on the screen
It speaks of ordinary dreams
But no one here knows what it means
The people sing a song
Of empty parties and before long
The daylight’s becoming far too strong
He pulls the rope down through the throng
Somewhere down that way

They’ll bring down the crown of thorns
Bring down the man on the cross
Bring down the monarchy
It doesn’t know what we’ve lost

Somewhere down that way
There’s a smile hanging in the air
It fades and is no longer there
The little girl hides in her hair
The people gave her quite a scare
They dance around a fire
Shouting hoarsely, all desire
The day is breaking and so the choir
Dies away
Somewhere down that way