I tramp these streets as though I’d lost my way - no place to go. But I know what I want and I know where I’ll find it – In a little dark bar With a drink in my jar Where I can settle down to hide behind it. Well, the night has slumped down Trying to hide this dirty old town And the wolves have come out to play – Hunting pieces of meat, Just something tasty to eat And come the morning time just cast away. I can tell there are lies Behind the smile in your eyes But I stay here just the same – Deluding myself And ruining my health On the off chance that I might catch your name. Somehow, it’s quarter past ten. Can’t believe that I’m here again. So disillusioned by how the time flies. Yeah, I knew it was wrong But I stayed here too long Just to see if I might catch your eye. I can tell there are lies Behind the smile in your eyes But I stay here just the same – Deluding myself And I’m still ruining my health On the off chance that I might catch your name. Give me something, Give me eyes, Even a finger upon my wrist. Give me more than I can stand – The gentle touch of your hand – And walk with me as I go home Where I can be alone. Weary feet, carry me home.

Round we come again, Back to where we began. I thought we were moving on But we’ve been walking in circles. And all our words degenerate Into empty hyperbole And try as we may We skirt the heart of the matter. Must it always be this way? Same old shit, just different day. Or is it time to walk away From this old outworn routine? It’s hard to break the mould Of that old centripetal hold – Always pushing against gravity’s pull. Can we lay some markers down So when we come back around We can pass the common ground And strike out alone? And I will catch your eye Every time you pass me by, But each and every time We’ll grow a little more distant. The only thing we’ve found As we come back around Is that you’re inward bound And I’m moving out. So hard to break the mould Of that old centripetal hold – Always pushing against gravity’s pull. Widen the spiral. Force out the arc. Lengthen your orbit. Move away from the dark. Round we come again, Back to where we began. You’re inward bound And I’m moving on, I'm moving out. Widen the spiral. Force out the arc. Lengthen your orbit. Move away from your heart.

There’s only one way down this lonesome road, boys. There’s only one way down this lonesome road. There’s only one way – hope it’s the right way – There’s only one way down this lonesome road. With the sun on your face, the road is easy. With the wind to your back, the road is easy. But when the burning sun climbs high and that hot wind blows you dry, You just keep on keeping on ‘cause life ain’t easy. When the road gets hard, you just keep walking. When the path gets steep, you just keep walking. ‘Cause if you stop too long, my friend, you’ll find it’s hard to start again, So though you’re four sheets to the wind, you must keep walking. Many a man has walked this way, and many a man has tried To find his way to the light of the Lord, but many a man has died. Many a man has sought salvation, many a man has prayed For the strength to walk the straight road, but many a man has strayed ‘Cause there’s nothing but an empty road ahead, boys, And nothing but a vacant sky around, And only the answers we construct here Are the only answers to be found Between the sky and the ground. There’s only one way down this lonesome road, Only one way down this lonesome road. There’s only one way – let’s hope it’s the right way – There’s only one way down this lonesome road. But we’re all pilgrims on this road, boys, Even if we don’t know where we’re bound, And we’ll keep on down this road together Though there are no answers to be found Between the sky and the ground.

I don’t have much to tell you. Just one thing I need you to know. I’ve taken wrong turns as I’ve walked down this road But now I see which way to go. I’m trying to reach the horizon But it keeps on backing away. I’m walking to meet the sun rising, Though it’s setting before I’m halfway. You knew where you were going While I was still rambling around, Drifting along on the shifting wind, Too frightened of settling down. I let slip your hand and you walked on While I stood idly by, Never wanting to hold you back ’Til you left me behind. The clouds that surrounded me drifted away And the sunshine is drying my tears. All the towns I’ve been through lie behind me now, And I’ve kicked off the dust of my fears. I’ve spoken the words that I needed to say, Thrown my burden down in the road. If you hear me, slow down and I’ll catch up to you Now I’m carrying a lighter load. You’re my destination Wherever you are down the track. I’ve wandered around for too long – now I’ve found A reason for me to come back. I watch as you reach your horizon With somebody new by your side. Oh, I held back too long, But I’ll keep pushing on So that I can believe that I tried. I let slip your hand and you walked on While I stood silently by, Never wanting to hold you back ’Til you left me behind.

Mad hound dog snapping at my heels, Keeps me on my toes. Driving me on from town to town – That’s just the way it goes. Black dog lament, keening in my ears, Never lets me sleep. Ragged hungry howl, raising all my fears, Keeps me on my feet. And so it goes... Dead hound dog, side of the road, Just his time to go. Swarms of flies feeding on his eyes, But it's just the way it goes. And so it goes...

It’s hard to see what’s coming with the sun in your eyes. It falls like rain upon you from a clear blue sky And just as you find your feet and you measure out your stride A fork in the road takes you by surprise. Well, I didn’t know her name and she never questioned mine. Just two strangers, pilgrims with kindred minds. We came from different places, heading different ways, But we fell in step together for the shortest of times. And it’s all in how you look at it, and it changes, Changes with the angle of the light, And all that seems so real by light of day Vanishes in the darkness of night. The day stretched out before us like the path beneath our feet. It seemed for all the world that time was on our side. She’d never seen a sky so wide as to touch the earth. All of her walls held it out of sight. We found berries in the brambles and blossoms in the briars, Discovered secrets hidden in each other’s lies. And all I’d come to take for granted, I learned to question By looking through another’s eyes. Because it’s all in how you look at it, and it changes, Changes with the angle of the light, And all that seems so real by light of day Vanishes in the darkness of night. The sun it cast our shadows far along the path ahead. They came back to meet and pass us by as the day grew old. We held to every moment, hoping against hope Our paths weren’t parted by a fork in the road. She said: ‘I’ve known you such a short time, but it feels like half my life – As though I’ve never know any other way. We could make this day a lifetime if we stop here. We could keep the horizon at bay. ‘Because it’s all in how we look at it, and it changes, Changes with the angle of the light, And all that seemed a dream by light of day Becomes so real in the darkness of night.’ (I see more clearly in the dark the way we’re heading Yet still I lose my way. If I could see her eyes, I might feel different – I might believe myself awake) Dawn through slatted shutters threw lines upon the bed And on the lines she’d written and left by my sleeping head. I don’t need to read them, I’ll head on my way. I know exactly what they’ll say: That ‘It’s all in how you look at it, but it changes, Changes with the angle of the light, And all that seems so real by light of day Becomes impossible in the night. ‘I see more clearly in the dark the way we’re heading And I’m afraid I’ll lose my way. If I could see your eyes, I might feel different, But pilgrims cannot stay.’ Yeah, it’s hard to see what’s coming with the sun in your eyes. It falls like rain upon you from a clear blue sky.

There’s not a soul for miles around Though many have stopped here before – A crumbling church far from any town, Old pilgrim signs scratched above the door. Is this where I can cast my sorrows? Where do I go to shed my fears? The steeple scrapes the vacant blue sky To scatter prayers where no one hears. I was taught that I must follow The path that all before me took – A road that’s paved with guilt and sorrow And mapped out in the age-old book. Were they granted their reward Or did they suffer all in vain? Did they find what they were seeking Beneath a field of stars in Spain? ¡Buen viaje! ¡Buen camino! I sing ‘¡Ultreia!’ To every desperate peregrino, I sing ‘¡Ultreia!’ How we faltered at the altar, Thomas, Simon Peter and me, Trusting only what’s around us And putting faith in what we see. All there is is all around us. Heaven is the pilgrim’s dream. But dreams dissolve in reason’s dawn light And what remains is what we see. Gilt is flaking from the altar. There’s only rotting wood beneath And the mingled smell of blood and roses Where saints and slayers bent their knees. The dusty road beneath my feet Is the dust to which we all return When our pilgrimage is over, When our walking days are done.

Oh well, I can tell that you’re not the wandering type, But to me, it’s plain to see that you feel the time is ripe For you to quit all the crazy shit that keeps holding you down As you waste your whole life in this town. Well, tell me who could blame you for taking off a while? But when you go, just know that it’s all right to smile, ‘Cause out here there’s less to fear and there’s so much more to find, And I’ll be here if you need an ear or to unpack your mind... Because it’s not the weight of the world on your shoulders, Just the knapsack on your back, And if you’d like, I’ll carry it for a while. When you’re ready, you can leave it down, just inside my door. You’re not going to need it anymore. Well hey, you say that you’re not the cheating kind, Though you tend to bend the rules when you feel so inclined. But when the deck was stacked behind your back, you couldn’t take no more, So you took a stand, folded your hand and you headed for the door, Because you knew the score. Even the best of us needs a rest – darling, you know that’s true. But you may find down the line that the road is calling you. Well, I won’t expect you to forget all that you’ve left behind, So the bag by the door, right next to yours? That’ll be mine... Together, we’ll be fine.

Lord, I’m not for turning round, I’m not going back. I’m for heading straight on down this road. All I’ve got’s the sky above and the earth beneath my feet And in my bag, my life’s not a heavy load. Setting out with the rising sun, Like the night, I’m going west. The morning’s cold just like the stars’ last breaths. Don’t know how far I’ll get – Following the writing on the wall. My destination is anywhere I call it. Lord, I’m not for looking back lest I turn to stone. Beneath the sun, the fields are burnt and brown. Vultures spiral overhead and the thirst parches my tongue But I’ll keep moving on to the next town. I’m heading toward the setting sun. Another day is dead and gone. Step by step, I’m closer to the end. Once I hoped that heaven would be my life’s reward, But this world’s all I want, and nothing more. Lord, I’m not for stopping here, I’m for pushing on. Walking past the gates I’ve walked towards. I’ll continue onwards wherever this road leads. I’ll kick my shoes off when I reach the shore And soothe my feet in the ocean’s waves when I can walk no more. I’ll be carried onward by the undertow. I’ll leave my footprints on the sand if you want to follow me. Where aimless waves carry me, I’ll go. I will go where I don’t know...