Kansas Album

Carry on my wayward son
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more

Ahhhh

Once I rose above the noise and confusion
Just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion
I was soaring ever higher
But I flew too high

Though my eyes could see, I still was a blind man
Though my mind could think, I still was a mad man
I hear the voices when I'm dreaming
I can hear them say

Carry on, my wayward son
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more

Masquerading as a man with a reason
My charade is the event of the season
And if I claim to be a wise man, well
It surely means that I don't know

On a stormy sea of moving emotion
Tossed about, I'm like a ship on the ocean
I set a course for winds of fortune
But I hear the voices say

Carry on, my wayward son
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry no more
Oh!

Carry on, you will always remember
Carry on, none can equal the splendor
Now your life's no longer empty
Surely heaven waits for you

Carry on, my wayward son
There'll be peace when you are done
Lay your weary head to rest
Don't you cry (Don't you cry no more)

No more

I heard the men saying something
The captains tell they pay you well
And they say they need sailing men to
Show the way, and leave today
Was it you that said, "How long, how long?"

They say the sea turns so dark that
You know it's time, you see the sign
They say the point demons guard is
An ocean grave, for all the brave,
Was it you that said, "How long, how long,
How long to the point of know return?"

Your father, he said he needs you
Your mother, she says she loves you
Your brothers, they echo your words:
"How far to the point of know return, to the point of know return"
"Oh Oh, how long, how long?"

Today I found a message floating
In the sea from you to me
It wrote that when you could see it
You cried with fear, the Point was near
Was it you that said, "How long, how long, how long
To the Point of Know Return?"

How Long? How Long to the point of no return?"
No Return

How Long?
(Repeat and Fade)

There's a hole in the wall
With a light shining in
And it's letting me know to get up
It's time to begin

Oh there is nothing to lose
'Cause it's already lost
In a runaway world
Of confusion
I'm gonna take it

That's why I fight fire with fire
Oh I'm burning inside and my heart is a-cryin'
Fire with fire
I don't want to lose this flamin' desire

Standing alone
In a crowded room
I can feel a chill in the air
I'm shakin'

I'm miles away
I want to cry out loud
I want to fight till the end
I won't let 'em take me alive

And you know I'll fight fire with fire
Oh I'm burning inside and my heart is a-cryin'
Fire with fire
'Cause I'm never gonna lose this flamin' desire

I close my eyes
Only for a moment and the moment's gone
All my dreams
Pass before my eyes, a curiosity
Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind

Same old song
Just a drop of water in an endless sea
All we do
Crumbles to the ground, though we refuse to see
Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind
Oh

Now, don't hang on
Nothing lasts forever but the Earth and sky
It slips away
And all your money won't another minute buy
Dust in the wind
All we are is dust in the wind (All we are is dust in the wind)
Dust in the wind (Everything is dust in the wind)
Everything is dust in the wind
The wind

Virgin land of forest green, dark and stormy plains, here all life abounds
Sunlit valley, mountain fields, unseen in the rain, here all life abounds
No man rules this land, no human hand has soiled this paradise
Waiting patiently, so much to see, so rich in Earth's delights

Painted desert, sequined sky, stars that fill the night, here all life abounds
Rivers flowing to the sea, sunshine pure and bright, here all life abounds
No man rules this land, no human hand has soiled this paradise
Waiting patiently, so much to see, so rich in Earth's delights

So the maiden lies in waiting, for the sails to reach the shore
Land of beauty and abundance, innocent, you opened wide your door
Wanderers found the waiting treasure, full of gifts beyond their measure
Milk and honey for our pleasure.....

Across the sea there came a multitude, sailing ships upon the wave
Filled with visions of Utopia, and the freedom that they crave
Ravage, plunder, see no wonder, rape and kill and tear asunder
Chop the forest, plow it under.....

Highways scar the mountainsides, buildings to the sky, people all around
Houses stand in endless rows, sea to shining sea, people all around
So we rule this land, and here we stand upon our paradise,
Dreaming of a place, our weary race is ready to arise

It's in your head, they're telling you it's in your head,
It's a figment of your imagination.
It isn't there, they're telling you it isn't there,
You're a victim of your infatuation.
What do I think that it is I see? I keep asking myself.
Nothing like this has ever happened to me ...

There's a perfect lover running through my head.
There's a perfect lover; I can see her in my head.
Perfect lover. Lover.

They keep telling you -- they keep telling you, it's just a fascination.
Why don't they listen -- no one listens to what I am sayin'!
And everyone tells you she just isn't there, that it just couldn't be.
If only they knew how real she is to me ...

There's a perfect lover running through my head.
There's a perfect lover; I can see her in my head.
There's a perfect lover running through my head.


There's a perfect lover; I can see her in my head.

Sometimes I hear the cry, (I hear it crying out)
Your voice from deep inside. (inside, inside, inside ...)
They're stealing you from me ...
Ever be ...

I'm not looking through the eyes of a desperate stranger.
What I envision is so real, I don't want to change her.
And sometimes I feel like she's standing right there,
Like I could reach out and touch her.
Only I know how real she is to me ...

There's a perfect lover running through my head.
There's a perfect lover; I can see you in my head.
There's a perfect lover running through my head.
Perfect lover. Lover.

Look in the mirror and tell me
Just what you see
What have the years of your life
Taught you to be
Innocence dyin' in so many ways
Things that you dream of are lost
Lost in the haze
Hold on, baby, hold on
'Cause it's closer than you think
And you're standing on the brink
Hold on, baby, hold on
'Cause there's something on the way
Your tomorrow's not the same as today
Don't you recall what you felt
When you weren't alone
Someone who stood by your side
A face you have known
Where do you run when it's too much to bear
Who do you turn to in need
When nobody's there
Outside your door He is waiting
Waiting for you
Sooner or later you know
He's got to get through
No hesitation and no holding back
Let it all go and you'll know
You're on the right track
Hold on, baby, hold on
'Cause it's closer than you think
And you're standing on the brink
Hold on, baby, hold on
'Cause there's something on the way
Your tomorrow's not the same as today

Centuries of backward ways
Have many left behind us
Who can count the good men gone away
The fruits of all our labours
Have left us as we started
We've come to far to end it in a day
It seems that everything we do is wrong
A one-way trip to nowhere all along
Just look around and tell me what you see
Another stupid page of history
No one together
No one is touching ground
Look at each other
Chaos is all around
Same situation
Nothing is really new
No one together
No one is me and you
Lo! the horn of plenty
Is bursting at the seams
The harvest of the world will be our prize
We claim to know the secrets
The answers have been found
But how can one fool make another wise
There's nothing better than it used to be
To live and die is still a mystery
We take away and we give nothing back
We just consume it all and still we lack
No one together
No one is touching ground
Look at each other
Chaos is all around
Same situation
Nothing is really new
No one together
No one is me and you
Each day passes by us
So quickly now
You can feel is drawing much closer now
The signs are in the faces
Of the people in the streets
The signs are in the sounds I hear
Their voices filled with pain and fear
You can feel it drawing near you now
The multitudes are searching
And wondering in vain
For what they seek cannot be found in men
The truth that lies before us now is plain for all to see
To grow without is not to grow within
For in the promise is a victory
To see the way that everything should be
To feel the joy that we were meant to know
We should've realized so long ago
We're all together
Harmony will abound
Look at each other
All that was lost is found
New situation
If our directions to
We're all together
Everyone is me and you

You think that something's happening
And it's bigger than your life
But it's only what you're hearing
Will you still remember
When the morning light has come
Will the songs be playing over and over
Till you do it all over again

Play, play the game tonight
Can you tell me if it's wrong or right
It is worth the time, is it worth the price
Do you see yourself in a white spotlight
Then play the game tonight

And when the curtains open
To the roaring of the crowd
You will feel it all around you
Then it finally happens
And it's all come true for you
And the songs are playing over and over
Till you do it over again

I'm woven in a fantasy, I can't believe the things I see
The path that I have chosen now has led me to a wall
And with each passing day I feel a little more like something dear was lost
It rises now before me, a dark and silent barrier between,
All I am, and all that I would ever want to be
It's just a travesty, towering, marking off the boundaries my spirit would erase

To pass beyond is what I seek, I fear that I may be too weak
And those are few who've seen it through to glimpse the other side,
The promised land is waiting like a maiden that is soon to be a bride
The moment is a masterpiece, the weight of indecision's in the air
It's standing there, the symbol and the sum of all that's me
It's just a travesty, towering, blocking out the light and blinding me
I want to see

Gold and diamonds cast a spell, it's not for me I know it well
The riches that I seek are waiting on the other side
There's more that I can measure in the treasure of the love that I can find
And though it's always been with me, I must tear down the Wall and let it be
All I am, and all that I was ever meant to be, in harmony
Shining true and smiling back at all who wait to cross
There is no loss

I've so much to say, and yet I cannot speak
Come and do my bidding now for I have grown too weak
My weary eyes have seen all that life can give
Come to me, O young one, for you I can forgive

I stood where no man goes, and conquered demon foes
With glory and passion no longer in fashion
The hero breaks his blade

Cast this shadow long that I may hide my face
And in this cloak of darkness the world I will embrace
In all that I endure, of one thing I am sure
Knowledge and reason change like the season
A jester's promenade

Lying at my feet I see the offering you bring
The mark of Cain is on our faces, borne of suffering
O, I long to hear you say it's not been wrong
I stand before you now, a riddle in my song
The answer is that sweet refrain
Unheard it always will remain
Beyond our reach, beyond our gain

Trapped in life's parade, a king without a crown
In this joy of madness, my smile might seem a frown
With talons wrought of steel, I tore the heart of doom
And in one gleaming moment I saw beyond the tomb
I stood where no man goes, above the din I rose
Life is amusing though we are losing
Drowned in tears of awe.

I've got books that say the good man's golden
And more that say the bad will fall,
So many men have drowned in evil, and left Lucifer standing tall
Don't take the devil's dare, don't gamble when the game ain't fair,
Lock and bolt the doors, can't let the devil use you anymore

You got to listen all you mugs and reivers, if you do any wrong
You make it right
You can't be a make-believer, 'cause soon you're gonna pay the price,
Lying, hate and pain, all part of the devil game,
Got his foot inside the door, but you can't let him use you anymore

Take, he will take, he will take, give him nothing he'll take, he will take
He will take, he will give nothing but he'll take

Pray, for devils have no reason, Satan waits to curse your ways,
Have you seen it in his eyes in the sunset,
Have you wondered if he's laughing when you play,
Has he asked if you're alone if what he sees is all you own,
Has he offered you happiness, money, or much better lays
Satan leave me, leave me lonely, leave us alone

I've got books that say the good man's golden
And more that say the bad will fall,
Take a look at what the future's holdin',
Won't be yours if you don't heed this call,
Life is a game, and the stakes will remain the same.
Now you've gotta choose, is the devil gonna win or lose again

Once carried through the current
And being swept away
The king is in the closet
He's hiding from today
And though he owns all fortunes
This room is where he'll stay
And his world is filled with darkness, turning grey

Gazing out the window
Of the 42nd second floor
He is separate from all others
No one knocks upon his door
And it might as well be raining 'cause the sunlight hurts his eyes
And his ears will never hear the children's cries

Once proud and full of passion
He fought the cause of man
Many people loved his courage
Many followed his command
He changed the old into the new
And the course of things to come
And then one day they noticed he was gone

At first it didn't matter
Nobody seemed to care
They all became too busy
To find him anywhere
So no one knew not even him
The problems he would find
On the day he journeyed deep into his mind

I close my eyes I go far away
Away from this battlefield
In my dreams well here I will enjoy it
Where innocence plays with all the laughing children
The kind who are crying right now
A taste of freedom from the pain
Of everything here I see
Life is sweet but I took it all for granted
And now I don't know if I could even tell you
Just what we permit, we allow

Allow me to forget the life I've made my own
I've held this nation in my hand
And yet it's not my home
Allow me just one answer just one reason why
Why this refugee of the family of man must die
Tell me why

Daydreams filled his nighttimes
And night dreams filled his days
Confusion and uncertainty
A puzzled mind of haze
You thought he was so powerful
And set upon his ways
Well he left us all to travel through this maze

I heard the king was dying
I heard the king was dead
And with him died the chronicles
That no one ever read
The closet's fully empty now
It's occupied by none
I'll draw the drapes now destiny is done