Magician Among The Spirits

You should decide what you want to believe in
How can I describe what I'm receiving
It's like the marquee says, "One Night At The Stage"
You want to live forever but you don't want to age

I just can't help wondering
It's such a waste of time

The life-buoy in the life-boat he was a sailor
You could not describe him, oh the words would just fail you
And Justine's laced up tight in her shoes
You're gonna get it whatever you choose

I just can't help wondering
It's such a waste of time

That's the blues man
That's the big town
That's the rebound
That's the comedown

As high as a mountain as fast as a first (?)
Lying beside a fountain dying of thirst
And the marquee says, "One Night At The Stage"
Wait 'til I let this soul out of it's cage

And I just can't help wondering
It's such a waste of time

That's the blues man
That's the big town
That's the rebound
That's the comedown

(Quiet section)
That's a weird trick (?)
That's a bad hit
That's the rebound
That's the comedown

Hark to Roualt's white insanity,
Clowns in drag concealing vanity,
This is hardly Paradise,
We're still in search of petty scorn.

Images so dead in mourning,
Clap and cheer the man performing,
This is hardly Paradise,
We're still in search of petty scorn.

Couch my disease in chintz-covered kisses,
Glazed calico cloth, my costume this is,
Come to Pablo Fanque's in indigo,
We'll show you pastel shades of rhyme.

Take a letter, Ophelia, write
"Sorry Desdemona" bright,
Peeking through the nimbus covers,
We see the twisted tale of Man.

Catch us in the cornfield hiding,
Me, Maryse and Moonbeams gliding,
Peeking through the nimbus covers,
We see the twisted tale of Man.

Careless, caress, curl up beside me,
Visit, sleep and smile, and drown me,
March together, slay like Nero,
We'll show you something you understand
(Originally this was "Now we have something you understand.")

Oh! the clown, his stare is eyeless,
Shall he make you laugh or cry, yes,
March together, slay like Nero,
We'll show you something you understand.

The other verses are from the Cockney Rebel original version. I've left them in for general interest. Also Steve and Marty performed the whole thing live at least once.

It is time to hide my body,
Shall we start to speak of Holly,
I don't wanna be that superhero,
'Til you have something we understand.

Heard they're moving Pisces into June,
Shall we put together a platoon,
I don't wanna be that superhero,
'Til you have something we understand.

Copyright Steve Harley 1974 Trigram/Rak publishing
Thanks to Craig Wood for supplying the above lyrics which were sent to him, he says, by the "only Steve Harley fan on the web".

She hunts in a pack yet she ends up alone
She tells you its not alright darling, why'd you worship that stone ?

Chorus
Hold me closer ladyboy, there's a rope that's dragging you out of this world
It doesn't care if you're heavy girl
Hold me closer ladyboy, if you look you can see that it's just you and me
There's nothing left of our world

So you think it's a sin, I bet it's a miracle
You think that you're safe, I tell you you're critical

The merciless gods who sometimes pour down their scorn
They cannot die and also cannot be born

(Chorus)

An open door, an extended hand, what can I say - I understand
I understand, I understand, I understand

(Chorus)

(Guitar : Pow ! Zing ! :-)

Anyone, could be anyone (repeat)

The second descends through electric attraction distributing wings, they've never been used (??)
When certain conditions fulfilled by the future, momentarily lucid, permanently fused
In the hills and mountains the hawks and the eagles hang on the breezes and glide on the clouds
They pull down a torrent that shorts out the circuit negating the fires and drowning the crowds

Anyone, could be anyone (repeat)

Without your succession (?) the message transmitted is certainly altered, it's no longer true
Bursting/Birthing (?) in temples (??) as it brings on the jungles breeds the doctors nobody knew (???!)
When north meets the south, when right meets the left, when parallel lines begin to converge
We're transcending factors (transmit/translate ?), fake the arrangements, charge-positive sky, the monster submerged
And when this is over and when it is finished, the mission accomplished, the purpose complete
Back at the beginning Eden prevails, back at the start, back on the street

Anyone, could be anyone (repeat)

Various electronic banshee and wailing noises

Felt the pull of science unravel in their minds
Charted celestial bodies and were punished for their finds
Conquered snow-peaked mountains, drove jungles to retreat
Were drowned in vicious rapids and were heralded for their feats

Fantasized in Babylon, built a home in space
Scaled the walls of China against all human odds
Won battles without hope and saw men turned into gods

Still they hide their faces well unbetrayed by Heaven or Hell
Only traces to be found although their history resounds
Disconnected they displayed all the discoveries they made
And now they wander round the earth beyond the realms of death or birth
If you look you'll see them there like clouds hanging in the air
And they said the earth was flat, sailed off the world into a vat
Turned the planets into toys then played marbles like small boys
Invented love, invented hate, hung them off the arms of fate
Hear them whisper hear them speak, seems they found what we still seek

Universe of distant stars chilling in its failings
With planets spinning deep in space parading all its flavours
We sit and stare into the night and contemplate forever
Slip away into your dreams, conclude that we may never

Out and past the harbour where the sharks dream (stream ?) in the waves
Magician among the spirits is drowning in a cave
As Solomon's my witness, as Gabriel is my guard (god ?)
Garden of the lovely ones in the devil's back yard (?)

Hand of God sprinkle jewels inside the velvet ceiling
Filling up our unsure hearts with wonder, awe and feeling
All the eyes are staring down and glitter like small children
Their secrets kept, lost in thought, looking at what fueled them

Singing 'bout the old times, sepia and faded
Magician among the spirits the past has been invaded
Robert Houdini in the distance, we look up through the water
See the comet's silver trail, see the planets falter

Vast science, eternal night shrouded in dark mazes
Runes and tunes preconceived flowing through their phases
Your air or cover (??) wind is dead, consequences endless
Speed of light and empty time your borders to defenders (?)

(Marty's evil chuckle)

Walking in the wilderness with my pale sister
Magician among the spirits I said how much I miss her
Jackson on the slipstream, he's moving all around
Chasing tiny orphans, following the sounds, following the sounds

Fragile and delirious, cannot understand it
Magician among the spirits, Electra and Miranda
Passed you in a corridor you were drinking Grenadine
Drinking liquid happiness your tears could not be seen, tears could not be seen

Violent sun propels its rays to seek out beings breathing
Ancient craft that waltz the maze of metal shells beneath me
And dust that swirls, of reddened clouds, floats above the surface
Deserted landscape slips away, forgotten secret purpose

Thin film of moisture, condensing on the screen
Magician among the spirits are you with us, Christine ? Do you really remember the boy I used to be ?
With you every single night in February

All this ectoplasm believe in ghosts (?)
Magician among the spirits, Lord of hosts
Here we are tonight we're speaking to the light (?)
Magician among the spirits, make it alright (repeat.)

(Translated from Swedish by Thomas Norin)
"Magician!, magician!, my star!
From where on earth do you look out, into outer space!
I am in a forest heather!
You shall not find me again!
Farewell my daughters, I'll see you soon!"