The First Day

David Sylvian The First Day Lyrics
1.God's Monkey

One push
You fall in
Born in darkness
Built on shame
And hurting
Filled with silence
Filled with silence
And stars
Stars
Stars
Find the ladder
Climb the ladder
To god's monkey
No songs
To sing
That i believe in
That i believe in
Can't breathe the air
It's too thin
This far from heaven
This far from heaven
And stars
Stars
Find the ladder
Climb the ladder
To god's monkey.


2.Jean The Birdman

He gambles on the saddle
He's pulling on the mane
He thrashes on the horse's back
Ambition is a bloody game

Horse doesn't want to jump
The river looks too wide
Well he faces every hurdle
With a nervous state of mind

'stay with me, breathe deeply
Take three passes back
Turn and make a full attack'

The gods are laughing
And they're tugging at the reins
But he's taken to his wings
And they hit the bank

Heaven may stone him
But jean the birdman pulls it off

His finger's on the trigger
His eye is on the clock
He doesn't give the game away
And quickly fires the bullets off

Six hearts cut short
Still dreaming they're alive
Blown 'round in dusty circles
Like an absent state of mind

Who hunter? who victim?
God love america
He surely doesn't love him

Hitching out of nowhere
Lines of traffic knee deep
A chance to stave the morning off
And get some sleep

Heaven may stone him
But jean the birdman pulls it off

He wears a crucifix
His mother left to him
It's wrapped in chains around his heart
Rusted and wafer thin

'don't count on luck son'
All the angels sing
'don't need to check a weathervane
We all know what tomorrow brings'

Life is a cattle farm
Coyotes with the mules
Life is a bullring
For taking risks and flouting rules

Who needs a safety net
The world is open wide
Just look out for card sharks
And the danger signs

Heaven may stone him
But jean the birdman pulls it off


3.Firepower

He beats the door and breaks his watch
Raids the fridge and eats the lot
No room for silence, pause of thought
To ease the hurt inside him

They placed a barrel at his head
Raging blind and rising
Cursed by saints and all the rest
He can't stand up for trying

Shot through with anger and desire
A mouth to feed, a room for hire
He drinks 'goodbyes', the bottle dry
Brutalised but smiling

Causing casualties by the hour
Outweighed by stars
And firepower

Causing casualties by the hour
Waylayed by stars
And firepower

He beats the door and breaks the lock
Afraid to sleep he won't let up
No room for silence, pause or thought
To ease the hurt inside him


4.Brightness Falls

Baby, baby
I hate to go
Don't leave me alone with this sorrow
The body's heavy
The getting's slow
Lost in moments
Caught in moments
The night is starless
And stands below
And i need you by my side

Baby, baby
I love you so
Don't leave me alone in this hollow
When brightness falls
Who'll come running?
When brightness falls
Who'll come running in?
Saved by silence
Save by noise
Save by lightning
Saved by joy
Building on emptiness
And all you broken hearted people

Baby, baby
The hurt heals slow
And who can believe in tomorrow?
When brightness falls
Who'll come running?
When brightness falls
Who'll come running in?
The ticket's exploded
Only one way out
Live in lightness
Lost in lightness
There's nothing left to write about
And time's no longer
The greatest injustice of all
On this new day.


5.20th Century Dreaming

(a shaman's song)

Cold morning
Start of another day
Sleeping through the epilogue
Waking to the sound of rain
Driven to the crossroads
Where value's meaningless
What did you do to my faith
In justice, hope and happiness

Social, economical, spiritual
I'm moving to the house of love

Take my fire
Take my food and water
Forget about those promises
Of social good and social order
Lassoed by the cowboys
Tied down and it shows
Well i'm roping in those bad dreams
And selling off my work clothes

Social, economical, spiritual
I'm moving to the house of love

Gonna take a course of action
To restore my sight
'til the heart of motivation
Is filled with a golden light
They're hiding in the treetops
Tugging at my coat
But the power lines are falling down
And burning in the undergrowth

Social, economical, spiritual
I'm moving to the house of love

As the river runs
Tumbles and turns
You know you shouldn't stay
Or play the game again
But it could be different this time
You may win

Dreaming, dreaming
Dreaming, dreaming lying down

Dreaming,dreaming
Dreaming, dreaming lying down

I'm moving to the house of love

Here comes the dreaming


6.Darshan

(the road to graceland)

Darshan

Two birds
One stone
One chance
Is thrown
Don't make
Mistakes

Two thieves
Strung up
One knife
One cut
Two doors
One shut

One light
One way
One road
To take
We stand
And wait

From cool
To warm


7.Bringing Down The Light