Favourite Non-Rush Lyrics

[GeddysMullet]

Today I was listening to an album by a not very productive and unevenly brilliant Toronto band from the 90s called The Lowest Of The Low. They wrote songs about drinking, failed relationships and Socialist angst. I was thinking how much I always enjoyed the playful, clever style of their lyrics, and I felt like sharing some of the particularly pleasing passages, so here they are:

 

From "Bleed A Little While Tonight":

 

Well, I don't know much about you

Not more than a smile or two can say

And everything I've learned about you

I've learned through the pit of my stomach anyway

 

From "Rosy and Grey":

 

Well, I've kissed you in France and I've kissed you in Spain

And I've kissed you in places I'd better not name

And I've seen the sun go down on Sacre Coeur

But I like it much better going down on you

Ah you know it's true

 

From "Kinda The Lonely One"

 

Met an old friend yesterday

He's gone to Vancouver

He just left his wife and kids

What a sly manoeuvre

 

From "Gossip Talkin' Blues":

 

She's the reigning queen of "how ya been?"

She's got the gossip talkin' blues

She'll photocopy her friends' lives and pass one on to you

And how do you think that I found out that Henry needs new shoes?

But I'm convinced that she could find something better to do

 

I don't know what I was thinking or what was on my mind

I must've been preoccupied, or wiping my behind

And she never ceases to blow me away with the secrets that she finds

But I'm convinced that she could do something better with her time

I don't give a damn

 

Well, he's the reigning king of "the latest thing"

And he'll document your life

To everybody and their mother and even the neighbour's wife

And when the story gets back to you it's fiction with a knife

And the subjects' names have not been changed to protect the subjects' life

 

Well I don't know what he was thinking or what was on his mind

Obviously not a lot or he'd have taken more time

And now I'll have to kill him in some way that ain't sublime

Yeah, one less gossip in the world, sure that'd suit me fine

 

Damn you, damn you, damn you all to hell

Dead men never tell

 

Well you can't believe what they tell you when you're young

And you can't believe what they tell you when you're old

And you can't believe what they say about you when you're gone

Not much of a conversation left to hold

 

But Sunday morning in the church they'll catch up on the news

There's a murmur in the flock, but there's a reason they're called pews

'Cause something smells kinda' fishy with the local holy plan

And I can only thank the Lord that I don't give a damn

 

 

 

What are some of your non-Rush favourite lyrics? Please post them here. Kindly remember to specify the song and the artist!

Edited February 20, 2014 by GeddysMullet

[By Tor]

I have so many .

 

But this one has always been a fav

 

The Light That Lighted The World - George Harrison

 

Ive heard how some people, have said

That Ive changed

That Im not what I was

How it really is a shame

The thoughts in their heads,

Manifest on their brow

Like bad scars from I'll feelings

They themselves arouse

So hateful of anyone that is happy

Or free

They live all their lives,

Without looking to see

The light that has lighted the world

 

Its funny how people, just wont

Accept change

As if nature itself - theyd prefer

Re-arranged

So hard to move on

When you're down in a hole

Where there's so little chance,

To experience soul

 

Im greatful to anyone,

That is happy or free

For giving me hope

While Im looking to see

 

The light that has lighted the world

[GeddysMullet]

A nearly perfect song musically and lyrically, The Mayor Of Simpleton by XTC

 

Never been near a university,

Never took a paper or a learned degree,

And some of your friends think that's stupid of me,

But it's nothing that I care about.

 

Well I don't know how to tell the weight of the sun,

And of mathematics well I want none,

And I may be the Mayor of Simpleton,

But I know one thing,

And that's I love you.

When their logic grows cold and all thinking gets done,

You'll be warm in the arms of the Mayor of Simpleton.

 

I can't have been there when brains were handed round

(please be upstanding for the Mayor of Simpleton),

Or get past the cover of your books profound,

(please be upstanding for the Mayor of Simpleton),

And some of your friends thinks it's really unsound,

That you're ever seen talking to me.

 

Well I don't know how to write a big hit song,

And all crossword puzzles well I just shun,

And I may be the Mayor of Simpleton,

But I know one thing,

And that's I love you.

 

I'm not proud of the fact that I never learned much,

Just feel I should say,

What you get is all real,

I can't put on an act,

It takes brains to do that anyway. (And anyway...)

 

And I can't unravel riddles, problems and puns,

How the home computer has me on the run,

And I may be the Mayor of Simpleton,

But I know one thing,

And that's I love you (I love you).

 

If depth of feeling is a currency,

(please be upstanding for the Mayor of Simpleton),

Then I'm the man who grew the money tree,

(no Chain of Office and no hope of getting one).

Some of your friends are too brainy to see,

That they're paupers and that's how they'll stay.

 

Well I don't know how many pounds make up a ton,

Of all the Nobel prizes that I've never won,

And I may be the Mayor of Simpleton,

But I know one thing,

And that's I love you.

 

When all logic grows cold and all thinking gets done,

You'll be warm in the arms of the Mayor of Simpleton.

You'll be warm in the arms of the Mayor of Simpleton.

You'll be warm in the arms of the Mayor.

(Please be upstanding for the Mayor of Simpleton.)

[Cyclonus X-1]

Snippets of material by Ian Anderson...

 

"Minstrel In The Gallery"

 

The minstrel in the gallery looked down upon the

smiling faces.

He brewed a song of love and hatred --- oblique

suggestions --- and he waited.

He polarized the pumpkin-eaters --- static-humming

panel-beaters --- freshly day-glow'd factory cheaters

Sunday paper backgammon players --- family-scarred

and women-haters.

Then he called the band down to the stage and he

looked at all the friends he'd made.

 

The minstrel in the gallery looked down on the

rabbit-run.

And threw away his looking-glass - saw his face in

everyone.

 

"One White Duck"

 

There's a haze on the skyline, to wish me on my way.

And there's a note on the telephone --- some roses on a

tray.

I'll catch a ride on your violin --- strung upon your bow.

And I'll float on your melody --- sing your chorus soft

and low.

There's a picture-view postcard to say that I called.

You can see from the fireplace, one white duck

on your wall.

 

"Fire At Midnight"

 

I believe in fires at midnight ---

when the dogs have all been fed.

A golden toddy on the mantle ---

a broken gun beneath the bed.

Silken mist outside the window.

Frogs and newts slip in the dark ---

too much hurry ruins the body.

I'll sit easy ... fan the spark

kindled by the dying embers of another working day.

Go upstairs ... take off your makeup ---

fold your clothes neatly away.

Me, I'll sit and write this love song

as I all too seldom do ---

build a little fire this midnight.

It's good to be back home with you.

 

"Acres Wild"

 

I'll make love to you

in all good places

under black mountains

in open spaces.

By deep brown rivers

that slither darkly

through far marches

where the blue hare races.

 

Come with me to the weary town ---

discos silent under tiles

that slide from roof-tops, scatter softly

on concrete marches of acres wild.

 

Come with me to the Winged Isle ---

northern father's western child.

Where the dance of ages is playing still

through far marches of acres wild.

 

"No Lullaby"

 

Keep your eyes open and prick up your ears ---

rehearse your loudest cry.

There's folk out there who would do you harm

so I'll sing you no lullaby.

 

So come out fighting with your rattle in hand.

Thrust and parry. Light

a match to catch the devil's eye. Bring

a cross of fire to the fight.

And let no sleep bring false relief

from the tension of the fray.

Come wake the dead with the scream of life.

Do battle with ghosts at play.

 

It's as well we tell no lie

to chase the face that cries.

And little birds can't fly

so keep an open eye.

It's as well we tell no lie

so I'll sing you no lullaby.

 

"A Time For Everything"

 

Once it seemed there would always be

a time for everything.

Ages passed I knew at last

my life had never been.

I'd been missing what time could bring.

 

Fifty years and I'm filled with tears and joys

I never cried.

Burn the wagon and chain the mule.

The past is all denied.

There's no time for everything.

No time for everything.

 

"A Gift Of Roses"

 

I count the hours... you count the days.

Together, we count the minutes in this Passion Play.

Walk dusty miles. And I ride that train

on a first class ticket, just to be with you again.

 

Picking up tired feet. Back from a far horizon.

Cleaned up and brushed down. Dressed to look the part.

Fresh from God's garden, I bring a gift of roses...

To stand in sweet spring water and press them to your heart.

[Mr. Not]

A lot of the lyrics I enjoy aren't quite as meaningful without the delivry the music gives it.

 

Coheed and Cambria's "Mother Superior"

http://coheed.wikia.com/wiki/Mother_Superior

 

^ That song included.

[Lorraine]

From a few Moodies' songs:

 

You Can Never Go Home

I don't know what I'm searching for

I never have opened the door

Tomorrow might find me at last

Turning my back on the past

But time will tell

Of stars that fell

A million years ago

 

Memories can never take you back

Home, sweet home

You can never go home anymore

 

 

 

And The Tide Rushes In

I've been searching for my dream

A hundred times today

I build them up, you knock them down

Like they were made of clay

 

 

 

New Horizons

 

Well I've had dreams enough for one

And I've got love enough for three

I have my hopes to comfort me

I got my new horizons out to sea

 

But I'm never gonna lose your precious gift

It will always be that way

'Cause I know I'm going to find

My own peace of mind

Someday...

 

Where is this place that we have found

Nobody knows where we are bound

I long to hear, I need to see

'Cause I've shed tears too many for me

 

But I'm never gonna lose your precious gift

It will always be that way

'Cause I know I'm going to find my peace of mind

Someday...

 

On the wind soaring free

Spread your wings

I'm beginning to see

Out of mind far from view

Beyond the reach of the nightmare come true

[GeddysMullet]

A lot of the lyrics I enjoy aren't quite as meaningful without the delivry the music gives it.

 

Coheed and Cambria's "Mother Superior"

http://coheed.wikia....Mother_Superior

 

^ That song included.

 

Yes, this is true. I've noticed it myself. Stripped of the context of the music, a lot of rock'n'roll lyrics really aren't that interesting by themselves.

[drbirdsong]

I remember being in High School English class when we had to bring in a poem and present it to the class. When the teacher said we could use song lyrics three or four guys chose Rush songs. A big argument got started over Red Barchetta of all things. Without the drama of the music the teacher thought the narrator of the song was just out having fun and racing with his friends. The music often sells the lyrics.

 

And then again you also get something like this sometimes:

Big Macs for the fat, lo-cal wraps for the call centre battery hens,

Japanese snacks for the choice-spoilt citizens, caviar kickbacks for the citadel denizens.

 

Airport shoeshines servicing the suits among the little silver stereos and hand-rolled cheroots,

First class passengers file on last after the scum are packed in with their tax-free loot.

 

Checkout calamity, you're cheated out of loyalty points, ten more years at this joint you'd be home & dry,

Beggars beat round the cash machines but you just slip between them with the usual lie.

 

Terrible tales of kidnapped kids keep you focused on the family and filling up the fridge,

Neighbourhood watchers shop dole dodgers, stick their semis on the market & start racking up the bids.

 

Should you stand and fight, should you die for what you think is right

So your useless contribution will be remembered?

If you're asking me I say no, surrender.

 

Constant growth the cancerous cure, a swarming race of profiteers ensure

Cheap cars for the rich, cheap lives for the poor, cheap weeks in the sun, free drinks at the door.

 

Puerile propaganda plugs up the TV, keep folk following the money so they'll never be free

Keep them swallowing the swill, the celebrities, the paedophiles, the immigrants invading from the

camp over the hill.

 

War talk, the big debate, footsoldiers in the capitol liberating new kinds of hate

Cum-shots of human dots caught in the spotlight's glare; he dies who dares.

 

Fatuous fast-trackers sneering at the shelf-stackers, little Middle-Englanders can't stand the backpackers,

Fortress Freedom, come on in, take your chances-you might win.

 

Should you stand and fight, should you die for what you think is right

So your useless contribution will be remembered?

If you're asking me I say no, surrender.

 

Sunset beaches security patrolled, keep out the undesirables who don't accept the code

Equal opportunity to live in total poverty, execute the ignorant incarcerate the slow

 

Car caressing managers choking up the avenues, brain dead patriots standing in salute

Paperwork raining again and again so that billionaires can claim there's an enemy to shoot

 

Pill pushers, doorsteppers, personal goal shoppers, lifestyle trendsetters, meditating mindbenders,

Hare-brained share sellers pumping out stocks til you're choking on a chain-letter avalanche of dross.

 

God squads trawling through every country tracking down fools who are bullshit hungry

Blinded by divinity followers fall into the man-traps set along the Wailing Wall.

 

Athletes compete in grand charades while tanks flatten streets and a nation laughs,

Visa holders gape at the changing guards while creeps bribe bums to take their photographs.

 

Film fans flock to the latest schlock, blockbusters block out even the vaguest thought

Bankrupt schools grind out fool after fool then feed them to a system where idiots rule.

 

Polling booths, phone votes, bogus questionnaires, you get a say as if anybody cares

Joe Public doesn't want to play so liquidate his life as he looks the other way.

 

Don't get sick, don't get wise or they'll gut you with a *justice* where everything is lies

March down Main Street, complain if you want but it's twenty years straight for the losers at the front.

 

If you're asking me I say no, surrender

Justin Currie - No, Surrender 2008

[RushBoingo]

This one has always been a favorite

 

Hey Mr. DJ I thought You Said We Had A Deal-They Might Be Giants

I could never sleep my way to the top, cause my alarm clock always wakes me back up.

 

and

 

Icky-They Might Be Giants

You've got a nice pair of slacks, which he takes, but, will only return one of them.

(later in the song)

Here this is yours, I'm done with it I brought it back.

Don't know anything about some other slack.

I only borrowed one slack.

[Rutlefan]

Boy, so many. For an entire song I've always really loved "Wish You Were Here", Leonard Cohen's "Suzanne" and "Sisters of Mercy", Alex Chilton's "Take Care", and "Kashmir". For a particular verse the two that jump immediately to mind includes another from Led Zeppelin: "Mine's a tale that can't be told, my freedom I hold dear. How years ago in days of old, when magic filled the air."

 

Going more obscure, I love this from "Night Friends" by The Church:

 

Watching, we've been watching from a second in our century

As the minutes gain momentum like a bird, man

Waiting, we've been waiting

For other worlds to sink up to our own

 

Reaching, we've been reaching through the nonexistent surface

That separates our doubles from the soul, man

Trying, we've been trying

To make contact with nothing, so alone

 

Loving, we've been loving but sometimes hate is better

You can't keep out the killers with love, man

Hating, we've been hating

But only love can heal up the hate

Alright

 

Since most probably haven't heard this song, these lyrics start at 5:12. Steve Kilbey channels some pretty weird, but pretty cool, stuff.

 

Edited March 3, 2014 by Rutlefan

[Rutlefan]

Oh man, I can't overlook this, my favorite song for about two years, from an album that could have made my "life changing" list.

 

I cried myself to sleep last night

And the ghost of Carl

He approached my window

I was hypnotized

I was asked to improvise

On the attitude, the regret

Of a thousand centuries of death

 

Even with the heart of terror and the superstitious wearer

I am riding all alone, I am writing all alone

Even in my best condition, counting all the superstition

I am riding all alone, I am running all alone

 

And we laughed the beatitudes of a thousand lines

For the earth, and the attitudes, they reminded us of death

 

Even with the rest belated, everything is antiquated

Are you writing from the heart, are you writing from the heart?

Even in his heart, the Devil has to know the water level

Are you writing from the heart, are you writing from the heart?

 

And I cried myself to sleep last night

For the Earth, and materials, they may sound just right to me

 

Even with the rest belated, everything is antiquated

Are you writing from the heart, are you writing from the heart?

Even in his heart, the Devil has to know the water level

Are you writing from the heart, are you writing from the heart?

 

The lyrics start at 4:13 (part 3 of a 3-part song). The excellent prog-ish middle section, starting at 2:58, might be worth checking out for fans of '70s keyboards.

 

Edited March 3, 2014 by Rutlefan

[custom55]

Genesis: I Know What I like

 

When the sun beats down and i lie on the bench,

I can always hear them talk.

Me, i'm just a lawnmower - you can tell me by the way i walk.

 

 

YES: Siberian Khatru

 

Bluetail, tailfly,

Luther, in time,

Suntower, asking,

Cover, lover,

June cast, moon fast,

As one changes,

Heart gold, leaver,

Soul mark, mover,

Christian, changer,

Called out, saviour,

Moon gate, climber,

Turn round, glider.

 

 

Aerosmith: Combination

 

Walking on Gucci, wearin' Yves Saint Laurent

Barely stay on, 'cause I'm so God damn gaunt

 

 

Rolling Stones: Little T&A

 

The scars healing

But the dealers squealing

The pool's in but the patio ain't dry

 

 

Van Halen: Unchained

 

Thought you'd never miss me

'Til I got a Fat City address

Non-stop talker, what a rocker!

Blue eyed murder in a size 5 dress

 

 

Led Zeppelin: The Song Remains the Same

 

Sing out Hare Hare, dance the Hoochie Koo.

City lights are oh so bright, as we go sliding... sliding... sliding through.

 

 

Pink Floyd: One of These Days / Careful with that Axe Eugene

 

One of these days I'm going to cut you into little pieces / Careful with that axe Eugene

 

 

The Who: Bargain

 

I sit looking 'round

I look at my face in the mirror

I know I'm worth nothing without you

And like one and one don't make two

One and one make one

And I'm looking for that free ride to me

I'm looking for you

[sitboaf]

Some brimstone baritone anti-cyclone rolling stone preacher from the East

He says, "Dethrone the dictaphone, hit it in its funny bone, that's where they expect it least"

And some new-mown chaperone was standin' in the corner all alone, watchin' the young girls dance

And some fresh-sown moonstone was messin' with his frozen zone to remind him of the feeling of romance

 

Yeah, he was blinded by the light

Cut loose like a deuce, another runner in the night

Blinded by the light

He got down but he never got tight, but he's gonna make it tonight

 

Some silicone sister with her manager's mister told me I got what it takes

She said, "I'll turn you on, sonny, to something strong if you play that song with the funky break"

And Go-Cart Mozart was checkin' out the weather chart to see if it was safe to go outside

And little Early-Pearly came by in her curly-wurly and asked me if I needed a ride

Oh, some hazard from Harvard was skunked on beer, playin' backyard bombardier

Yes, and Scotland Yard was trying hard, they sent some dude with a calling card, he said, "Do what you like, but don't do it here"

Well, I jumped up, turned around, spit in the air, fell on the ground and asked him which was the way back home

He said, "Take a right at the light, keep goin' straight until night, and then, boy, you're on your own"

[sitboaf]

Narp might like this one (Katherine of Oregon) from Al Stewart:

 

I'll wear my clothes with their colors all clashing

They'll be so old that they'll come back in fashion

I'll sit on the beach with my paper wrapped luncheon

I'll enjoy being the ancient curmudgeon

 

The lights of the city they blink off and on again

Names in my memory are there then they're gone again

I'll have a jukebox and play Lonnie Donegan

And I'll spend my evenings with Katherine of Oregon

 

;)

[RushCanuck]

And in the end, the love you take, is equal to the love you make. The Beatles

[Rutlefan]

And I'll counter that with these from U2's "Grace":

 

Grace

She takes the blame

She covers the shame

Removes the stain

It could be her name

...

She travels outside

Of karma, karma

She travels outside

Of karma

...

Because Grace makes beauty

Out of ugly things

Grace finds beauty

In everything

Grace finds goodness

In everything

Edited March 5, 2014 by Rutlefan

[Cyclonus X-1]

And I'll counter that with these from Jethro Tull's "Grace":

 

Hello sun.

Hello bird.

Hello my lady.

Hello breakfast. May I buy you again tomorrow?

[Rutlefan]

Too-shay. From Jeff Buckley's "Grace"...

 

And she weeps on my arm

Walking to the bright lights in sorrow

Oh drink a bit of wine we both might go tomorrow

Oh my love

[Rutlefan]

Continuing with the romantic theme...

 

When you push your hair away and stare at me with sleepy eyes

I get a feeling here, a feeling I don’t recognise

I wanna give you everything

I’ve been in love but this is worse

I just want to cling to you and save you from the universe

 

‘Cos I have fallen in a way I’ve never done before

You’re all I need today I don’t want anything more

As unlikely as it seems, it’s as if you’ve just appeared

Out of one of my dreams - I don’t care if that sounds weird

 

‘Cos you’re beautiful, and yet completely unaware

Oh sure I miss my home but I’d live with you anywhere

 

Edited March 5, 2014 by Rutlefan

[hobo73]

I adore the lyrics to Tusk by Fleetwood Mac.

 

 

It's the same kind of story

That seems to come down from long ago

Two friends having coffee together

When something flies by their window

It might be out on that lawn

Which is wide, at least half of a playing field

Because there's no explaining what your imagination

Can make you see and feel

 

Seems like a dream

(They) got me hypnotized

 

Now it's not a meaningless question

To ask if they've been and gone

I remember a talk about North

Carolina and a strange, strange pond

You see the sides were like glass

In the thick of a forest without a road

And if any man's hand ever made that land

Then I think it would've showed

 

Seems like a dream

(They) got me hypnotized

 

They say there's a place down in Mexico

Where a man can fly over mountains and hills

And he don't need an airplane or some kind of engine

And he never will

Now you know it's a meaningless question

To ask if those stories are right

'Cause what matters most is the feeling

You get when you're hypnotized

 

[By Tor]

Oh man, I can't overlook this, my favorite song for about two years, from an album that could have made my "life changing" list.

 

I cried myself to sleep last night

And the ghost of Carl

He approached my window

I was hypnotized

I was asked to improvise

On the attitude, the regret

Of a thousand centuries of death

 

Even with the heart of terror and the superstitious wearer

I am riding all alone, I am writing all alone

Even in my best condition, counting all the superstition

I am riding all alone, I am running all alone

 

And we laughed the beatitudes of a thousand lines

For the earth, and the attitudes, they reminded us of death

 

Even with the rest belated, everything is antiquated

Are you writing from the heart, are you writing from the heart?

Even in his heart, the Devil has to know the water level

Are you writing from the heart, are you writing from the heart?

 

And I cried myself to sleep last night

For the Earth, and materials, they may sound just right to me

 

Even with the rest belated, everything is antiquated

Are you writing from the heart, are you writing from the heart?

Even in his heart, the Devil has to know the water level

Are you writing from the heart, are you writing from the heart?

 

The lyrics start at 4:13 (part 3 of a 3-part song). The excellent prog-ish middle section, starting at 2:58, might be worth checking out for fans of '70s keyboards.

 

 

 

You are the first person I`ve stumbled upon who has this album

Edited March 7, 2014 by By Tor

[hobo73]

I adore the lyrics to Tusk by Fleetwood Mac.

 

 

I totally just realized I put Tusk, not Hypnotized lol 0_o

[Rutlefan]

Oh man, I can't overlook this, my favorite song for about two years, from an album that could have made my "life changing" list.

 

I cried myself to sleep last night

And the ghost of Carl

He approached my window

I was hypnotized

I was asked to improvise

On the attitude, the regret

Of a thousand centuries of death

 

Even with the heart of terror and the superstitious wearer

I am riding all alone, I am writing all alone

Even in my best condition, counting all the superstition

I am riding all alone, I am running all alone

 

And we laughed the beatitudes of a thousand lines

For the earth, and the attitudes, they reminded us of death

 

Even with the rest belated, everything is antiquated

Are you writing from the heart, are you writing from the heart?

Even in his heart, the Devil has to know the water level

Are you writing from the heart, are you writing from the heart?

 

And I cried myself to sleep last night

For the Earth, and materials, they may sound just right to me

 

Even with the rest belated, everything is antiquated

Are you writing from the heart, are you writing from the heart?

Even in his heart, the Devil has to know the water level

Are you writing from the heart, are you writing from the heart?

 

The lyrics start at 4:13 (part 3 of a 3-part song). The excellent prog-ish middle section, starting at 2:58, might be worth checking out for fans of '70s keyboards.

 

 

 

You are the first person I`ve stumbled upon who has this album

 

That's funny as it received so much critical praise the year it came out. From the Wikipedia page: " Illinois was named the best-reviewed album of 2005 by review aggregator Metacritic, and was included on several reviewers' "best of the decade" lists—including those of Paste, NPR, and Rolling Stone." It was also the Amazon editors album of the year recommendation. Not that I think any of this is important, but it shows someone was paying attention.

 

In 2007 he played a free concert at the Kennedy Center, featured to celebrate the 10th anniversary of their Millenium Stage. The tickets were to be given on a first-come basis (two to a person) starting at like 9 am. A friend and I got there at 5:30 am and were about the 9 millionth people in line. Needless to say that after a 3+ hour wait in the cold (it was a Feb 5 show) we were turned away, along with over half the line. Sucked, but it shows that a few years ago people were pretty into him. Maybe they were all college kids from American university, I don't know.

 

Anyway, glad to see a fellow fan, I assume. I wish he'd start putting out more stuff like it again.

[ReRushed]

He took his seat on the foreign train

He thought it pleasant to travel again

Mindful of the journey's end

He read again the letter from his friend

 

Time passed as it often does

 

The seat was hard, the carriage fetid

He was dressed for summer, but still he sweated

It was better than being home

Feeling the cold, and living alone

 

Time passed slowly

 

Around him people spoke in French

Despite schooldays it made no sense

Occasional stares caught his eye

He was tempted to smile, but

 

Being shy, time passed

 

When he looked through the window

For the thousandth time

He saw a black horse fighting for its life

 

In a barbed wire fence

Fatally tangled

The more it struggled

The more it was strangled

 

Time sped up

 

He turned away

There was nothing he could do

The other window

Had a nicer view

 

Time passed painfully

[Rutlefan]

"The Other Window" by Wire. Good one. I believe that is one of those sunny Bruce Gilbert compositions (I'm being tongue in cheek with that "sunny" part).