The Sleepwalkers
Van Der Graaf Generator

(Hammill)

At night, this mindless army, ranks unbroken by dissent,
is moved into action and their pace does not relent.
In step, with great precision, these dancers of the night
advance against the darkness - how implacable their might!
Eyes undulled by moon, their arms and legs akimbo,
they walk and live, hoping soon to surface from this limbo.
Their minds, anticipating the dawn of the day,
shall never know what's waiting mere insight away
- too far, too soon.

Senses dimmed in semi-sentience, only wheeling through this plane,
only seeing fragmented images prematurely curtailed by the brain,
but breathing, living, knowing in some measure at least
the soul which roots the matter of both Beauty and the Beast.
From what tooth or claw does murder spring,
from what flesh and blood does passion?
Both cut through the air with the pendulum's swing
in deadly but delicate fashion.
And every range of feeling is there in the dream
and every logic's reeling in the force of the scream
the senses sting.
And though I may be dreaming and reality stalls
I only know the meaning of sight and that's all
and that's nothing.

The columns of the night advance,
infectiously, their cryptic dance
gathers converts to the fold -
in time the whole raw world will pace these same steps
on into the same bitter end.

Somnolent muster now the dancing dead
forsake the shelter of their secure beds,
awaken to a slumber whose depths they dread,
as if the ground they tread would give way
beneath the solemn weight of their conception.
I'd search the hidden corners of all this world,
make reason of the sensory whorl
if I only had time,
but soon the dream is ended.

Tonight, before you lay down to the sweetness of your sleep
do you question your surrender to the drop from Lover's Leap
or does the anaesthetic darkness take hold on its very own?
Does your body rise in service with not one dissenting groan?
These waking dreams of life and death
in the mirror are twisted and buckled,
lashes flicker, a catch of breath,
skin whitening at the knuckles.
The army of sleepwalkers shake their limbs and are loose
and though I am a talker, I can phrase no excuse
not to rise again.
In the chorus of the night-time I belong
and I, like you, must dance to that moonlight song
and in the end I too must pay the cost of this life.
If all is lost none is known
and how could we lose what we've never owned?
Oh, I'd search out every knowledge that I could find,
unravel all the mysteries of mind,
if I only had time,
if I only had time,
but soon my time is ended.


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Lyrics by Van Der Graaf Generator

  A Place To Survive   A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers   A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers: (Custard's) Last S...   A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers: Presence Of The Ni...   A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers: S.h.m.   A Plague Of Lighthouse Keepers: The Clot Thickens   A Plague Of Lighthouse-Keepers:(i) Eyewitness   A Plague Of Lighthouse-Keepers:(ii) Pictures \/ Li...   A Plague Of Lighthouse-Keepers:(iii) Eyewitness   A Plague Of Lighthouse-Keepers:(iv) S.H.M.   A Plague Of Lighthouse-Keepers:(ix) Land's End (Si...   A Plague Of Lighthouse-Keepers:(v) Presence Of The...   A Plague Of Lighthouse-Keepers:(vi) Kosmos Tours   A Plague Of Lighthouse-Keepers:(vii) (Custard's) L...   A Plague Of Lighthouse-Keepers:(viii) The Clot Thi...   After The Flood   Afterwards   Angle of Incidents [#][*][Instrumental]   Aquarian   Arrow   Boat Of Millions Of Years   Cat's Eye / Yellow Fever (Running)   Cat's Eye \/ Yellow Fever (Running)   Childlike Faith In Childhood's End   Childlike Faith In Childhood's End   Darkness   Darkness (11/11)   Diminutions [#][*][Instrumental]   Door   Door [*]   Ferret And Featherbird   Giant Squid   House With No Door   Into A Game   Killer   La Rossa   Last Frame   Lemmings   Lemmings (Including COG)   Lemmings (incorporating Cog)   Lizard Play   Lost (i) Dance In Sand And Sea   Lost (ii) Dance In Frost   Man-Erg   Masks   Medley, parts of: (ii) The Sleepwalkers   Medley, parts of:(i) A Plague Of Lighthouse Keeper...   Meurglys III, The Songwriter's Guild   Mirror Images   Mirror Images (live)   My Room (Waiting For Wonderland)   Nadir's Big Chance   Necromancer   Octopus   Orthenthian Street (Part I)   Orthenthian Street (Part II)   Out Of My Book   Pilgrims   Pioneers Over 'c'   Pioneers Over 'c'   Pioneers Over C   Refugees   Running Back   Sci-Finance   Scorched Earth   Ship Of Fools   Ship of Fools [*]   Still Life   Still Life [#][*]   The Aerosol Grey Machine   The Boat Of Millions Of years   The Emperor in His War Room [First Version][#][*]   The Emperor In His War-room   The Emperor In His War-Room (i) The Emperor   The Emperor In His War-Room (ii) The Room   The Emperor On His War-room Ii. The Room   The Habit Of The Broken Heart   The Hurlyburly   The Pioneers Over C   The Siren Song   The Sphinx In The Face   The Sphinx Returns [Instrumental]   The Undercover Man   The Wave   Theme One [Original Mix][#][*][Instrumental]   Urban   Whatever Would Robert Have Said ?   When She Comes   White Hammer   Wondering

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