When they turn the pages of history
When these days have passed long ago
Will they read of us with sadness
For the seeds that we let grow?
We turned our gaze
From the castles in the distance
Eyes cast down
On the path of least resistance
Cities full of hatred, fear and lies
Withered hearts and cruel, tormented eyes
Scheming demons dressed in kingly guise
Beating down the multitude and
Scoffing at the wise
The hypocrites are slandering
The sacred halls of Truth
Ancient nobles showering
Their bitterness on youth
Can't we find the minds that made us strong?
Can't we learn to feel what's right
And what's wrong?
What's wrong?
Cities full of hatred, fear and lies
Withered hearts and cruel, tormented eyes
Scheming demons dressed in kingly guise
Beating down the multitude and
Scoffing at the wise
Can't we raise our eyes and make a start?
Can't we find the minds to lead us
Closer to the Heart?
Rush - A Farewell to Kings Album Lyrics
Rush - A Farewell to Kings Lyrics
Writer: NEIL ELWOOD PEART, GARY LEE WEINRIB, ALEX ZIVOJINOVICH
Copyright: Lyrics © OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT LP
Copyright: Lyrics © OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT LP
Xanadu
"To seek the sacred river Alph
To walk the caves of ice
To break my fast on honeydew
And drink the milk of Paradise..."
I had heard the whispered tales of immortality
The deepest mystery
From an ancient book I took a clue
I scaled the frozen mountain tops of eastern lands unknown
Time and Man alone
Searching for the lost Xanadu
Xanadu...
To stand within the Pleasure Dome
Decreed by Kubla Khan
To taste anew the fruits of life
The last immortal man
To find the sacred river Alph
To walk the caves of ice
Oh, I will dine on honeydew
And drink the milk of Paradise
A thousand years have come and gone but time has passed me by
Stars stopped in the sky
Frozen in an everlasting view
Waiting for the world to end, weary of the night
Praying for the light
Prison of the lost
Xanadu
Xanadu...
Held within the Pleasure Dome
Decreed by Kubla Khan
To taste my bitter triumph
As a mad immortal man
Nevermore shall I return
Escape these caves of ice
For I have dined on honeydew
And drunk the milk of Paradise
To walk the caves of ice
To break my fast on honeydew
And drink the milk of Paradise..."
I had heard the whispered tales of immortality
The deepest mystery
From an ancient book I took a clue
I scaled the frozen mountain tops of eastern lands unknown
Time and Man alone
Searching for the lost Xanadu
Xanadu...
To stand within the Pleasure Dome
Decreed by Kubla Khan
To taste anew the fruits of life
The last immortal man
To find the sacred river Alph
To walk the caves of ice
Oh, I will dine on honeydew
And drink the milk of Paradise
A thousand years have come and gone but time has passed me by
Stars stopped in the sky
Frozen in an everlasting view
Waiting for the world to end, weary of the night
Praying for the light
Prison of the lost
Xanadu
Xanadu...
Held within the Pleasure Dome
Decreed by Kubla Khan
To taste my bitter triumph
As a mad immortal man
Nevermore shall I return
Escape these caves of ice
For I have dined on honeydew
And drunk the milk of Paradise
Writer: GEDDY LEE, ALEX LIFESON, NEIL PEART
Copyright: Lyrics © OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT LP
Copyright: Lyrics © OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT LP
Closer To The Heart
And the men who hold high places
Must be the ones who start
To mold a new reality
Closer to the heart
Closer to the heart
The blacksmith and the artist
Reflect it in their art
They forge their creativity
Closer to the heart
Closer to the heart
Philosophers and ploughmen
Each must know his part
To sow a new mentality
Closer to the heart
Closer to the heart
You can be the captain
I will draw the chart
Sailing into destiny
Closer to the heart
Must be the ones who start
To mold a new reality
Closer to the heart
Closer to the heart
The blacksmith and the artist
Reflect it in their art
They forge their creativity
Closer to the heart
Closer to the heart
Philosophers and ploughmen
Each must know his part
To sow a new mentality
Closer to the heart
Closer to the heart
You can be the captain
I will draw the chart
Sailing into destiny
Closer to the heart
Writer: ALEX ZIVOJINOVICH, GARY LEE WEINRIB, NEIL ELWOOD PEART, PETER H TALBOT
Copyright: Lyrics © OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT LP
Copyright: Lyrics © OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT LP
Cinderella Man
A modest man from Mandrake
Travelled rich to the city
He had a need to discover
A use for his newly-found wealth
Because he was human
Because he had goodness
Because he was moral
They called him insane
Delusions of grandeur
Visions of splendor
A manic depressive
He walks in the rain
Eyes wide open
Heart undefended
Innocence untarnished...
Cinderella Man
Doing what you can
They can't understand
What it means
Cinderella Man
Hang on to your plans
Try as they might
They cannot steal your dreams
In the betrayal of his love he awakened
To face a world of cold reality
And a look in the eyes of the hungry
Awakened him to what he could do
He held up his riches
To challenge the hungry
Purposeful motion
For one so insane
They tried to fight him
Just couldn't beat him
This manic depressive
Who walks in the rain
Travelled rich to the city
He had a need to discover
A use for his newly-found wealth
Because he was human
Because he had goodness
Because he was moral
They called him insane
Delusions of grandeur
Visions of splendor
A manic depressive
He walks in the rain
Eyes wide open
Heart undefended
Innocence untarnished...
Cinderella Man
Doing what you can
They can't understand
What it means
Cinderella Man
Hang on to your plans
Try as they might
They cannot steal your dreams
In the betrayal of his love he awakened
To face a world of cold reality
And a look in the eyes of the hungry
Awakened him to what he could do
He held up his riches
To challenge the hungry
Purposeful motion
For one so insane
They tried to fight him
Just couldn't beat him
This manic depressive
Who walks in the rain
Writer: GARY LEE WEINRIB, ALEX ZIVOJINOVICH
Copyright: Lyrics © OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT
Copyright: Lyrics © OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT
Madrigal
When the dragons grow too mighty
To slay with pen or sword
I grow weary of the battle
And the storm I walk toward
When all around is madness
And there's no safe port in view
I long to turn my path homeward
To stop a while with you
When life becomes as barren
And as cold as winter skies
There's a beacon in the darkness
In a distant pair of eyes
In vain to search for honor
In vain to search for truth
But these things can still be given
Your love has shown me proof
To slay with pen or sword
I grow weary of the battle
And the storm I walk toward
When all around is madness
And there's no safe port in view
I long to turn my path homeward
To stop a while with you
When life becomes as barren
And as cold as winter skies
There's a beacon in the darkness
In a distant pair of eyes
In vain to search for honor
In vain to search for truth
But these things can still be given
Your love has shown me proof
Writer: NEIL ELWOOD PEART, GARY LEE WEINRIB, ALEX ZIVOJINOVICH
Copyright: Lyrics © OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT LP
Copyright: Lyrics © OLE MEDIA MANAGEMENT LP
Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage
Prologue
In the constellation of Cygnus
There lurks a mysterious, invisible force
The Black Hole
Of Cygnus X-1
Six Stars of the Northern Cross
In mourning for their sister's loss
In a final flash of glory
Nevermore to grace the night...
1
Invisible
To telescopic eye
Infinity
The star that would not die
All who dare
To cross her course
Are swallowed by
A fearsome force
Through the void
To be destroyed
Or is there something more?
Atomized — at the core
Or through the Astral Door —
To soar...
2
I set a course just east of Lyra
And northwest of Pegasus
Flew into the light of Deneb
Sailed across the Milky Way
On my ship, the 'Rocinante'
Wheeling through the galaxies,
Headed for the heart of Cygnus
Headlong into mystery
The x-ray is her siren song
My ship cannot resist her long
Nearer to my deadly goal
Until the Black Hole —
Gains control...
3
Spinning, whirling,
Still descending
Like a spiral sea,
Unending
Sound and fury
Drowns my heart
Every nerve
Is torn apart....
To be continued...
In the constellation of Cygnus
There lurks a mysterious, invisible force
The Black Hole
Of Cygnus X-1
Six Stars of the Northern Cross
In mourning for their sister's loss
In a final flash of glory
Nevermore to grace the night...
1
Invisible
To telescopic eye
Infinity
The star that would not die
All who dare
To cross her course
Are swallowed by
A fearsome force
Through the void
To be destroyed
Or is there something more?
Atomized — at the core
Or through the Astral Door —
To soar...
2
I set a course just east of Lyra
And northwest of Pegasus
Flew into the light of Deneb
Sailed across the Milky Way
On my ship, the 'Rocinante'
Wheeling through the galaxies,
Headed for the heart of Cygnus
Headlong into mystery
The x-ray is her siren song
My ship cannot resist her long
Nearer to my deadly goal
Until the Black Hole —
Gains control...
3
Spinning, whirling,
Still descending
Like a spiral sea,
Unending
Sound and fury
Drowns my heart
Every nerve
Is torn apart....
To be continued...
Copyright: Lyrics © Original Writer and Publisher
A Farewell to Kings is the fifth studio album by Canadian rock band Rush, released on Anthem Records on August 29, 1977. The album reached No. 11 in Canada and marked a growth in the band's international fanbase, becoming their first Top 40 album in the US and the UK.
After reaching a critical and commercial peak with 2112 and touring the album, Rush decided to record the follow-up outside Toronto for the first time and settled in Rockfield Studios in Wales after their debut European tour. A Farewell to Kings is noted for the band expanding their sound with greater use of synthesizers and each member playing more instruments than before, and having long and short tracks such as the 11-minute "Xanadu" and the under 3-minute "Closer to the Heart", both of which became live favourites. The closing science-fiction themed "Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage" ends on a cliffhanger which concludes on the next album, Hemispheres.
A Farewell to Kings received a generally positive reception from critics. "Closer to the Heart" was released as the album's first single, which reached No. 36 in the UK. Rush supported the album with their most extensive tour at the time, headlining major venues across North America and Europe for over 140 dates. A 40th anniversary remastered edition with bonus tracks and a 5.1 surround sound mix was released in 2017.
Performed By:
RushAfter reaching a critical and commercial peak with 2112 and touring the album, Rush decided to record the follow-up outside Toronto for the first time and settled in Rockfield Studios in Wales after their debut European tour. A Farewell to Kings is noted for the band expanding their sound with greater use of synthesizers and each member playing more instruments than before, and having long and short tracks such as the 11-minute "Xanadu" and the under 3-minute "Closer to the Heart", both of which became live favourites. The closing science-fiction themed "Cygnus X-1 Book I: The Voyage" ends on a cliffhanger which concludes on the next album, Hemispheres.
A Farewell to Kings received a generally positive reception from critics. "Closer to the Heart" was released as the album's first single, which reached No. 36 in the UK. Rush supported the album with their most extensive tour at the time, headlining major venues across North America and Europe for over 140 dates. A 40th anniversary remastered edition with bonus tracks and a 5.1 surround sound mix was released in 2017.
Genre(s): Progressive rock
Producer(s): Rush, Terry Brown
Length: 37:13
Released: August 29th, 1977
Year: 1977