Waiting For The Song To Come

Lyrics: John Perry Barlow
Music: Vince Welnick

John Perry Barlow described the backgound to this song in his blog:

"At one point, shortly following [Vince Welnick's] suicide attempt [in late 1995] and consequent exile, I went up to Forestville, California to encourage him. He was still in a heart-rendingly desolate state. We wrote a song the lyrics of which went like this ...

"As I recall it, this song had a stark and yet occasionally soaring melody. Vince orchestrated it on his beautiful Bösendorfer piano as though he were Beethovan writing a requiem. And now I can't remember a single note of it. It was all in his lovely head and has died there."

What do you want from me?
Whatever it is, I am fresh out of it
Ain't nothing here to see
Best move along
There ain't no doubt of it
I get up in the morning, I go to bed at night
The hours in between seem to pass without a sight
No sight of mystery, no magic round the bend
No expectations 'cept a few I don't intend at all

Look out on the sea
Big as it is, that's only the top of it
Down at the bottom of the sea
You can sink forever
'Cause there's no stop to it
No end of trouble, no end of pain
No end of people to tell you you're to blame
No end to this world
And nowhere to go
Except the music must have ended a long time ago

Chorus
So I am waiting for
Waiting for
Waiting for something strong
Waiting for something to sing about
Waiting for the song to come

When it does, there will light again
There will be colors in the world and birds across the sun
And everything that's been going down so hard
Will be coming right again

But I'm still waiting
I'm still waiting
I'm still waiting for the song to come

Meanwhile, I got you
Your tender words and all the little good they do
Meanwhile, you got me
Ain't no great prize, but at least it comes for free
It's an act of conviction, baby, simply holding on
Keeping forward motion, pretending to be strong
Listening with all my heart for voices in the wind
That will be singing for us, Baby, when the song begins again

Till then I'm waiting
I'm still waiting
Waiting for something strong
Waiting for something to sing about
Waiting for the song to come

When it does, there will light again
There will be colors in the world and birds across the sun
And everything that's been going down so hard
Will be coming right again

But I'm still waiting
I'm still waiting
I'm still waiting for the song to come

 


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