chapt. two - guess who? manfred the great
the great king bashed down his goblet on the oaken table as kings do when they want more wine. everyone was silent. ‘minstrel the noise of chattering women grates on my ears. play me some music,’ he bellowed.
a fairy tale handed down
i believed it, didn’t we all
a man, a hero, walks on to the scene
unquestionably good at everything
first he does battle with various creatures
which compared to his goodness are evil monsters
having made dragons extinct forever
he murders a couple of the castle guards
he enters the castle quite unnoticed
and tells the girl he’ll be back for her
‘and so i shall make her mine forever’
but runs into trouble and is taken prisoner
is taken to the big bad, bad, bad, baddy
baddy tells hero how goodness is finished
and has him strapped up to a slow-death device
but he escapes as the rope starts to burn through
the blade crashes down on the block where his head was
with a sword from the wall he finishes the castle guards
a lamp gets knocked over in the panic and a fire starts
a race against time to rescue the princess
to get past the baddy to get out of the castle
out of the window where the horses are waiting
the couple ride off and the whole place goes up in flames

oh, where are you now george?
now that wingers have been laid to rest
and shirts have adverts across their breast
and it’s all about who’s the richest
where are you now george?
with those boots that laced up the side
and that irish shirt that you wore with pride
and that picture of you with mike summerbee and bride
oh, where are you now george?
i dreamed of you dribbling past city’s back four
and leaving joe corrigan fumbling on the floor
and the stretford end singing "more! bestie! more!"
where are you now george?
in a boutique down carnaby street?
or gambling on the horses at an aintree meet?
oh where oh where are those magic feet?
i know where you’ve been
on granada every week
i want you to come back to me
and have you seen george oghani
and charlie george?

m spells man, k spells kind, could somebody tell me is man kind?
manking is saying, gotta say goodbye now, gotto say goodbye to mother earth
i mean, how could i ever say that to her?
she’s my mother, and i love her, there’s no other, mother earth, mother earth
i used to watch, watch with mother, i grew up with her
now i’m grown up, i stand on my own two feet, but that’s no reason to forget her
by acting with mother not against her
first second and third worlds can help each other
by sharing the load, we can bear the burden
by working together we can replant the garden
mother nature can be a right bastard at times, but i reckon she’s a whole lot cleverer than mankind. he might have more experience, especially in apathy. well ask him or ask yourself, ‘war, poverty, death, rape, and violence on our streets?’ and he’ll look at you blankly and say, ‘mindless’. man made catastrophe and it’s happening now, today, so we’re right up shit creek without a paddle, without a boat even. question, what are full of holes yet hold much water? answer, people. people need each other, not money, not packaged shit, we need each other.
how to be nice to each other?
how to talk to each other?
how to live together again?
i reckon, peace means learning to live together again

thirty years of the same old shit
of music, money, hit after hit
smiles, lies, sales, walls
that’s thirty years of rock and roll
they changed it’s name once or twice
get rebellious with a company deal
business thrives where honesty fails
contracts? con tricks!
sing revolution, wait ’til it starts
one eye on the bank account, one on the charts
government-sponsored rebellion–buy it!
a bit more product to keep us quiet!
shhh
product sells, people die
same revolution, wrapped in lies
in these sexist, drugged-up, rock and roles
the biggest prizes to the biggest fools
ask the puppet-masters who pull the strings
‘who makes the money when the puppets sing?’
ask the corporations
‘where does the money go?’
ask the empty-bellied children
‘tell me what are we singing for?’
until we pull down the walls
it’ll stay the same
until we find something new
make it change
i know there most be more
so what are we singing for?
these puppets, underneath the skin, have the same problems as you and me–they want to be loved, don’t know where to begin. just a wall’s width away, but impossible to get close. offstage, with nothing to hide behind, the puppets are running away. and meanwhile, we’re running away from ourselves… and meanwhile, we’re running away from ourselves… and meanwhile, we’re running away from ourselves…
if our music makes you happy or content
it has failed
if our music entertains, but doesn’t inspire
it has failed
the music’s not a threat
action the music inspires can be a threat!
i know there must be more…

"anybody can press a button and blow up a ship. anybody can use an atom bomb.
anybody can pick up a big whip, and whip you. anybody can stick a knife into
you. anybody can pull a trigger. but where’s the man with the character, as can
take a punch on the nose and keep his temper, keep control of himself?"

the seed you sow, another reaps
the wealth you find, another keeps
the clothes you weave, another wears
the arms you forge, another bears

the songs you write, another sings
the heart you lose, another wins
the food you bake, another eats
poison-laced and oh, so sweet

rock and roll
check your pulse
art or death
true or false
can’t stay young
can’t grow old
overpriced
undersold