"Roots To Branches"
music and lyrics by Ian Anderson
Roots To Branches (1995); The Very Best of Jethro Tull (2001); Living With The Past (2002); Roots To Branches Remastered (2006); All The Best (2012)
Words get written, words get twisted, old meanings move in the drift of time
Lift the flickering torches, see gentle shadows change the features of the faces cut in unmoving stone
Bad mouth on a prayer day, hope no one's listening, roots down in the wet clay, branches glistening
True disciples carrying that message to colour just a little with their personal touch
Home-spun fancy weavers and naked half-believers, crusades and creeds descend like fiery flakes of snow
Bad mouth on a prayer day, hope no one's listening, roots down in the wet clay, branches glistening, roots to branches
In wet and windy priest-holes, grand in vast cathedrals, high on lofty minarets or in the temples of doom
I hope the old man's got his face on, he'd better be some quick change artist, suffer little children to make their minds up soon
Bad mouth on a prayer day, hope no one's listening. roots down in the wet clay, branches glistening, roots to branches
"Rare and Precious Chain"
music and lyrics by Ian Anderson
Roots To Branches (1995); Through The Years (1997); Roots To Branches Remastered (2006); 50 For 50 (2018)
Rare and precious chain, do I have to tell you, tell you once again?
Under red lights, on soft nights, it all comes back to you
Rare and precious chain, binds me to your soul round gently pulsing veins.
Shackled tight, feel love's bite coming back to you
No gold of fools, no hostage taking, no engagement rules to leave you forsaken
Tiny beads of sweat, thin diamond glistening, glistening around your neck
Forgotten rooms, dark catacombs, they all come back to you
No crock of glittering prizes, no sharply worded telegram
No excuses for the word-weary, no excuses for who I am
It's a rare and precious chain, round your neck I place it, place it once again
Drawn finger tight, feel love's bite coming back to you
Under red lights, on soft nights, it all comes back to you
Rare and precious chain
"Out Of The Noise"
music and lyrics by Ian Anderson
Roots To Branches (1995); Roots To Branches Remastered (2006)
Glued to the kerbstone, staring, frozen at the stop-sign too
See that crazy suicide mongrel, he's going to try to cross that avenue
Old dog of experience, ripping through the black and yellow cabs, dodging rickshaws and the bicycle boys
He's got his mind on someone else's dinner, over the road, round the corner, out of the noise
Lives down in some cool, cool basement, sharing with a family of bouncy, ratty little guys
Works to a discipline of ritual undertakings, sleep, eat, and gentle exercise
Old dog of experience, ripping through the black and yellow cabs, dodging rickshaws and the bicycle boys
He's got his mind on someone else's dinner, over the road, round the corner, out of the noise
Some towns I know, he could end up in a restaurant, wrong side of a table for two
It's enough to send him running, running for cover, back into traffic, what's a poor dog to do?
Old mutt of experience, ripping through the black and yellow cabs, dodging rickshaws and the bicycle boys
He's got his mind on someone else's dinner, over the road, round the corner, out of the noise
"This Free Will"
music and lyrics by Ian Anderson
Roots To Branches (1995); Roots To Branches Remastered (2006)
She peeled from a stretch black snake, which slipped up to the hotel door
Darting looks from piercing eyes, the stir of memory and then no more
Well, you know how I have to believe she can almost remember my name
It's been a long time coming, babe, long time loose amongst foreign hills, shaking my faith in this free will
Years ago in a coastal town, mosquitoes buzzed in her hair
Schooldress torn and bare feet brown, then the rains came and she wasn't there
You're closing your doors on me, when you had almost remembered my name
It's been a long time coming, babe, long time loose amongst foreign hills, shaking my faith in this free will
Sharp points in an ink black sky, faint words collide, then are lost
I'll follow you beneath this dome, win you back at any cost
I know we were children then, but you can almost remember my name
It's been a long time coming, babe, long time loose amongst foreign hills
Well, let's be children still, don't shake my faith in this free will, don't shake my faith in this free will
"Valley"
music and lyrics by Ian Anderson
Roots To Branches (1995); Roots To Branches Remastered (2006)
Wake hard in the morning, see the young girl milking, stream rushing by on a bed of stone
Old goats and sandstone cracking, all containing, squeezing that river like it squeeze your bones
In the long red, red valley, people live here too long
In the long red, red valley, they only sing the valley song
Some bad people living further down the valley, not easy for us to do good trade
We got snowmelt, snowmelt sweet water, they got that valley road that they made
In the long red, red valley, people dying here too long
In the long red, red valley, they only sing the valley song
Holding hands on the hillside, showing love to your brother, your sister and your mother
But we hate those people down the valley
Has anybody seen Moses? Get him off that mountain, bring back the tablets of stone
It's a wise, wise prophet who keeps his own council, yeah, leave the other man's wife alone
In the long red, red valley, people living here too long
In the long red, red valley, they only live the valley song
Holding hands on the hillside, showing love to your brother, your sister and your mother
But we hate those people down the valley
Wake hard in the morning, see the young girl milking, stream rushing by on a bed of stone
Old goats and sandstone cracking, all containing, squeezing that river like it squeeze your bones
In the long red, red valley, people living here too long
In the long red, red valley, they only live the valley song
In the long red, red valley, people dying here too long
In the long red, red valley, they only know the valley song
"Dangerous Veils"
music and lyrics by Ian Anderson
Roots To Branches (1995); Roots To Branches Remastered (2006)
Desert candle in a tented space throwing softer shadows on a covered face
Sister, silent to the likes of me, pay my respects to her propriety
Is this some crazy woman here dancing behind her thin black veil?
Am I misreading those mysterious eyes? Duet impossible to harmonize
I'm not inviting any stiff reaction, I'm not one for naming holy names
And I won't peek behind those dangerous veils, though you might hate me just the same
Name of the Father ringing in her head, thinking over what the prophet said
Words and tradition bind her in their spell, don't drink the water from this holy well
I'm not inviting any fierce reaction, I'm not one for naming holy names
And I won't peek behind those dangerous veils, though you might hate me just the same
Desert candle in a tented space throwing softer shadows on a covered face
Sister, silent to the likes of me, I tip my hat to her propriety
I'm not inviting any fierce reaction, I'm not one for naming holy names
And I won't peek behind those dangerous veils, though you might hate me just the same
"Beside Myself"
music and lyrics by Ian Anderson
Roots To Branches (1995); Roots To Branches Remastered (2006); Live At Montreux 2003 (2007)
Small child messing down, messing down in the street of Bombay
Cities like this have no shame, no shame, indeed why should they?
Out in the middle distance several tragedies are playing, I'm beside myself
Big sister, can you hear him, can you hear him? I'm beside myself
Big sister can you see him cry, see him cry? I'm beside myself
I saw you taking money in the shadows, in the shadows by the station there
I'll wish you up a silver train to carry you to school, bring you back home again
Strip off that work paint and put a cleaner face on, I'm beside myself
Hollow-faced mother with her babe in arms, babe in arms, looks through me
Behind forgotten charms, forgotten charms to soothe me
Between the guilt and charity, I feel the wimp inside of me, I'm beside my self
Out in the middle distance, still more tragedies are playing, I'm beside myself
I'm so proud of you, swimming up from the deep blue, which one of me do you run to? I'm beside myself
Small child messing down, messing down in the street of Bombay
Cities like this have no shame, no shame, indeed why should they?
Out in the middle distance several tragedies are playing, I'm beside myself
"Wounded, Old and Treacherous"
music and lyrics by Ian Anderson
Roots To Branches (1995); Roots To Branches Remastered (2006)
A walk on the quiet side, late in the day, don't mean to get in anybody's way
The Gods seem willing, sun's in the sky, old crows cawing as the straight crows fly
There was a time when love was the law, there was a time for the tooth and the claw
Last rites given, no holds barred, Heaven Express on my credit card
Now let me draw the jungle line, I won't cross yours if you don't cross mine
Won't make trouble, I don't need no fuss, but I'm wounded, old and I'm treacherous
Allow me to draw the jungle line, you cross it once, you cross some friends of mine
They won't make trouble, they don't need no fuss, but they're wounded, old and they're treacherous
In the crisp of evening, on sacred ground, ghosts of fathers pushing moonbeams round
Big cats prowling inside your head, they left for China, better left for dead
Let me draw the jungle line, I won't cross yours if you don't cross mine
Won't make trouble, I don't need no fuss, but I'm wounded, old and I'm treacherous
A walk on the quiet side, late in the day, don't mean to get in anybody's way
The Gods seem willing, sun's in the sky, old crows cawing as the straight crows fly
There was a time when love was the law, there was a time for the tooth and the claw
Last rites given, no holds barred, Heaven Express on my credit card
Living mountains going to shake that town, big mother calling you from underground
She don't want trouble, she don't need no fuss, but she's wounded, old and treacherous
"At Last, Forever"
music and lyrics by Ian Anderson
Roots To Branches (1995); Roots To Branches Remastered (2006)
So why are you holding my hand tonight? I'm not intending to go far away
I'm just slipping through to the back room, I'll leave you messages almost every day
And who was I to last forever? I didn't promise to stay the pace
Not in this lifetime, babe, but we'll cling together, some kind of heaven written in your face
So why are you holding my hand tonight? Well, am I feeling so cold to the touch?
Do my eyes seem to focus on some distant point? Why do I find it hard to talk too much?
And who was I to last forever? I didn't promise to stay the pace
Not in this lifetime, babe, but we'll cling together, some kind of heaven written in your face
And who was I to last forever? I didn't promise to stay the pace
Not in this lifetime, babe, but we'll cling together, some kind of heaven written in your face
So why are you holding my hand tonight? I'm not intending to go far away
I'm just slipping through to the back room, I'll leave you messages almost every day
And who am I to last forever? I didn't promise to stay the pace
Not in this lifetime, babe, but we'll cling together, some kind of heaven written in your face
"Stuck In The August Rain"
music and lyrics by Ian Anderson
Roots To Branches (1995); Roots To Branches Remastered (2006)
Brings jasmine tea on a painted tray and bends to kiss my frown away
But I'm still stuck in the August rain, stuck out in the cloudburst once again
The cover's on, the coast is clear, we're all battened down, only us here
But I'm still stuck in the August rain, stuck out in the cloudburst once again
She walks between the lines and she can read my signs
Stuck out in the August rain, out in the cloudburst once again
Single-minded in my gloom, I appear to revel in this darkened room
But I'm still stuck in the August rain, stuck out in the cloudburst once again
She walks between the lines and she can read my signs
Stuck out in the August rain, out in the cloudburst once again
She walks between the lines and she can read my signs
"Another Harry's Bar"
music and lyrics by Ian Anderson
Roots To Branches (1995); Roots To Branches Remastered (2006)
Wet wind on the sidewalk, I'm staring at the rain, walking up the street, yeah, and walking down again
And my feet are tired and my brain is numb, see that broken neon sign saying, hey, in you come
Got the scent of stale beer hanging, hanging round my head, old dog in the corner sleeping like he could be dead
A book of matches and a full ashtray, cigarette left smoking its life away
Another Harry's bar or that's the tale they tell, but Harry's long gone now and the customers as well
Me and the dog and the ghost of Harry will make this world turn right, it'll all turn right
God's tears on the sidewalk, it's the mother of all rain, but in the thick blue haze of Harry's you will feel no pain
And you will feel no soft hand slipping on your knee, you don't have to pay for memories, they will all come free
It's another Harry's bar or that's the tale they tell, but Harry's long gone now and the customers as well
Me and the dog and the ghost of Harry will make this world turn right, it'll all turn right
Now when Harry was a young man, Harry was so debonair, he walked a bouncy step in his shiny shoes
And when Harry was a young man, well, Harry could walk on air, he mixed a mean cocktail and he talked you through the late news
You want to hear some great news? Harry's still here
Wet wind on the sidewalk, I'm staring at the rain, walking up the street, yeah, and walking down again
And my feet are tired and my brain is numb, see that broken neon sign saying, hey, in you come
Another Harry's bar or that's the tale they tell, but Harry's long gone now and the customers as well
Me and the dog and the ghost of Harry will make this world turn right, will make this world turn right
Another Harry's bar, and another Harry's bar, and another and another Harry's bar