Lyrics Palinurus (Castaway) - Peter Hammill

Palinurus (Castaway)

Oh, I’m looking for a white note
To consolidate the key
Like the pilot of a night boat
In a strange, uncharted sea:
Palinurus
As unsure as he can be of his direction…
Hell, this section’s all Greek to me
There’s so much I had to mention
But it seems to slip my mind;
Still, I swear that my intentions
Never left my hopes behind
Like the captain who’s been trapped
In the blind eye of the whirlwind…
So he turns in search of the divine
I’ve got no answers either
I’ve got some stories on lucky days…
All the sea-lanes are crowded with people like us:
Castaways
From soprano through to basso
My voice so strains to tell
But I’m lost in the Sargasso
Of ideas that didn’t gel by a fraction
So the action is dispelled
Me, I’ve got dull reactions
Protraction of doubt as well
So it’s no more abide with me
Over the side with me…
Well, I know that damn well…
Oh, this hump-back of emotion
It all seems to go so fast:
One moment Prince of the Ocean
And the next upon the raft