Lyrics The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday - Phish

The Man Who Stepped Into Yesterday

Wilson, Wilson
Wilson, Wilson
Wilson
Once upon a time there was a mountain
That rose out of a vast green forest
And in the forest there were birds
And lakes and rocks and trees and rivers
The forest was also inhabited
By a small group of people called the lizards
The lizards were a simple people
And they had lived in the forest undisturbed
For thousands of years in utter peace and tranquility
Once a year when spring came
And the first blossoms began to show
The lizards would gather at the base of the mountain
To give thanks for all that they had
They thanked the birds
And they thanked the lakes and they thanked the rocks
And the trees and the rivers
But most importantly, they thanked Icculus
Icculus lived at the top of the mountain
Or at least everyone thought so
For no one had actually ever seen him
But they knew he existed
Because they had the Helping Friendly Book
Icculus had given the Helping Friendly Book
To the Lizards thousands of years earlier as a gift
It contained all of the knowledge
Inherent in the universe
And had enabled the Lizards
To exist in harmony with nature for years
And so they lived
Until one day a traveler arrived in Gamehendge
His name was Wilson
And he quickly became intrigued
By the Lizards way of life
He asked if he could stay on
And live in the forest
And the Lizards, who had never seen an outsider
Were happy to oblige
Wilson lived with the Lizards for a few years
Studying the ways of the Helping Friendly Book
And all was well
Until one morning when they awoke and the book was gone
Wilson explained that he had hidden the book
Knowing that the Lizards had become
Dependent on it for survival
He declared himself king
And enslaved the innocent people of Gamehendge
He cut down the trees and built a city
Which he called Prussia
And in the center of the city
He built a castle
And locked in the highest tower of the castle