Lyrics The Fortress - Richard Thompson

The Fortress

One day, the ceiling falls in on you
Your more than perfect world
Has suddenly come unglued
There you are
One day, your fortress is so much dust
The friends you thought you knew
Have all betrayed your trust
There you are
Head over heels, nothing to cling to
Struck down dumb, no muses to sing to
Four winds blow you, lift you, fling you
Into the sky…
You’re no John Wayne, you’re no gun slinger
You thought you had the whole world
Wrapped around your finger
You always said: «It was the song and not the singer»
After all…
You set your own wake
You thought that that was clever
You staked your bets on living forever
Forever, forever, forever, forever
But after all…
You were bound to fall
You were bound to fall
One day, trouble will seek you out
You can run and you can hide
But your life is up the spout
And there you are
One day, nothing makes sense at all
Your career’s slow suicide
Your brain has hit the wall
There you are
Spinning around on a carousel of voices
Talking in tongues a hundred James Joyces
Screaming in your head as if you need choices
After all…
You’re no John Wayne, you’re no gun slinger
You thought you had the whole world
Wrapped around your finger
You always said: «It was the song and not the singer»
After all…
You set your own wake
You thought that that was clever
You staked your bets on living forever
Forever, forever, forever, forever
But after all…
You were bound to fall
You were bound to fall