Don't Tell

The smell of man that now scents your wings
And with that, brings a change in things
Banished forever from the sacred nest
On your snow-white breast
I feel there's still unrest

I said, hey, darlin' one
Your time has come
Hey, darlin' one

Five hundred midnights since have passed
Since i held you fast
You were safe at last
Wax burnt my finger like a clear blue flame
So young and tame
I was to blame

N' i call your name, darlin' one
Your time has come
I said hey, darlin' one
Your time has just begun

I cupped my hands around you
And i swore you would fly
My tears fell through the dirt
As i heaved you to the sky

And i heard, "darlin' one
Your time has come
Your time has come
Hey, darlin', darlin', darlin' one"

Hey, darlin' one, your time has come

"shocking how nothing shocks anymore,"
The message read as it washed ashore
Skies turn black as my eyes look down
Written on the back are these words i've found:

"we'll inherit the earth but we don't want it
It's been ours since birth, what'cha doin' on it?
We'll inherit the earth but we don't want it
Layin' claim at birth, what'cha doin' on it?"

Waterfalls of grain flow through our hands
We're too weak to stand and too weak to stray
Big trees sway and the air is still
Lovers climb at the top of a hill and say

"we'll inherit the earth but we don't want it
It's been ours since birth, what'cha doin' on it?
We'll inherit the earth but we don't want it
Laid our claim at birth, what'cha doin' on it?"

We watch the world from the padded cell
And our eyes scream what our lips must quell
Oh, well...

{i've been told that the light shines darkness}
{...it ain't quite the same}
{the dark gales} {if i was off the wall then it's you i bring}
{remains} {they're all frustration whales}
Last bundle of twigs grew strong and young
We can't hold our tongues at the top of our lungs

We'll inherit the earth but don't tell anybody
It's been ours since birth, and it's ours already
We'll inherit the earth but don't tell anybody
It's been ours since birth, and it's ours already
We'll inherit the earth but don't tell anybody
Don't tell a soul

{mumble}
I got my hands in my pockets and i'm waiting for the day to come
(inherit the earth
Inherit the earth...)

If it's a temporary lull
Why'm i bored right outta my skull?
Man, i'm dressin' sharp an' feelin' dull

Lonely, i guess that's where i'm from
If i was from canada
Then i'd best be called lonesome
[btw, i read in an interview that paul was struck with how some people in
Canada used the word "lonesome" instead of "lonely," hence this lyric.]

And if it's just a game
Then i'll break down just in case
Hurry up, we're runnin' in our last race

Well, i laughed half the way to tokyo
I dreamt i was surfer joe
An' what that means, i don't know

A dream too tired to come true
Left a rebel without a clue
And i'm searching for somethin' to do

And if it's just a game
Then we'll hold hands just the same
So what, we're bleeding but we ain't cut

And i could purge my soul perhaps
For the imminent collapse
Oh yeah, i'll tell you what we could do
You be me for a while
I'll be you

A dream too tired to come true
Left a rebel without a clue
Won't you tell me what i should do?

And if it's just a lull
Why'm i bored right outta my skull?
Oh yeah, keep me from feeling so dull

And if it's just a game
Then we'll break down just in case
Then again, i'll tell you what we could do
You be me for a while
You be me for a while
And i'll be you

The demands made upon you
Are hard to live up to
It's futile to try and deny
And the things you hold dearly
Are scoffed at and yearly
Judged once and then left aside

'cause they're blind
They hold you too close to the light
And i see what they only might if they'd learn
But they're letting you burn 'cause they're blind

To the brown-eyed beholder
See the chip on your shoulder
That fools everyone to believe
That you're so hard to talk to
And so easy to [read] through
Yet nobody looks past your sleeve, yeah

'cause they're blind
They hold you too close to the light
And i see what they only might if they learn
But they're letting you burn 'cause they're blind

They only like what they can see
An' what they can't, they just can't agree
If you run to me, run, run
Only like the day with her
Only like a date with her
Then you'll run back
Then you'll run back blind

'cause they're blind
They hold you too close to the light
And i see what they only might if they'd learn
But they're letting you burn 'cause they're blind

An old man said to me
Go home and take it easy
And run to me, run, run
Only like a date with her
Only one more day with her
Then i'll run back
Then we'll run back blind
They hold you too close to the light
And i see what they only might if they learn
But they're letting us burn
'cause they're blind

Well you know
And you go
When i'm alone i have no cause
To think about the shit we used to know
Made of snow

Well you came
And you stayed
No one here to raise a toast
Be my guest and i will be a host
To a rock 'n' roll ghost

Well, you said,
"he's better off dead"
You think that i might have heard a word
But i was much too young
And much too cool for words
Look at me now

No one here to raise a toast
Take me by the hand, man, raise a toast
A rock 'n' roll ghost
To a rock 'n' roll ghost

We don't know until we're gone
There's no one here to raise a toast
I look into the mirror and i see
A rock 'n' roll ghost
A rock 'n' roll ghost