Dancer in the Fire: A Paul Brady Anthology

The last time I saw you
Was the spring of '75
And way back then I was afraid
To look you in the eye
Yes, even then I found it hard to
To look you in the eye

Come a-running to me with your soul in your hand
Like a child who knew no fear
With such a need to be alive
I was scared to get too near
With such a need to be alive
I was scared to get too near

You burned so bright into the night
A dancer in the fire
I wished I had your nerve back then
But I was scared to walk the wire
Yes, I was scared to walk the wire
I was afraid to walk the wire

And now it's three years later
You're still eager for the game
But your eyes can't hide the times you tried
To live too near to the flame
Your eyes can't hide the tears you cried
When you got too near the flame

But to you it makes no difference
Just how many times you fall
For you've seen the freedom through the flame
And you can't resist the call
You've seen the freedom through the flame
And you want to taste it all

You burn so bright into the night
A dancer in the fire
I wish I had your nerve right now
But I'm still scared to walk the wire
Yes, I'm still scared to walk the wire
I'm still afraid to walk the wire

The last time I saw you
Was the spring of '75
And way back then I was afraid
Of dancing in the fire
And even now I can't reach out
To join you on the wire

We step on a stage
From straight off a page
Of everything that's gone before
We dream of a time
Of crossing a line
And opening another door
Rivers of stardust in our eyes
Leading us out there
How could this just be an illusion?
We play out our part
The chemistry starts
The future is a shooting star
We try to ignore
what's happened before
The storybook of who we are
Till suddenly one and one makes three
And lovers are losers
You and me drowning in confusion
Love hurts
Even when the love is strong
Love hurts even while the love goes on
Turning these pages in my heart
Over and over
Still only leads to one conclusion
Love hurts, love hurts
Can we just end this fight
Make out what's wrong from right
Or see with second sight
The reason why?
repeat chorus Love hurts etc

So many years of reaching out for words unspoken
So many nights of saving love for no-one there
So many hearts that break when promises are broken
How long before you find the answer to your prayer
It's the awakening... It's the awakening...
How high the road that leads us on from Sweet Surrender
How soft the wind that waits to speed us on our way
How young and foolish were we still to be pretending
That we could make our love grow any other way
It's the awakening (Tonight you see her with different eyes)
It's the awakening (Tonight you know where your happiness lies)

(Chorus)
And if you're looking for the answers to your questions
Look inside
And if you're wondering why your heart is always restless
Look inside

Could you and I forget the times when we were strangers
When all the beauty that we shared was swept away
When every avenue we walked would lead to nowhere
Could you and I forget the tears of yesterday
It's the awakening (And you can leave all the sadness behind)
It's the awakening (And now you're ready to find peace of mind)
It's the awakening.

(Chorus)

And if you're looking for the answers to your questions
Look inside
And if you're wondering why your heart is always restless
Look inside
It's the awakening
And you can dry all the tears from your eyes
It's the awakening
And you don't have to invent a disguise
It's the awakening
Tonight you know where your happiness lies
It's the awakening
The sun is up and the future is bright
(gd/naas