Clouds

Woke up, it was a chelsea morning, and the first thing that i heard
Was a song outside my window, and the traffic wrote the words
It came a-reeling up like christmas bells, and rapping up like pipes and drums

Oh, won't you stay
We'll put on the day
And we'll wear it 'till the night comes

Woke up, it was a chelsea morning, and the first thing that i saw
Was the sun through yellow curtains, and a rainbow on the wall
Blue, red, green and gold to welcome you, crimson crystal beads to beckon

Oh, won't you stay
We'll put on the day
There's a sun show every second

Now the curtain opens on a portrait of today
And the streets are paved with passersby
And pigeons fly
And papers lie
Waiting to blow away

Woke up, it was a chelsea morning, and the first thing that i knew
There was milk and toast and honey and a bowl of oranges, too
And the sun poured in like butterscotch and stuck to all my senses
Oh, won't you stay
We'll put on the day
And we'll talk in present tenses

When the curtain closes and the rainbow runs away
I will bring you incense owls by night
By candlelight
By jewel-light
If only you will stay
Pretty baby, won't you
Wake up, it's a chelsea morning

When i first saw your gallery
I liked the ones of ladies
Then you began to hang up me
You studied to portray me
In ice and greens
And old blue jeans
And naked in the roses
Then you got into funny scenes
That all your work discloses

"lady, don't love me now i am dead
I am a saint, turn down your bed
I have no heart," that's what you said
You said, "i can be cruel
But let me be gentle with you"

Somewhere in a magazine
I found a page about you
I see that now it's josephine
Who cannot be without you
I keep your house in fit repair
I dust the portraits daily
Your mail comes here from everywhere
The writing looks like ladies'

"lady, please love me now, i am dead
I am a saint, turn down your bed
I have no heart," that's what you said
You said, "i can be cruel
But let me be gentle with you"

I gave you all my pretty years
Then we began to weather
And i was left to winter here
While you went west for pleasure
And now you're flying bock this way
Like some lost homing pigeon
They've monitored your brain, you say
And changed you with religion

"lady, please love me now i was dead
I am no saint, turn down your bed
Lady, have you no heart," that's what you said
Well, i can be cruel
But let me be gentle with you

When i first saw your gallery
I liked the ones of ladies
But now their faces follow me
And all their eyes look shady

Rows and floes of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons ev'rywhere
I've looked at clouds that way

But now they only block the sun
They rain and snow on ev'ryone
So many things i would have done
But clouds got in my way
I've looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
It's cloud illusions i recall
I really don't know clouds at all

Moons and junes and ferris wheels
The dizzy dancing way you feel
As ev'ry fairy tale comes real
I've looked at love that way

But now it's just another show
You leave 'em laughing when you go
And if you care, don't let them know
Don't give yourself away

I've looked at love from both sides now
From give and take, and still somehow
It's love's illusions i recall
I really don't know love at all

Tears and fears and feeling proud
To say "i love you" right out loud
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds
I've looked at life that way

But now old friends are acting strange
They shake their heads, they say i've changed
Well something's lost, but something's gained
In living ev'ry day

I've looked at life from both sides now
From win and lose and still somehow
It's life's illusions i recall
I really don't know life at all
I've looked at life from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
It's life's illusions i recall
I really don't know life at all

Through the windless wells of wonder
By the throbbing light machine
In a tea leaf trance or under
Orders from the king and queen

Songs to aging children come
Aging children, i am one

People hurry by so quickly
Don't they hear the melodies
In the chiming and the clicking
And the laughing harmonies

Songs to aging children come
Aging children, i am one

Some come dark and strange like dying
Crows and ravens whistling
Lines of weeping, strings of crying
So much said in listening

Songs to aging children come
Aging children, i am one

Does the moon play only silver
When it strums the galaxy
Dying roses will they wither
Perfumed rhapsodies to me

Songs to aging children came
This is one

I met you on a midway at a fair last year
And you stood out like a ruby in a black man's ear
You were playing on the horses, you were playing on the guitar strings
You were playing like a devil wearing wings, wearing wings
You looked so grand wearing wings
Do you tape them to your shoulders just to sing
Can you fly
I heard you can! can you fly
Like an eagle doin' your hunting from the sky

I followed with the sideshows to another town
And i found you in a trailer on the camping grounds
You were betting on some lover, you were shaking up the dice
And i thought i saw you cheating once or twice, once or twice

I heard your bid once or twice
Were you wondering was the gamble worth the price
Pack it in
I heard you did! pack it in
Was it hard to fold a hand you knew could win

So lately you've been hiding - it was somewhere in the news
And i'm still at these races with my ticket stubs and my blues
And a voice calls out the numbers, and it sometimes mentions mine
And i feel like i've been working overtime, overtime

I've lost my fire overtime
Always playin' one more hand for one more dime
Slowin' down i'm gettin' tired!
Slowin' down
And i envy you the valley that you've found
'cause i'm midway down the midway
Slowin' down, down, down, down