IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING (1969)  

21ST CENTURY SCHIZOID MAN  
(Sinfield)

Cat's foot iron claw
Neuro-surgeons scream for more
At paranoia's poison door
21st century schizoid man
Blood rack barbed wire
Politician's funeral pyre
Innocents raped with napalm fire
21st century schizoid man
Death seed blind man greed
Poets' starving children bleed
Nothing he's got he really needs
21st century schizoid man

I TALK TO THE WIND
(Sinfield)

Said the straight man to the late man
Where have you been
I've been here and I've been there and
I've been between 
I talk to the wind 
My words are carried away 
I talk to the wind
The wind does not hear 
The wind cannot hear
I'm on the outside looking inside
What do I see 
Much confusion disillusion 
All around me
You don't possess me
Don't impress me
Just upset my mind 
Can't instruct me or conduct me 
Just use up my time
I talk to the wind
My words are carried away 
I talk to the wind
The wind does not hear
The wind cannot hear

EPITAPH
(Sinfield)

The wall on which the prophets wrote 
Is cracking at the seams
Upon the instruments of death 
The sunlight brightly gleams
When everyman is turn apart
With nightmares and with dreams
Will no-one lay the laurel wreath
When silence drowns the screams
Between the iron gates of fate
The seeds of time were sown
And watered by the deeds of those
Who know and who are known
Knowledge is a deadly friend
When no-one sets the rules
The fate of all mankind I see
Is in the hands of fools
Confusion will be my epitaph
As I crowl a cracked and broken path 
If we make it we can all sit back and laugh
But I fear tomorrow I'll be crying
Yes I fear tomorrow I'll be crying

MOONCHILD 
(Sinfield)

Call her moonchild
Dancing in the shallows of a river 
Lonely moonchild
Dreaming in the shadow of the willow 
Talking to the trees of the cobweb strange
Sleeping on the steps of a fountain
Waving silver wands to the night-birds song
Waiting for the sun on the mountain
She's a moonchild 
Gathering the flowers in a garden
Lovely moonchild
Drifting on the echoes of the hours
Sailing on the wind in a milk white gown 
Dropping circle stones on a sun dial 
Playing hide and sick with the ghosts of dawn
Waiting for a smile from a sun child 

IN THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING 
(Sinfield)

The rusted chains of prison moons
Are shattered by the sun
I walk a road horizons change
The tournament's begun
The purple piper plays his tune
The choir softly sing
Three lullabies in an ancient tongue
For the court of the crimson king
The keeper of the city keys
Puts shutters on the dreams
I wait outside the pilgrim's door 
With insufficient schemes 
The black queen chants the funeral march 
The cracked brass bells will ring 
To summon back the fire witch 
To the court of the crimson king
The gardener plants an evergreen 
Whilst trampling on a flower 
I chase the wind of a prism ship 
To taste the sweet and sour 
The pattern juggler lifts his hand 
The orchestra begin 
As slowly turns the grinding wheel
In the court of the crimson king 
On soft grey mornings widows cry 
The wise men share a joke 
I run to grasp divining sings 
To satisfy the hoax 
The yellow jester does not play 
But jently pulls the strings 
And smiles as the puppets dance 
In the court of the crimson king 


 IN THE WAKE OF POSEIDON (1970)   


PEACE - A BEGINNING
(Sinfield)

I am the ocean
Lit by the flame 
I am the mountain
Peace is my name 
I am the river 
Touched by the wind 
I am the story 
I never end. 

PICTURES OF A CITY
(Sinfield)

Concrete cold face cased in steel 
Stark sharp glass-eyed crack and peel
Bright light scream beam brake and squeal
Red white green white neon wheel.
Dream flesh love chase perfumed skin
Greased hand teeth hide tinseled sin
Spice ice dance chance sickly grin
Pasteboard time slot sweat and spin. 
Blind stick blind drunk cannot see
Mouth dry tongue tied cannot speak
Concrete dream flesh broken shell 
Lost soul lost trace lost in hell.

CADENCE AND CASCADE
(Sinfield)

Cadence and Cascade 
Kept a man named Jade; 
Cool in the shade 
While his audience played.
Purred, whispered, "Spend us too:
We only serve for you". 
Sliding mystified 
On the wine of the tide 
Stared pale-eyed 
As his veil fell aside. 
Sad paper courtesan 
They found him just a man. 
Caravan hotel 
Where the sequin spell fell 
Custom of the game. 
Cadence oiled in love 
Licked his velvet gloved hand
Cascade kissed his name.
Sad paper courtesan 
They knew him just a man. 

IN THE WAKE OF POSEIDON
(Sinfield)

Plato's spawn cold ivyed eyes 
Snare truth in bone and globe. 
Harlequins coin pointless games 
Sneer jokes in parrot's robe. 
Two women weep, Dame Scarlet Screen
Sheds sudden theatre rain, 
Whilst dark in dream the Midnight Queen
Knows every human pain. 
In air, fire, earth and water 
World on the scales. 
Air, fire, earth and water 
Balance of change 
World on the scales 
On the scales. 
Bishop's kings spin judgement's blade 
Scratch "Faith" on nameless graves.
Harvest hags Hoard ash and sand 
Rack rope and chain for slaves 
Who fireside fear fermented words 
Then rear to spoil the feast; 
Whilst in the aisle the mad man smiles 
To him it matters least. 
Heroes hands drain stones for blood
To whet the scaling knife. 
Magi blind with visions light
Net death in dread of life. 
Their children kneel in Jesus till
They learn the price of nail; 
Whilst all around our mother earth
Waits balanced on the scales. 

CAT FOOD
(Sinfield)

Lady Supermarket with an apple in her basket
Knocks in the manager's door; 
Grooning to the muzak from a speaker in shoe rack
Lays out her goods on the floor; 
Everything she's chosen is conveniently frozen.
"Eat it and come back for more!"
Lady Window Shopper with a new one in the hopper 
Whips up a chemical brew; 
Croaking to a neighbour while she polishes a sabre 
Knows how to flavour a stew.
Never need to worry with a tin of 'Hurri Curri': 
"Poisoned especially for you!"
No use to complain 
If you're caught out in the rain; 
Your mother's quite insane. 
Cat food cat food cat food again.
Lady Yellow Stamper with a fillet in a hamper
Dying to finish the course; 
Goodies for the table with a fable on the label 
Drowning in miracle sauce. 
Don't think I am that rude if I tell you that it's cat food, 
"Not even fit for a horse!" 

PEACE - AN END 
(Sinfield)

Peace is a word
Of the sea and the wind. 
Peace is a bird who sings 
As you smile.
Peace is the love 
Of a foe as a friend; 
Peace is the love you bring
To a child 
Searching for me
You look everywhere,
Except beside you. 
Searching for you 
You look everywhere, 
But not inside you. 
Peace is a stream 
From the heart of a man;
Peace is a man, whose breadth 
Is the dawn. 
Peace is a dawn 
On a day without end; 
Peace is the end, like death 
Of the war. 


 LIZARD  (1970)  


CIRKUS
(Sinfield)

Night: her sable dome scattered with diamonds,
Fused my dust from a light year,
Squeezed me to her breast, sowed me with carbon,
Strung my warp across time. 
Gave me each a horse, sunrise and graveyard, 
Told me only I was her; 
Bid me face the east closed me in questions
Built the sky for my dawn... 
Cleaned my fet of mud, followed the empty
Zebra ride to the Cirkus, 
Past a painted cage, spoke to the paybox
Glove which wrote on my tongue - 
Pushed me down a slide to the arena, 
Megaphonium fanfare. 
In his cloak of words strode the ringmaster
Bid me join the parade...
"Worship!" cried the clown, "I am a T.V. 
Making bandsmen go clockwork, 
See the slinky seal Cirkus policeman; 
Bareback ladies have fish." 
Strongmen by his feet, plate-spinning statesman, 
Acrobatically juggling - 
Bids his tamers go quiet the tumblers 
Lest the mirror stop turning... 
Elephants forgot, force-fed on stale chalk,
Ate the floors of their cages. 
Strongmen lost their hair, paybox collapsed and
Lions sharpened their teeth. 
Gloves raced round the ring, stallions stampeded
Pandemonium seesaw... 
I ran for the door, ringmasters shouted, 
"All the fun of the Cirkus!" 

INDOOR GAMES
(Sinfield)

Indoor fireworks amuse your kitchen staff 
Dusting plastic garlic plants 
They snigger in the draught 
When you ride through the parlour
Wearing nothing but your armour - 
Playing Indoor Games. 
One string puppet shows amuse 
Your sycophantic friends 
Who cheer your rancid recipes 
In fear they might offend, 
Whilst you loaf on your sofa 
Sporting falsies and a toga - 
Playing Indoor Games, Indoor games. 
Your mean teetotum spins arouse your seventh wife 
Who pats her sixty little skins 
And reinsures your life, 
Whilst you sulk in your sauna 
'Cos you lost your jig-saw corner - 
Playing Indoor Games, Indoor games. 
Each afternoon you train baboons to sing 
Or swim in purple perspex water wings. 
Come Saturday jump chopper, chelsea brigade, 
High bender-trender it's all Indoor Games. 
No ball bagatelle incites 
Your children to conspire. 
They slide across your frying pan 
And fertilise your fire; 
Still you and Jones go madder 
Broken bones - broken ladder - 
Hey Ho... 

HAPPY FAMILY
(Sinfield)

Happy family, one hand clap, four went by and none came back.
Brother Judas, ash and sack, swallowed aphrodisiac. 
Rufus, Silas, Jonah too sang, "We'll blow our own canoes,"
Poked a finger in the zoo, punctured all the ballyhoo. 
Whipped the world and beat the clock, wound up with their share of stock. 
Silver Rolls from golden rock, shaken by a knock, knock, knock. 
Happy family, wave that grin, what goes round must surely spin; 
Cheesecake, mousetrap, Grip-Pipe-Thynne cried out, "We're not Rin Tin Tin." 
Uncle Rufus grew his nose, threw away his circus clothes 
Cousin Silas grew a beard, drew another flask of weird 
Nasty Jonah grew a wife, Judas drew his pruning knife. 
Happy family, one hand clap, four went on but none came back. 
Happy family, pale applause, each to his revolving doors. 
Silas searching, Rufus neat, Jonah caustic, Jude so sweet. 
Let their sergeant mirror spin if we lose the barbers win; 
Happy family, one hand clap, four went on but none came back.

LADY OF THE DANCING WATER 
(Sinfield)

Grass in your hair stretched like a lion in the sun 
Restlessly turned moistened your mouth with your tongue. 
Pouring my wine your eyes caged mine glowing. 
Touching your face my fingers strayed knowing. 
I called you lady of the dancing water. 
Blown autumn leaves shed to the fire where you laid me 
Burn slow to ash just as my days now seem to be. 
I feel you still always your eyes glowing. 
Remembered hours salt, earth and flowers flowing. 
Farewell my lady of the dancing water. 

L_I_Z_A_R_D 
(Sinfield)

a)PRINCE RUPERT AWAKES

Farewell the temple master's bells 
His kiosk and his black worm seed 
Courtship solely of his word 
With Eden guranteed. 
For now Prince Rupert's tears of glass 
Make saffron sabbath eyelids bleed 
Scar the sacred tablet wax 
On which the Lizards feed. 
Wake your reasons' hollow vote 
Wear your blizzard season coat 
Burn a bridge and burn a boat 
Stake a Lizard by the throat. 
Go Polonius or kneel 
The reapers name their harvest dawn
All your tarnished devil's spoons 
Will rust beneath our corn. 
Now bears Prince Rupert's garden roam 
Across his rain tree shaded lawn 
Lizard bones become the clay- 
And there a Swan is born. 
Wake your reasons' hollow vote 
Wear your blizzard season coat 
Burn a bridge and burn a boat 
Stake a Lizard by the throat. 
Gone soon Piepowder's moss-weed court 
Round which upholstered Lizards sold 
Visions to their leaden flock 
Of rainbows' ends and gold. 
Now tales Prince Rupert's peacock brings 
Of walls and trumpets thousand fold 
Prophets chained for burning masks 
And reels of dream unrolled... 

c) THE BATTLE OF GLASS TEARS 

Night enfolds her cloak of holes
Around the river meadow. 
Old moon-light stalks by hroken ploughs
Hides spokeless wheels in shadow. 
Sentries lean on thorn wood spears 
Blow on their hands, stare eastwards. 
Burnt with dream and taut with fear 
Dawn's misty shawl upon them. 
Three hills apart great armies stir 
Spit oath and curse as day breaks. 
Forming lines of horse and steel 
By even yards march forward. 




 ISLANDS  (1971)   

FORMENTERA LADY
(Sinfield)

Houses iced in whitewash guard a pale shore-line
Cornered by the cactus and the pine.
Here I wander where sweet sage and strange herbs grow 
Down a sun-baked crumpled stony road.
Dusty wheels leaning rusting in the sun;
Snuff brown walls where Spanish lizards run. 
Here I'm shadowed by a dragon fig tree's fan 
Ringed by ants and musing over man. 
I'll unwind my old strings while the sun shine down 
Won't climb any high thing while the sun shine.
Formentera Lady sing your song for me 
Formentera Lady sweet lover. 
Lamplights glows on old guitars the travellers strum;
Insence children dance to an Indian drum.
Here Odysseus charmed for dark Circe fell,
Still her perfume lingers still her spell. 
Time's grey hand won't catch me while the sun shine down 
Untie and unlatch me while the stars shine.
Formentera Lady dance your dance for me 
Formentera Lady dark lover.

THE LETTERS
(Sinfield)

With quill and silver knife
She carved a poison pen 
Wrote to her lover's wife: 
"Your husband's seed has fed my flesh".
As if a leper's face 
That tainted letter graced 
The wife with choke-stone throat 
Ran to the day with tear-blind eyes.
Impaled on nails of ice 
And raked with emerald fire 
The wife with soul of snow 
With steady hands begins to write:
"I'm still, I need no life 
To serve on boys and men 
What's mine was yours is dead 
I take my leave of mortal flesh" 

LADIES OF THE ROAD
(Sinfield)

A flower lady's daughter 
As sweet as holy water 
Said: "I'm the school reporter 
Please teach me", well I taught her. 
Two fingered levi'd sister 
Said, "Peace", I stopped I kissed her.
Said, "I'm a male resister", 
I smiled and just unzipped her.
High diving chinese trender 
Black hair and black suspender
Said, "Please me no surrender 
Just love to feel your Fender".
All of you know that the girls of the road 
Are like apples you stole in your youth. 
All of you know that the girls of the road
Been around but are versed in the truth. 
Stone-headed Frisco spacer 
Ate all the meat I gave her 
Said would I like to taste hers 
And even craved the flavour 
"Like marron-glaced fish bones 
Oh lady hit the road!" 
All of you know that the girls of the road 
Are like apples you stole in your youth. 
All of you know that the girls of the road 
Been around but are versed in the truth. 

ISLANDS
(Sinfield)

Earth, stream and tree encircled by sea 
Waves sweep the sand from my island. 
My sunsets fade. 
Field and glade wait only for rain
Grain after grain love erodes my 
High weathered walls which fend off the tide
Cradle the wind 
to my island. 
Gaunt granite climbs where gulls wheel and glide
Mournfully glide o'er my island. 
My dawn bride's veil, damp and pale,
Dissolves in the sun.
Love's web is spun - cats prowl, mice run
Wreathe snatch-hand briars where owls know my eyes 
Violet skies 
Touch my island,
Touch me. 
Beneath the wind turned wave 
Infinite peace 
Islands join hands 
'Neathe heaven's sea. 
Dark harbour quays like fingers of stone 
Hungrily reach from my island. 
Clutch sailor's words - pearls and gourds
Are strewn on my shore. 
Equal in love, bound in circles. 
Earth, stream and tree return to the sea 
Waves sweep sand from my island,
from me.