Phil Ochs - Crucifixion (live) lyrics

And the night comes again to the circle studded sky The stars settle slowly, in loneliness they lie 'Til the universe expodes as a falling star is raised Planets are paralyzed; the mountains are amazed But they all glow brighter from the brilliance of the blaze With the speed of insanity, then he dies. In the green fields a-turning, a baby is born His cries crease the wind and mingle with the morn An a**ault upon the order, the changing of the guard Chosen for a challenge that is hopelessly hard And the only single sighing is the sighing of the stars But to the silence of distance they are sworn So dance dance dance Teach us to be true Come dance dance dance 'Cause we love you Images of innocence charge him to go on But the decadence of destiny is looking for a pawn To a nightmare of knowledge he opens up the gate A blinding revelation is served upon his plate That beneath the greatest love there is a hurricane of hate And God help the critic of the dawn. So he stands on the sea and he shouts to the shore, But the louder that he screams the longer he's ignored For the wine of oblivion is drunk to the dregs; The merchants of the ma**es almost have to be begged 'Til the giant is aware that someone's pulling at his leg, And someone is tapping at the door. To dance dance dance Teach us to be true Come dance dance dance 'Cause we love you Then his message gathers meaning and it spreads accross the land The rewarding of the fame is the falling of the man For ignorance is everywhere and people have their way Success is an enemy to the losers of the day In the shadows of the churches, who knows what they pray And blood is the language of the band. The Spanish bulls are beaten; the crowd is soon beguiled, The matador is beautiful, a symphony of style The excitement is estatic, pa**ion places bets Gracefully he bows to the ovations that he gets But the hands that are applauding him are slippery with sweat And saliva is falling from their smiles So dance dance dance Teach us to be true Come dance dance dance 'Cause we love you Then this overflow of life is crushed into a lyre The gentle soul is ripped apart and tossed into the fire. It's the d**h of beauty, the victory of night Truth becomes a tragedy limping from the light All the heavens are horrified, they stagger at the sight And the cross is trembling with desire. They say they can't believe it, it's a sacreligious shame Now, who would want to hurt such a hero of the game? But you know I predicted it; I knew he had to fall How did it happen? I hope his suffering was small. Tell me every detail, I've got to know it all, And do you have a picture of the pain? So dance dance dance Teach us to be true Come dance dance dance 'Cause we love you Time takes a toll and the memory fades but his glory is growing in the magic that he made. Reality is ruined; there's nothing more to fear The drama is distorted into what they want to hear Swimming in their sorrow, in the twisting of a tear As they wait for the new thrill parade. The eyes of the rebel have been branded by the blind To the safety of sterility the threat has been refined The child was created; to the slaughterhouse he's led So good to be alive when the eulogy is read The climax of emotion, the worship of the dead As the cycle of sacrifice unwinds. So dance dance dance Teach us to be true Come dance dance dance 'Cause we love you And the night comes again to the circle studded sky The stars settle slowly, in loneliness they lie 'Til the universe expodes as a falling star is raised Planets are paralyzed, mountains are amazed But they all glow brighter from the briliance of the blaze With the speed of insanity, then he dies.