Late at night,when reality's failed and nothing is prevailing but the wind,I come to you.Out of sight,like a fugitive trailing across a barren land, you let me in,you always do.My reason is caught by a sudden gustof lateral thought that sweeps mefar beyond,it's the opium of the night.And the ocean of wordsthat we throw in the airgrows more absurdand nobody seems to care,it's a refugee's respite.Cafe Society.Late at night,while the city lies sleeping and solitude is keeping me awake,I think of you.Dim your lights,oh, I want to sink deep in that river of oblivion you make,I need it, too.Let me check-in my mindwith my coat at the door,'cause I want to go flyingwhere I've never been before,some inviting [some 3-syllable thing that ryhmes with ravine].If the hand that you holdin the dead of the nightis a little too cold,the body seems just right,it's a [some 5-syllable thing that also rhymes with ravine].Cafe Society.8. 1-2-3[Sound of footsteps walking along a street. A pause, the footsteps take twosteps up a short flight of stairs. Five knocks, a door opens, a coctail partyis heard in the background, and a semi-snobbish voice says, Excuse me, sir,are you a member?]One, two, three.That's how elementaryit's gonna be.Just fine and dandy,it's easy,like taking candy from a baby.>From the poor country,when you bought a rose, youpaid them with beads,tipped the general,it's easy,like taking candy from a baby.The hard part is learning about it,the hard part is breaking through to the truth.The hard part is learning to doubtwhat you read, what you hear, what you see on the news.Foriegn policy,made above my head, well,no one asked me.They just laughed and saidit's easy,like taking candy from a baby.It's easy,like taking candy from a baby.Once they get you sucked into the system,once they get you under control,the hard part is knowing how to resistthe grip that they keep on your mind and your soul.So in the end,we just compromise,and pretend.If you close your eyes,it's easy,like taking candy from a baby.9. The CandidateInside the lonely buildingsits the candidate.His speech is typed and ready,the hundred-dollar platessit on deserted tables,beneath flourescent lights.But no one comes to hear him,no cheers disturb the night.So where are all the voters?Where the voter's wives?They've all gone to the moviestrying to understand their lives.The candidate is slippinginto some dream of old,not noticing around hima thousand rubber chickens going cold.
Lyrics by Al Stewart
(A Child's View Of) The Eisenhower Years \ A Long Way Down From Stephanie A Long Way Down To Stephanie A Man For All Seasons A Small Fruit Song Accident On 3rd Street Almost Lucy Amsterdam Angel Of Mercy Angry Bird Anna Anniversary Antarctica Apple Cider Re-Constitution Bad Reputation Ballad Of Mary Foster Bedsitter Images Beleeka Doodle Day Black Hill Broadway Hotel Candidate Candy Came Back Candy Came Back [*] Carol Charlotte Corday Class of '58 Cleave To Me Clifton In The Rain Constantinople Denise at 16 Don't Forget Me Ear Of The Night Electric Los Angeles Sunset Elvis At The Wheel End Of The Day Feel Like Fields Of France Flying Sorcery Football Hero Genie On A Table Top Gethsemane, Again Gypsy & the Rose Hanno The Navigator Here in angloa Here in angola Hipposong How Does It Happen [*] I'm Falling If It Doesn't Come Naturally, Leave It If It Doesn't Come Naturally, Leave It [Live] In Brooklyn In Red Square [*] - Al Stewart, Peter White In the Dark Indian Summer Ivich Josephine Baker Katherine Of Oregon King Of Portugal Last Days Of The Century License To Steal Life And Life Only Life In Dark Water Like William McKinley Loneliest Place On The Map Lord Grenville Lord Salisbury Lori don t go right now Lori, Don’t Go Right Now Love Chronicles Lover Man Lover Man [*] Manuscript Merlin's Time Midas Shadow Midnight Rocks Modern Times Mona Lisa Talking Mondo Sinistro Murmansk Run / Ellis Island Murmansk Run\/Ellis Island Murmansk runellis island My Enemies Have Sweet Voices Necromancer Next Time Night Meeting Night Rolls In Night Train To Munich Nostradamus Not The One Old Admirals Old Compton Street Blues On the Border One Stage Before One That Got Away - Al Stewart, Peter White One Two Three One two three 1 2 3 One, Two, Three (1, 2, 3) Optical Illusion Out in the Snow Paint By Numbers Peter On The White Sea Post World War Two Blues Pretty Golden Hair Rain Barrel Real And Unreal Red Toupee Ringing Of Bells Ringing of Bells [*] Roads To Moscow Roads to Moscow [Live] Rocks In the Ocean Royal Courtship Rumours Of War Rumours of War - Al Stewart, Peter White Running Man Russians & Americans Sailing Into The Future Samuel, Oh How You've Changed Samuel, Oh How You've Changed! Sand in Your Shoes Scandinavian Girl Shah Of Shahs Silver Kettle Sirens Of Titan Sleepwalking Soho (Needless To Say) Soho (Needless to Say) [Alternate Take] Somewhere in England 1915 Song On the Radio Song on the Radio [Live] Songs Out of Clay Strange Girl Swiss Cottage Maneuvers Swiss Cottage Manoeuvres Terminal Eyes The Candidate The Carmichaels The Dark And Rolling Sea The Dark And The Rolling Sea The Ear Of The Night The Elf The Gypsy and the Rose The Last Day of June 1934 The Loneliest Place On The Map The News From Spain The One That Got Away The Palace Of Versailles The Year of the Cat Time Passages Time Passages [Live] Timeless Skies Tonton Macoute Tonton Macoute [*] Trains Trespasser Turn Into Earth Valentina Way Warren Harding What's Going On? Where Are They Now Where Are They Now? Year Of The Cat You Don't Even Know Me You Should Have Listened To Al Zero She Flies