Palinurus (Castaway) - Peter Hammill

Oh, I’m looking for a white note

To consolidate the key

Like the pilot of a night boat

In a strange, uncharted sea:

Palinurus

As unsure as he can be of his direction…

Hell, this section’s all Greek to me

There’s so much I had to mention

But it seems to slip my mind;

Still, I swear that my intentions

Never left my hopes behind

Like the captain who’s been trapped

In the blind eye of the whirlwind…

So he turns in search of the divine

I’ve got no answers either

I’ve got some stories on lucky days…

All the sea-lanes are crowded with people like us:

Castaways

From soprano through to basso

My voice so strains to tell

But I’m lost in the Sargasso

Of ideas that didn’t gel by a fraction

So the action is dispelled

Me, I’ve got dull reactions

Protraction of doubt as well

So it’s no more abide with me

Over the side with me…

Well, I know that damn well…

Oh, this hump-back of emotion

It all seems to go so fast:

One moment Prince of the Ocean

And the next upon the raft