Planet Coventry - Peter Hammill

You find you’re standing alone — not so splendid, isolation

In the Green Room the talk is all of righteous indignation

And you might as well have landed in some strange and distant galaxy

The rules are unspoken on the Planet Coventry

What reaction can you guage, naked on the stage?

The gravity’s not so great, but the atmosphere’s chilling;

You made some serious mistakes the day you pushed yourself for the grilling;

And the jigsaw pieces — take a look — a jumble of asymmetry

All the corners are cut on the Planet Coventry

Out of order, out of reach, briefless on the beach;

No reaction you can guage

Only silence from the front row

Silence from the back row

Silence and you’re naked on the stage…

Wake up, wake up

You dreamed you’d no need of dreams: that’s an alien situation

In the Glasshouse the mimers mill in dangerous mutation

And you might as well have landed in a different reality

The rules are all broken on the Planet Coventry

Out of order, out of reach, briefless on the beach;

One more punter for the chop, dried up in the dock;

Headless chicken, total block, tongue a Gordian knot;

No reaction on this page

Only silence from the front row, slience from the back row

Silence from the prompter, silence all the rage —

Only silence and you’re naked on the stage

You wake up, and you’re naked on the stage