Richard Smerin - Fuerther 01-05 English

NEVER HEARD YOU SING (BEFORE YOU DIED)

When they said you'd passed away I'd never seen your face In between the sombre words I felt a wild embrace Spent the whole day searching Learnin' up on you Listening to your every word Cried the whole night through People were just callus Others pimped a ride I never heard you sing before you died Never heard you sing before you died Driven to distraction I became morose Sensing weakness of my own I kept my feelings close Seen that face so many ways Throughout my former time Cockfosters to Golders Green Princesses in their prime I always looked the other way Avoided them with pride I never heard you sing before you died Never heard you sing before you died As days turned into numbers Conviction turned to guilt What kind of imbecile am I? What comforts have I built? To throw away my childhood dreams To settle for my load To creep back to my rented rooms And hardly on the road I gaze into your sorrowed eyes And try to stem the tide I never heard you sing before you died Never heard you sing before you died It seems to me some time ago When rage had had its fill "Who breaks" a paper writer wrote "A butterfly upon a wheel?" But that was from a bygone age Ideals were still intact And nowadays we like to feed On each distorted fact I know just where you're coming from I lived it bonafide I never heard you sing before you died Never heard you sing before you died Today I'm at the Western Wall I really don't know why I write on paper in my hand A young girl sees me cry She says "I cannot take you there, You must go on your own" So I approach the hallowed place Where all the aged moan A simple note between the stones I feel you by my side I never heard you sing before you died Never heard you sing before you died If I could chase you out my head I'd surely be alone Alone to villify myself Leave others to atone I hear your voice in both my ears Sometimes I think it's me And every word I ever hear Is said with empathy Come back little darling This mind is opened wide I never heard you sing before you died I never heard you sing before you died