The Riddle
Terry Mann
3:06Comb the city, every street, every grate You put a guard at every gate Drag him out, shout the moment that you find him Damn! Knock in the doors, lock up the city Track him down through this town And be quick about it, now How the devil can I ever prevail when I'm only a man? I can never be duped by that scurrilous phantom again I wasn't born to walk on water I wasn't born to sack and slaughter But on my soul, I wasn't born to stoop to scorn and knuckle under A man can learn to steal some thunder A man can learn to work some wonder But when the gauntlet's down, it's time to rise and climb the sky And soon the moon will smoulder, and the winds will drive Yes, a man grows older, but his soul remains alive All those tremulous stars still glitter, and I will survive Let my heart grow colder and as bitter as a falcon in the dive There was a dream, a dying ember There was a dream I don't remember But I will resurrect that dream though rivers stream and hills grow steeper For here in Hell where life gets cheaper Oh, here in Hell, the blood runs deeper And when the final duel is near, I'll lift my spear and fly Piercing into the sky and higher, and the strong will thrive Yes, the weak will cower while the fittest will survive If we wait for the darkest hour 'til we spring alive Then with claws of fire, we devour like a falcon in the dive These are the days, yes, days of glory, days of rage and the dream And the dream of Paris preys on my bones Gnawing night and day and clawing through my brain, and no, never kneel Never bend! Rend him to bits, bite! Now, the beauty of the fight I'm not a man to hunger for blood, but the spirit can cry to be younger and fiercer and fly Piercing into the sky and higher, and the strong will thrive Yes, the weak will cower while the fittest will survive If we wait for the darkest hour 'til we spring alive Then with claws of fire, we devour like a falcon in the dive