The Great Western Road

Percival 2022-01-17 08:02:46

A man sticks his fingers inside of his mouth
The words are stuck in there
He fishes them out
Whispers and mumbles, statements and verse, curses and love songs
For nobody else

Man takes a pencil and puts down his thoughts
The old human highway from Eden to Nod
Brothers and sisters, husbands and wives, strangers and cripples
In love with their lives

How they dance
In a trance
Where the river bends
Here we go,
Don't you know
That it never ends
Some who ride
Some who slide
Everyone you know
Travels on
That great western road

How they laugh
Raise a glass
Take a bottle down
Any face any place
In this northern town
Dragging on
Travel on
That great western road

Man goes to show world
And dreams of the stars
He leans to the left
He leans to the north
He learns to be humble
He learns from the trees
And all of God's creatures
To him they would speak
Saying wake up my little lambs
Wake up it's time to begin
Wake up it's all that you are
Wake up and it's not very far

Beggar-man soldier-man beggar-man and thief
Some are young
Some are old
And some on their knees
Broken legs broken nose
Swaying to and fro
As they walk
The great western road

Every snake
Every bird
Every creeping thing
Like a knife
In the night
I see her again
Blessed heart
Blessed word
Blessed skin and bones
All along
That great western road

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Extended Reading

Young Adam quotes

  • Les Gault: What'd you do that for?

    Joe Taylor: I had no use for it.

    Les Gault: Must be worth something, though.

    Joe Taylor: Not to me.

  • Joe Taylor: I think she went to a bridge fully dressed and stood there breathing the warm night air. And she took off her jacket and folded it neatly on the ground. And then she unbuttoned her blouse and undid her brassiere and let it drop down on top of the other clothes. And she'd unbutton her skirt and let it slip down over her hips. And then she'd unroll her stockings and hold them out so that they blew in the breeze like penance before she let them float off into the night. And she'd shiver and ask herself if she really wanted to go through with this, and she'd answer that question by kicking her clothes into the river. And hurriedly now she'd take off her garter and her knickers. And there'd she be, standing in her petticoat, thinking about whatever it was that brought her to this. And then with her petticoat billowing around her she'd drop into the water like a rose, float there for a moment, and be gone.

    Les Gault: What kind of woman would do that?

    Joe Taylor: Just an ordinary woman.