Man Erg

vaisvil

Neither of us realized this is a Van De Graaf Generator song - I received the lyrics through an old friend of mine who passed away a few years ago. His book of poetry by Peter Hammill was one of his favorite possessions and he hand wrote out the lyrics for me in a letter he sent in the 80’s (remember when people wrote letters?)

Bethan reads Peter’s poem as written by Evan. I add 5 string bass. We hope you like it. It is another installment of our project “Bethan Reads”. The other two installments posted here are “Along the War Avenue of Honor” and “I See The Void”

Man Erg

The killer lives inside me; yes, I can feel him move.
Sometimes he’s lightly sleeping in the quiet of his room;
but then his eyes will rise and stare through mine,
he’ll speak my words and slice my mind inside.
Yes, the killer lives.

The angels live inside me, I can feel them smile;
their presence strokes and soothes the tempest in my mind
and their love can heal the wounds that I have wrought.
They watch me as I go to fall;
well, I know I shall be caught
while the angels live.

How can I be free?
How can I get help?
Am I really me?
Am I someone else?

But stalking in my cloisters hang the acolytes of gloom
and Death’s Head throws his cloak into the corner of my room
and I am doomed.
But laughing in my courtyard play the pranksters of my youth
and solemn, waiting Old Man in the gables of the roof:
he tells me truth.

And I, too, live inside me and very often don’t know who I am;
I know I’m not a hero;well, I hope that I’m not damned.
I’m just a man, and killers, angels, all are these,
dictators, saviours, refugees in war and peace
as long as Man lives…

I’m just a man, and killers, angels, all are these:
dictators, saviours, refugees.