King Crimson (81,16 %)
Lizard (80,50 %)
In collection
Released: 1970-12-11
Type: Studio
Type: Studio
Ranking:
Artist:
3
Year (1970):
8
Decade (1970's):
58
Overall:
292
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1.
Cirkus
 06:30
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2.
Indoor Games
05:40
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3.
Happy Family
 04:25
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4.
Lady of the Dancing Water
02:45
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5.
Lizard
 23:23
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Album length:
42:43
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Lyrics |
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1.
Cirkus
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Night: her sable dome scattered with diamonds, Fused my dust from a light year, Squeezed me to her breast, sowed me with carbon, Strung my warp across time Gave me each a horse, sunrise and graveyard, Told me only I was her; Bid me face the east closed me in questions Built the sky for my dawn... Cleaned my feet of mud, followed the empty Zebra ride to the Cirkus, Past a painted cage, spoke to the paybox Glove which wrote on my tongue - Pushed me down a slide to the arena, Megaphonium fanfare. In his cloak of words strode the ringmaster Bid me join the parade... "Worship!" cried the clown, "I am a T.E. Making bandsmen go clockwork, See the slinky seal Cirkus policeman; Bareback ladies have fish." Strongmen by his feet, plate-spinning statesman, Acrobatically juggling - Bids his tamers go quiet the tumblers Lest the mirror stop turning... Elephants forgot, force-fed on stale chalk, Ate the floors of their cages. Strongmen lost their hair, paybox collapsed and Lions sharpened their teeth. Gloves raced round the ring, stallions stampeded Pandemonium seesaw... I ran for the door, ringmasters shouted, "All the fun of the Cirkus!" |
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2.
Indoor Games
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Indoor fireworks amuse your kitchen staff Dusting plastic garlic plants They snigger in the draught When you ride through the parlour Wearing nothing but your armour - Playing Indoor Games. One string puppet shows amuse Your sycophantic friends Who cheer your rancid recipes In fear they might offend, Whilst you loaf on your sofa Sporting falsies and a toga - Playing Indoor Games, Indoor Games. Your mean teetotum spins arouse your seventh wife Who pats her sixty little skins And reinsures your life, Whilst you sulk in your sauna 'Cos you lost your jigsaw corner - Playing Indoor Games, Indoor Games. Each afternoon you train baboons to sing Or swim in purple perspex water wings. Come Saturday jump hopper, chelsea brigade, High bender-trender it's all Indoor Games. No ball bagatelle incites Your children to conspire, They slide across your frying pan And fertilize your fire; Still you and Jones go madder Broken bones-broken ladder - Hey Ho... |
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3.
Happy Family
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Happy family, one hand clap, four went by and none came back. Brother Judas, ash and sack, swallowed aphrodisiac. Rufus, Silas, Jonah too sang, "We'll blow our own canoes," Poked a finger in the zoo, punctured all the ballyhoo Whipped the world and beat the clock, wound up with their share of stock. Silver Rolls from golden rock, shaken by a knock, knock, knock. Happy family, wave that grin, what goes round must surely spin; Cheesecake, mousetrap, Grip-Pipe-Thynne cried out, "We're not Rin Tin Tin." Uncle Rufus grew his nose, threw away his circus clothes Cousin Silas grew a beard, drew another flask of weird Nasty Jonah grew a wife, Judas drew his pruning knife. Happy family one hand clap, four went on but none came back Happy family, pale applause, each to his revolving doors. Silas searching, Rufus neat, Jonah caustic, Jude so sweet. Let their sergeant mirror spin if we lose the barbers win; Happy family one hand clap, four went on but none came back |
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4.
Lady of the Dancing Water
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Grass in your hair stretched like a lion in the sun Restlessly turned moistened your mouth with your tongue. Pouring my wine in your eyes caged mine glowing Touching your face my fingers strayed knowing. I called you lady of the dancing water. Blown autumn leaves shed to the fire where you laid me Burn slow to ash just as my days now seem to be. I feel you still always your eyes glowing Remembered hours salt, earth and flowers flowing Farewell my lady of the dancing water. |
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5.
Lizard
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Prince Rupert Awakes Farewell the temple master's bells His kiosk and his black worm seed Courtship solely of his word With Eden guaranteed. For now Prince Rupert's tears of glass Make saffron sabbath eyelids bleed Scar the sacred tablet of wax On which the Lizards feed. Wake your reason's hollow vote Wear your blizzard season coat Burn a bridge and burn a boat Stake a Lizard by the throat. Go Polonius or kneel The reapers name their harvest dawn All your tarnished devil's spoons Will rust beneath our corn. Now bears Prince Rupert's garden roam Across his rain tree shaded lawn Lizard bones become the clay - And there a Swan is born Wake your reasons' hollow vote Wear your blizzard season coat Burn a bridge and burn a boat Stake a Lizard by the throat. Gone soon Piepowder's moss-weed court Round which upholstered Lizards sold Visions to their leaden flock Of rainbows' ends and gold. Now tales Prince Rupert's peacock brings Of walls and trumpets thousand fold Prophets chained for burning masks And reels of dreams unrolled... Bolero - the Peacock's Tale (instrumental) The Battle of Glass Tears (including Dawn Song, Last Skirmish and Prince Rupert's Lament) Night enfolds her cloak of holes Around the river meadow. Old moon-light stalks by broken ploughs Hides spokeless wheels in shadow. Sentries lean on thorn wood spears Blow on their hands, stare eastwards. Burnt with dream and taut with fear Dawn's misty shawl upon them. Three hills apart great armies stir Spit oat and curse as day breaks. Forming lines of horse and steel By even yards march forward. Big Top (instrumental) |