Peter Hammill
Palinurus (Castaway)
[Verse 1]
Oh, I'm looking for a white note
To consolidate the key
Like the pilot of a night boat
In a strange, uncharted sea:
Palinurus
As unsure as he can be of his direction…
Hell, this section's all Greek to me

[Verse 2]
There's so much I had to mention
But seems to slip my mind;
I swear that my intentions
Never left my hopes behind
Like the captain who's been trapped
In the blind eye of the whirlwind…
So he turns in search of the divine

[Bridge]
I've got no answers either
I've got some stories on lucky days…
All the sea-lanes are crowded with people like us:
Castaways

[Instrumental]
[Verse 3]
From soprano through to basso
Oh, my voice so strains to tell
But I'm lost in the Sargasso
Of ideas that didn't gel by a fraction
And the action is dispelled
Me, I've got dull reactions
Protraction of doubt as well
So it's no more, more abide with me
Over the side with me…
Well, I know that damn well…

[Verse 4]
Oh, this hump-back of emotion
It all seems to go so fast:
One moment Prince of the Ocean
And the next upon the raft