Saro Cosentino - 2 songs from Ones and Zeros (1997) / Ones and Zeros Reloaded (2014) and 4 songs from The Road to Now (2022)

Peter Hammill lyrics (and also vocal and guitar)
Saro Cosentino (music)


  1. Phosphorescence
  2. From Far Away
  3. The Joke
  4. November
  5. Time to Go
  6. When Your Parents Danced


    Phosphorescence

    Across the ocean of the night
    You turn and look into my eyes
    Burn into my life.
    Now the moment's magical
    But we keep our silence
    
    You could tell me anything you want
    You could tell me all your secret wishes
    Only in our eyes...
    Only in our eyes we made the soul kiss
    
    We will never pass this way again
    We will never know each other better
    Ships pass in the night
    (and) in their wake they leave just phosphorescence
    
    This instant lasts a thousand years
    This look is longer than our lives
    Burning up in time.
    Now the moment disappears...
    (but) the spell's unbroken
    
    You could tell me any lies you want
    It won't change the way I feel about this;
    Only in our eyes...
    Only in our eyes we made the soul kiss
    We will never pass this way again
    But we'll always feel 
    each other's presence
    Ships pass in the night...
    When we wake we're left with 
    phosphorescence
    

    From Far Away

    Up from my dream I am waking
    Up from my dream you awaken me.
    
    Up from my dreams I am woken
    Eyes open wide in astonishment.
    All that I want is to be with you
    To be home again
    To find my home in you.
    
    From far away, so far away I reach for you
    Wishing myself beside you
    in your sleeping arms
    Across the ocean sky
    across the dark and storm-tossed sea
    If only we believe
    Though we're so far apart
    We'll still be together.
    
    Across my dream you have spoken
    I hear your voice softly calling me
    All that I want is to speak with you
    To be home again
    To find my home in you.
    From far away, so far away you reach to me
    Wishing myself beside you
    In your open arms
    Across the ocean sky
    across the dark and wine-red sea
    If only we believe
    Though we're so far apart
    We're deep in each other
    

    The Joke

    At a distance someone spoke:
    / there's no resistance / to
    the telling and the selling
    of the joke. / No, no-one ever
    really gets the joke. / No,
    no-one ever dares to complain
    / and on the never-never
    / nothing's ventured, nothing's
    gained. / You tried so hard,
    you tried to explain. / Where
    were you when the downfall
    came? / You were joking about
    the rain, / you were joking
    about, / you were joking
    in the hope of staying sane.
    

    November

    Though there's a chill down 
    in the valley / still you 
    recall that distant day.
    / November's child explains 
    / her memory would remain:
    / the embers carry the story 
    of the flame / The embers in the 
    grate / have died and now it's 
    too late, / you know she's 
    gone. / (She's gone, she's gone 
    forever, / she's gone, she's 
    gone for good / she's gone, 
    she's gone forever.) / And 
    you'd trade all those days 
    of November / to be back with 
    her if you could, / to be back 
    with her for good.
    

    Time to Go

    The journey's ending, / it's 
    turn and turn about, / come and 
    go, / it's time to go / I'm on 
    my way, / I'm on my way.
    / I'm not going anywhere / but 
    there's nowhere I can stay / so 
    it's time to go / but oh, will 
    you know it, / will you know 
    what you give away / when you 
    can no longer stay? / Time to 
    go, / yes it's always come and 
    go / Will you know it when it's 
    time? / Will you know it when 
    the time has come? / I'm on my 
    way, / so long, Touche, / day 
    by day, / I'm on my way. / So 
    we come and go, / so we come 
    and go away. / Will you know
    it when it's time to go?
    / Will you know it when it's 
    time to go? / Will you know
    it when it's time?
    

    When Your Parents Danced

    When your parents danced / with 
    the light shining bright in 
    their eyes, / when your parents 
    laughed / you were always the 
    child in disguise. / When your 
    parents danced, / when they 
    were young, / before life's 
    stories made them / what 
    they've become, / you never 
    knew them, / you never saw them 
    then, / when your parents were 
    still the best of friends.
    / Your parents were once each
    other's best friends.
    



Russian Peter Hammill / Van der Graaf Generator Page
Sergey Petrushanko hammillru@mail.ru, 1998-2024