Buddha In The City

S. Kilbey

Appears On:

Buddha In The City

Narration (unofficial)

yeah
down on samsara and vine
down on the middle way
down in the jungle
where the rust is sumptuous
where the tin is rusting
where the day meets the night
old sack of money
old hindu prince
are you the 7th incarnation of vishnu?
are you a buddha or the buddha or just another buddha?
is it a lesser vehicle or the diamond esoterica?
buddha in the city
you see the naked pain
you hear the shots
you smell the tar
you smell the waste
you smell the smell of fear
you see the #9 train go by
you see the faces in the window in the lonely city
in the legless night
with heat and nausea all around
buddha in the city
as the graveyards slowly fill
as the angels vanish upwards
as the morning finds you here under a bridge
under a fly-over
beneath an overpass
a ramp that leads to hell
a ramp that leads to heaven
a ramp that leads to another spin in the ring
a ramp that leads to you
buddha in the city
oh how do you feel now
no one is listening to anything good
they gorge and stuff and wallow in the bad
they chase sweet youth
they run from age
they chase fame everlasting
and they hide from blame and criticism
they chase gold and silver
they seek to escape poverty and her humiliations
buddha in the city with your halo of fire
buddha in the city with your wisdom and ways
who do, who do ya, who do ya meet down here
down here in this sad part of our city
down here with the winos and wasted youth
down here with the needles and condoms
down here with the mud and the road and the weeds
downtown there's a spiritual master
they call him a priest
they call him a father
they call him lord buddha's incarnation in shanty town
they say he's the bodhisattva of the block
they say he's the nazz
they say he's a transcending time in a manipulating space
they say nirvana is blowing out the flame
oh extinguishment
like a fire suddenly raging out
like a point in the distance
oh buddha in the city, don't you see?
this city is a glorious thing
each prince propped up by a thousand paupers
each mansion supported by a million hovels
each tycoon balanced by a horde of unheard clowns
oh buddha in the city, temptation is all around
oh buddha in the city, why don't we crucify you in space
oh buddha in the city, meditating in the barbed wire shadows
oh buddha in the city, your detachment infuriates the ice addict
your marks of your buddhahood like tattoos
your gentle face in the glow of a broken lamp
your holy fire burning and returning
your mantras and your tantras
your deep knowledge of mankind
your penetration of the future
your compassionate ignoring
your sympathetic closed eyes
your superior love
buddha in the city on gasoline alley and skid row
down in the city on a miracle street
buddha in the city go go
go buddha go go go