Gallery Of Past Lives

S. Kilbey

Appears On:

Gallery Of Past Lives

Narration (unofficial)

[rev. Sept. 13, 2013]

roll up, roll up, roll up
the gallery of past lives
oh if only you could see 'em all stretched out like a river in the sun
as you flow down the stream so merrily rushed
over rapid cities and bombay from the air
you come back and you come back and you come back again
can't even remember who you been
come and visit the gallery of past lives
come and see who you used to be
a tapestry weaving back to the dawn of this earthly earth
you have always been arriving here
destiny draws you on, fate kicks your ass
love swirls around your feet like leaves
you pull on faces
you pull on lives
you pull on the chain
you were a beggar man then king/bigger man than king [1:01]
you had your turn
your turn in the sun
you were the emperor of rome
you were some stupid nero
you were a slave to a slave
and you were a caucasian goat girl
you were everybody else then
and how you lived and died
and how you came back
and how you don't remember
they said buddha could see his past life gallery
they say buddha knew who he was at last
all the criminals and saints
all the jokers and the deuces
all the lives down the drain
all the long lives of toil
all the short lives of joy
all the sad lives of triumph
all the proud lives of despair
come and check it out
who i was
which part of me was them
are we pearls on a string?
i don't want to lose myself again
i'm happy being me
don't wanna be a face in a past life gallery
don't wanna be an ex-owner of this life
how does it all work?
how does it appear thus?
how many more rivers to cross before we come home?
how many thousands of galleries will we each fill?
millions of memories all forgotten over time
all our loved ones fade away into the past
death waits for us in whatever shape you perceive
death and time for a rest
rest a while, it's lovely
it's soothing to rest
it's time to slow down
your old life
your old mansuit
yeah, your old brain's tired of thinking it all through
your old haunts de-haunted
your old hints re-tinted
oh gallery of past lives like a wander through a garden
look at all the faces that were growing there
it all seemed so important at the time
but now you can't bear to look
"was i really him?" you ask
"was it so easy to forget?" he asks
all those dreams
all those hopes of the common man
all those things you had to go through
why?
why not remain unmanifested?
why not remain a part of the sky?
why live and dream and die?
why laugh and why fucking cry?
and why be you and who am i?
anyway, you gotta try
try to get by on your way through the gallery of past lives
future lives
don't get too attached
don't get too detached
and don't listen to any advice
and slow down