A Farewell To Kings

• Released September 1977 by Mercury Records
• Went Platinum (1,000,000 copies) on December 1, 1993
• Purchase This Album

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1. A Farewell to Kings (5:49)
2. Xanadu (11:04)
3. Closer To The Heart (2:51)
4. Cinderella Man (4:19)
5. Madrigal (2:33)
6. Cygnus X-1 (Book I: The Voyage) (10:21)

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Lyrics

• A Farewell To Kings (Lee, Lifeson, Peart)
  
  When they turn the pages of history
  When these days have passed long ago
  Will they read of us with sadness
  For the seeds that we let grow
  We turned our gaze
  From the castles in the distance
  Eyes cast down
  On the path of least resistance
  
  Cities full of hatred
  Fear and lies
  Withered hearts
  And cruel, tormented eyes
  Scheming demons
  Dressed in kingly guise
  Beating down the multitude
  And scoffing at the wise
  
  The hypocrites are slandering
  The sacred halls of Truth
  Ancient nobles showering
  Their bitterness on youth
  Can't we find
  The minds that made us strong
  Can't we learn
  To feel what's right and wrong
  
  Cities full of hatred
  Fear and lies
  Withered hearts
  And cruel, tormented eyes
  Scheming demons
  Dressed in kingly guise
  Beating down the multitude
  And scoffing at the wise
  Can't we raise our eyes
  And make a start
  Can't we find the minds
  To lead us closer to the Heart
  
  
• Xanadu (Lee, Lifeson, Peart)
  
  "To seek the sacred river Alph
  To walk the caves of ice
  To break my fast on honey dew
  And drink the milk of Paradise..."
  
  I had heard the whispered tales
  Of immortality
  The deepest mystery
  From an ancient book. I took a clue
  I scaled the frozen mountain tops
  Of eastern lands unknown
  Time and Man alone
  Searching for the lost --- Xanadu
  
  Xanadu --- To stand within The Pleasure Dome
  Decreed by Kubla Khan
  To taste anew the fruits of life
  The last immortal man
  To find the sacred river Alph
  To walk the caves of ice
  Oh, I will dine on honey dew
  And drink the milk of Paradise
  
  A thousand years have come and gone
  But time has passed me by
  Stars stopped in the sky
  Frozen in an everlasting view
  Waiting for the world to end
  Weary of the night
  Praying for the light
  Prison of the lost --- Xanadu
  
  Xanadu --- Held within The Pleasure Dome
  Decreed by Kubla Khan
  To taste my bitter triumph
  As a mad immortal man
  Nevermore shall I return
  Escape these caves of ice
  For I have dined on honey dew
  And drunk the milk of Paradise
  
  
• Closer To The Heart (Lee, Lifeson, Talbot, Peart)
  
  And the men who hold high places
  Must be the ones to start
  To mould a new reality
  Closer to the Heart
  
  The Blacksmith and the Artist
  Reflect it in their art
  Forge their creativity
  Closer to the Heart
  
  Philosophers and Ploughmen
  Each must know his part
  To sow a new mentality
  Closer to the Heart
  
  You can be the Captain
  I will draw the Chart
  Sailing into destiny
  Closer to the Heart
  
  
• Cinderella Man (Lee, Lifeson)
  
  A modest man from Mandrake
  Travelled rich to the city
  He had a need to discover
  A use for his newly-found wealth
  
  Because he was human
  Because he had goodness
  Because he was moral
  They called him insane
  
  Delusions of grandeur
  Visions of splendour
  A manic depressive
  He walks in the rain
  
  Eyes wide open
  Heart undefended
  Innocence untarnished
  
  Cinderella Man
  Doing what you can
  They can't understand
  What it means
  
  Cinderella Man
  Hang on to your plans
  Try as they might
  They cannot steal your dreams
  
  In the betrayal of his love he awakened
  To face a world of cold reality
  And a look in the eyes of the hungry
  Awakened him to what he could do
  
  He held up his riches
  To challenge the hungry
  Purposeful motion
  For one so insane
  
  They tried to fight him
  Just couldn't beat him
  This manic depressive
  Who walks in the rain
  
  
• Madrigal (Lee, Lifeson, Peart)
  
  When the dragons grow too mighty
  To slay with pen or sword
  I grow weary of the battle
  And the storm I walk toward
  When all around is madness
  And there's no safe port in view
  I long to turn my path homeward
  To stop awhile with you
  
  When life becomes so barren
  And as cold as winter skies
  There's a beacon in the darkness
  In a distant pair of eyes
  In vain to search for order
  In vain to search for truth
  But these things can still be given
  Your love has shown me proof
  
  
• Cygnus X-1 (Book One: The Voyage) (Lee, Lifeson, Peart)
  
  "In the constellation of Cygnus There lurks a mysterious, invisible force The Black Hole Of Cygnus X-1 Six Stars of the Northern Cross In mourning for their sister's loss In a final flash of glory Nevermore to grace the night..."
  
  PART 1
  
  Invisible
  To telescopic eye
  Infinity
  The star that would not die
  
  All who dare
  To cross her course
  Are swallowed by
  A fearsome force
  
  Through the void
  To be destroyed
  Or is there something more?
  Atomized --- at the core
  Or through the Astral Door ---
  To soar...
  
  PART 2
  
  I set a course just east of Lyra
  And northwest of Pegasus
  Flew into the light of Deneb
  Sailed across the Milky Way
  
  On my ship, the 'Rocinante'
  Wheeling through the galaxies,
  Headed for the heart of Cygnus
  Headlong into mystery
  
  The x-ray is her siren song
  My ship cannot resist her long
  Nearer to my deadly goal
  Until the Black Hole ---
  Gains control...
  
  PART 3
  
  Spinning, whirling,
  Still descending
  Like a spiral sea,
  Unending
  
  Sound and fury
  Drowns my heart
  Every nerve
  Is torn apart...
  
  (To be continued...)