Birdland

Grabbin' at his cheeks, takin' out his neck
Up up up up up up
Well, there was sand, there were tiles

Looked up and cried out
And saw his daddy 'hind the control boards
Sha da do wop, da sha da do way
No longer presidents but prophets
Take me up quick, take me up, up to the belly of a ship"
And circle the blue fields and grease the night
But nobody heard the boy's cry of alarm
And they were like compass grass
All his limbs, everything was twisted and he said
Let the ship slide open and I'll go inside of it
Take me up, I'll go up, I'm goin' up, I'm goin' up

It's gonna come out like a black bouquet shinin'
And he saw the lights of traffic beckonin' him
White lids, white opals, seein' everything
Except for him, the raven
Nobody there 'cept for the birds
It's a radar scope in all silver and all platinum lights
Him and his daddy used to sit inside
Let the ship slide open and we'll go inside of it
It's all gonna split his skull
Like light, like Mohammed boxer

Like a fist that's gonna shoot them up
And it coagulated like a river of glass
'Cause he was not human, he was not human
And he crawled on his back and he went up
And the ship slides open and I go inside of it
Like the hands of blake
"No, Daddy, don't leave me here alone
Were just two white opals, two white opals
He looked up and the rays shot
Go up go up go up go up up up up up up up
Shaman do wop, da shaman do way
Let the ship slide open and he went inside of it
Around the New England farm
Where you are not human, you are not human"
Coming together into the head of a shaman bouquet

And he put up his hands and he said, “It's me, it's me
When it hardened, he looked at the surface

And fell on his knees and
He saw his face and where there were eyes
And he saw raven comin' in
On all the fine points of the stars
There was no black ship in sight

The sun had melted the sand

And they gathered in all directions
Streamin' beads of light

I am helium raven and this movie is mine
So he cried out as he stretched the sky

I'll give you my eyes, take me up, oh Lord, please take me up
Where there were eyes, there were just two white opals
And he looked around and
Sha da do wop, da sha da do way

And won't let up, won't let up and I see them comin' in
Well, we are not human, we're not human
Lookin' at the shiny red tractor
He's gonna run through the fields dreamin' in animation
Take them up up up up up up

No black funeral cars, nothin'
The true shape of a tortured woman
Am I all alone in this generation?
Oh, let's go up, up, don't hold me back
Movin' in like black ships, they were movin' in, streams of them
And he was very different tonight

We'll just be dreamin' of animation night and day
He saw his daddy 'hind the control board
Pushin' it all out like latex cartoon

It was as if someone had spread butter
The son, the sign, the cross
Then he put his head in the crux of his arms
I'm helium, raven waitin' for you, please take me up
That the sun burned around his lids
Where I am not human
Like the shape of a tortured woman
Up, up, to the belly of a ship
And he started to drift, drift to the belly of a ship
Sha da do wop, da sha da do way
Oh, I couldn't hear them before, but I hear 'em now
Sha da do wop, da sha da do way
Slit in his nose and all the others went shootin'
Take me up, Daddy, to the belly of your ship
And the boy was just standin' there alone
They're all dreamin', they're gonna bear the prophet
'Cause when he looked up, they started to slip
“I won't give up, won't give up, don't let me give up
Like roses they scattered
The little boy's face lit up with such a naked joy
The mother standing in the doorway, lettin' her sons
Just a little bit too clearly
And his eyes were like two suns
Don't leave me here"
Take me up, I'm goin' up, I'll go up, tell

I won't give up, come here, let me go up fast