Flight
Peter Hammill & The K Group Lyrics

Flying Blind
Operating without clear direction or guidance

I always forget how crazy things are
I tend to overlook the chaotic nature of life

So sometimes it catches me off my guard
And occasionally, I am caught unprepared

When they make sense.
When certain aspects become understandable

The line on the road trail the arrow in the sky
The markings on the road coincide with the celestial path

I search for the mote in my brother's eye
I examine the flaws in others

Beneath the pence...
Below the surface, hidden beneath trivial matters

A time of blunt instruments.
A period characterized by imprecise tools or methods

Still uncertain when I've woken
I remain unsure if I am truly awake

Or what constitutes a conscious mind
And what defines a state of awareness

Though the thought remains unspoken
Although I do not vocalize it

I know I'm flying blind.
I am aware that I am lacking vision or guidance

Breaking into cold sweat on the white-hot coals
Experiencing intense anxiety or fear

The pennies from heaven drop through my soul
Feeling emotionally affected by unexpected events

It don't relent.
The relentlessness of these experiences

At the back end of dreams I'm amazed to awake
Upon waking from deep sleep, I am surprised

I offer my theories but just can't shake
I propose explanations but cannot let go of uncertainty

That seventh sense
An intangible perception or instinct

To which there's no defense.
For which there is no protection

It seemed the time was for action
It appeared that action was necessary

It seemed so cool to be that kind...
It appeared appealing to embody that role

My tongue writhed to form some retraction
I struggled to express a retracting statement

But I knew
Yet, deep down I understood

I was flying blind.
I was operating without guidance or clarity

I want things to be fast, down to the power-drive
I desire speed and efficiency

I want the zero-gravity heroes to play dead,
I want exceptional individuals to humble themselves

But stay alive.
Yet, still remain alive

We want it to be slow, all the way to stall
We desire a relaxed pace, almost to a point of inaction

We talk about a thousand things that never change at all
We engage in discussions that yield no real change

No, it never change...
No, these matters persist without transformation

It was then that I knew I'd been thoughtless
At that moment, I realized I lacked consideration

Something had slipped my mind
I had forgotten something important

I'd strapped myself into the Fortress
I had confined myself to a position of safety

But the Fortress was flying blind.
Yet, that place of security lacked direction

We got full clearance, so someone down there
We obtained permission for our actions, so someone should be aware

Ought to know the truth of our disappearance
Should have knowledge regarding our vanishing

If even that still shows it accuses and blames me
Even if the information implies fault lies with me

But nothing was quite what it seemed
Nevertheless, nothing is as straightforward as it appears

Sometimes things work out so strangely
Occasionally, events unfold in peculiar ways

That it might as well all be dreamed.
To the point that it feels like a dream

The White Cane Fandango in Morse code
Communicating through a code-based dance with a white cane

Try to shake through the message
Attempting to decipher the hidden meaning

Shake the load
Shake off the burden

Only venial sin, running on the spot
Merely a minor offense, making no progress

Till the dance begins.
Until the intricate movement commences

Where does a man go when the muscles cramp?
In times of physical discomfort, where can one seek relief?

Try to write out a postcard on a postage stamp
Attempting to convey a message within limited space

With a drawing pin punching out the Braille
Using a sharp object to create tactile dots for the visually impaired

For the whole within?
For the complete understanding?

Upset the contango on your future stock
Disrupt the anticipated upward trend of your future investments

Paying backwardation, hold onto what you've got
Accepting a lower price for immediate delivery, retaining what you currently possess

Such a sideways grin! Some day you may need
A wry smile expressing satisfaction with the current situation, while recognizing future uncertainty

To trade that in.
To exchange what you have for something else

If we ride this right
If we navigate this situation skillfully

The future will fall in our hands.
We will gain control over what lies ahead

If we survive the flight
If we endure the journey

The future will work out
The future will resolve itself

Nothing's that black and white.
There are no simple answers or solutions

The colour-coded charts are spread
The visually organized charts are displayed

But we're still gliding deep into the red
Yet, we continue to move towards financial loss

The radio is dead
The communication device is non-functional

Every valve blown open
Each mechanism or system is malfunctioning

The radar screen flicks monochrome
The display transitions to a single color

Air traffic controller wants to get on home
The person responsible for managing air traffic desires to leave work

Waiting
Anticipating

For a phone call
Expecting a call

To release him from responsibility.
To relieve him from his duty

Nobody goes to see him anymore
No one visits him anymore

Except for the man from the ministry.
Except for the government official

He wanted to be, he wanted to be
He desired to become, he aspired to become

The man at the helm, in command of the flightpath
The person in control, responsible for the course of the journey

He's flying a chair, quite beyond control
He is operating a chair, completely lacking control

He's going to have just one more chance
He will be given another opportunity

At a barrel roll.
To perform an aerial maneuver called a barrel roll

All in a dream, all as a dream
Everything seems unreal, like a dream

The colours too bright, the music too deafening
The colors are overly vibrant, the music is excessively loud

The black-out world has just begun to show
The obscured reality has only just become apparent

These cracked-out words I offer...
These disjointed words I present...

But I still don't know.
Yet, I still lack understanding

Cool blue suffuse the colour gun
Calm blue color permeates the device

Oh come in, come in number one
Welcome, welcome, the leading figure

Your time's nearly run.
Your time is nearly over

Speed-freeze the frame
Capture the moment in frozen motion

The present and the past hold fast...
The current moment and the history remain intertwined

It's too fast, the thing don't
It moves too quickly, the object does not

The thing won't
The object refuses to comply

The thing don't last.
The object does not endure

The rolling dice clash together never make up the score
The dice collide but fail to determine the final result

That old device, the ejector seat, glued to the floor
The outdated mechanism, the emergency escape seat, unable to function

Everybody waits for everyone to make a show
Everyone anticipates each other's actions

No-one wants to be the first, admitting that they know
No one wishes to be the initial person to acknowledge their understanding

How anything that's gone down here could fit into an analytic groove
How any event that has occurred can be classified or explained logically

Wait for the tactical move
Await the strategic action

Wait for some action we all can approve.
Wait for an activity that everyone can agree upon

Too much to drink, for the cup reaches down to the sea
Excessive consumption, as the container extends endlessly

Too much to think, the barometer pressuring me
Overwhelming thoughts, as the pressure builds

Rolling down the weather for an Easter parade
Predicting the conditions for a festive procession on Easter

Reeling out the Maydays in the hope of being saved
Sending distress signals in the hope of rescue

But the radio ham's out giving blood
But the amateur radio operator is busy donating blood

No, no, no, he's not listening.
No, he is not paying attention

The cricketer knows his 'Wisden'
The cricket player is familiar with the 'Wisden' cricket almanac

The pilot has got his 'Jane's'
The pilot possesses the 'Jane's' aviation reference book

But the sum of this factual wisdom
Yet, the combination of these factual knowledge

Don't help us to fly the plane
Does not assist us in operating the aircraft

(No, and it never will...)
(No, and it never will...)

Beneath the tartan two-piece something rips undone...
Below the plaid suit, something tears apart...

Wait for the ladder to run
Anticipate the unfolding of events

Wait for the snake that the ladder becomes.
Wait for the treacherous situation that arises

A passenger hits the cockpit, willing to chance his game
A traveler strikes the cockpit, daring to take a risk

Pulls out his gun and cocks it
Takes out his gun and readies it for use

In the hope that it all might change.
In the desperate hope of altering the circumstances

(Oh, but it never will...)
(Oh, but it never will...)

A fly-leaf from the library shows others have been here before
An inserted sheet from a book indicates previous visitors

Tried, failed and kicked out the door
Attempted, experienced defeat, and were expelled

The aircrew don't care anymore
The flight crew no longer feels concerned

Not they just wait
Instead, they simply wait

For the beat of the silk-worm wing
For the rhythm of the delicate wings

Wait for the heat to come down on us
Wait for the intense pressure to affect us

Full force of the law.
The total impact of the regulations

Full force of gravity pulls me down
The complete effect of gravity pulls me downwards

I'll be better off out of there
I will be in a better situation if I leave that place

Aerobatic spin around
Performing a dynamic maneuver in flight

I'll take my chances in the open air.
I will embrace the uncertainties in the unrestricted environment

Sycamore silk-worm wings
Delicate wings made of sycamore material

Or Roman Candle to the ground
Or burning firework descending to the earth

There's only one thing for sure
There is only one definite thing

When the balloon goes up
When circumstances become challenging

The aeronaut calm down.
The aviator remains composed

He say nothing is quite what it seems
He suggests that appearances can be deceiving

He say nothing is quite what it seems
He states that nothing is truly as it appears

I say nothing is nothing.
I assert that nothing holds no value

Softly, the angels sing their time and space refrain
Quietly, celestial beings repeat their verses about time and space

There's something in everything if you can only pin down its name
Every object or concept holds significance once identified

Aerobatic thoughts at the back of my mind
Acrobatic notions linger in my subconscious

Is it nothing but the looping line we all follow?
Is it simply the cyclical path we all adhere to?

Nothing but the spiral twist of DNA
Nothing but the intricate structure of DNA

There'll be no looking back from tomorrow on today.
There will be no turning back from today when tomorrow arrives

So the wire is tripped, split-seconds defect to their successors
Thus, a trigger is activated, and imperceptible moments transition to the next

The umbilical cord is ripped
The vital connection is suddenly severed

Here we all are in free fall.
And now we are all uncontrollably descending

I stall where I am, as if to see where I've been
I pause in my current position, as if reflecting on the past

Only running down the looping line we all follow
But merely continuing along the cyclical path we all traverse

Only chasing down the spiral twist of DNA
Only pursuing the convoluted spiral of genetic material

There can be no looking on to tomorrow from today.
It is impossible to envision tomorrow from the vantage point of today

Life/death/night/day - cold breath will surely fly away
Existence, mortality, darkness, and light will all inevitably cease

Is the empire of sensation locked in a black box
Are the realm of perception and feeling confined within an inaccessible container

Deep in me, encoded there somehow?
Buried within me, encrypted in some manner?

It fires the imagination to fly on a wing and a prayer
It fuels the imagination, encouraging us to take risks with faith as our guide

Through my life - is that how it is?
Throughout my existence - is that the reality?

There'll be no looking back on this...
There will be no reminiscing about this

This is now, which will be then
This is the present, which will become the past

Is this the means? All I know for sure is
Is this the method? All I can be certain of is

This is the end.
This is the conclusion

No looking back from tomorrow
No reflecting on the future

No, there'll be no looking back on today
No, there will be no revisiting today

Better be looking on to tomorrow...
It is advisable to focus on tomorrow

Better think on today.
But also to consider the present