KING CRIMSON: Islands (1971)

1. Formentera Lady
2. Sailor's Tale
3. The Letters
4. Ladies of the Road
5. Prelude: Song of the Gulls
6. Islands

FORMENTERA LADY
Houses iced in whitewash guard a pale shore-line
Cornered by the cactus and the pine.
Here I wander where sweet sage and stranger herbs grow
Down a crumpled sun-baked stony road.
Dusty wheels leaning rusting in the sun;
Snuff brown walls where spanish lizards run.
Here I'm shadowed by a dragon fig tree's fan
Ringed by ants and musing over man.

I'll unwind my old strings while the sun shine down.
Won't climb any high thing while the sun shine.
Formentera lady sing your song for me
Formentera lady sun lover.

Lamplight glows on old guitars the travellers strum
Incence children dance to an indian drum.
Here Odysseus charmed for dark Circe fell,
Still her perfume lingers still her spell.

Time's grey hand won't catch me while the stars shine down
Untie and unlatch me while the stars shine.
Formentera lady dance your dance for me

Formentera lady dark lover

SAILOR'S TALE

(Instrumental)

THE LETTERS
With quill and silver knife
She carved a poison pen
Wrote to her lover's wife
"Your husband's seed has fed my flesh."

As if a leper's face
That tainted letter graced
The wife with choke-stone throat
Ran to the day with tear blind eyes.

Impaled on nails of ice
And raked with emerald fire
The wife with soul like snow
With steady hand begins to write.

"I'm still, I need no life
To serve on boys and men
What's mine was yours is dead

I take my leave of mortal flesh."

LADIES OF THE ROAD
A flower lady's daughter
As sweet as holy water
Said "I'm the school reporter
Please teach me," well I taught her.
Two-fingered levi'd sister
Said "Peace," I stopped I kissed her.
Said, "I'm a male resister,"
I smiled and just unzipped her.
High diving chinese trender
Black hair and black suspender,
Said, "Please me no surrender
Just love to feel your Fender."

All of you know that the girls of the road
Are like apples you stole in your youth.
All of you know that the girls of the road
Been around but are versed in the truth.

Stone-headed Frisco spacer
Ate all the meat I gave her
Said would I like to taste hers
And even craved the flavour.
"Like marron-glaced fish bones
Oh lady hit the road!"
All of you know that the girls of the road
Are like apples you stole in your youth.
All of you know that the girls of the road

Been around but are versed in the truth.

PRELUDE: SONG OF THE GULLS

(Instrumental)

ISLANDS
Earth stream and tree encircled by the sea
Waves sweep the sand from my island.
My sunsets fade.
Field and glade wait only for rain
Grain after grain love erodes my
Hight weathered walls which fend off the tide
Cradle the wind
to my island.

Gaunt granity climbs where gulls wheel and glide
Mournfully cry o'er my island.
My dawn bride's veil, damp and pale,
Dissolves in the sun.
Love's web is spun - cats prowl, mice run
Wreathe snatch-hand briars where owls know my eyes.
Violet skies
Touch my island, touch me.

Beneath the wind turned wave
Infinite peace
Islands join hands
'Neath heaven's sea.

Dark harbour quays like fingers of stone
Hungrily reach from my island.
Clutch sailors' words - pearls and gourds
Are strewn on my shore.
Equal in love, bound in circles.
Earth stream and tree return to the sea
Waves sweep the sand from my island,

from me.