Keith Emerson - Organ, Synthesizer, Piano, Keyboards, Multi Instruments
Greg Lake - Acoustic & Electric Guitar, Bass Guitar, Vocals
Carl Palmer - Percussion, Drums
Barry Diament - Mastering
Eddie Offord - Engineer
Hipgnosis - Design, Photography
Phil Crennell - Photo Tinting
The first real group effort once ELP was established, a very
romantic-sounding album, with a very restrained use of the synthesizer,
which stands in for an orchestra here, rather than setting new
boundaries in electronic sound. Mobile Fidelity, Victory, and Rhino
each has an excellent version of this disc out.
Why do you stare
Do you think that I care?
You've been mislead
By the thoughts in your head
Your words waste and decay
Nothing you say
Reaches my ears anyway
You never spoke a word of truth
Why do you think
I believe what you said
Few of your words
Ever enter my head
I'm tired of liver for freaks?
With tongues in their cheeks
Turning their eyes as they speak
They make me sick and tired
Are you confused
To the point in your mind
Though you're blind
Can't you see you're wrong
Won't you refuse
To be used
Even though you may know
I can see you're wrong
Please, please, please open their eyes
Please, please, please don't give me lies
I loon? all of the earth
Witness my birth
Cried at the sight of a man
And still I don't know who I am
I've seen paupers as kings
Puppets on strings
Dance for the children who stare
You must have seen them everywhere
The Endless Enigma - Fugue
(instrumental)
The Endless Enigma Part Two
Each part was played
Though the play was not shown
Everyone came
But they all sat alone
The dawn opened the play
Waking the day
Causing a silent hooray
The dawn will break another day
Now that it's done
Are we going to see the reason why I'm here
From The Beginning
There might have been things I missed
But don't be unkind
It don't mean I'm blind
Perhaps there's a thing or two
I think of lying in bed
I shouldn't have said
But there it is
You see it's all clear
You were meant to be here
From the beginning
Maybe I might have changed
And not been so cruel
Not been such a fool
Whatever was done is done
I just can't recall
It doesn't matter at all
You see it's all clear
You were meant to be here
From the beginning
The Sheriff
Wicked Josie rode away
In the sunset covered sky
A lynching mob had strung his friend up
Right before his eyes
He didn't know what they'd both done
He sure as hell would end up one
A hot tin notch on the sheriff's gun
If he didn't move on
Get out of here
The sheriff followed Josie's journey
From Kansas in the West
He said he'd put a bullet right
Through poor old Josie's chest
But Josie wasn't like the rest
He don't like bullet holes in his vest
In fact he'd do his very best
Don't want any arrest
Don't want to be the guest
Of the sheriff
The nights got so damned cold
He couldn't stand the pace
He looked again for sheriff's men
But couldn't see the chase
Josie found a nice warm place
But then the sheriff solved the case
Hoped to find Josie's face
And said lookie here...
Sheriff rode him into town
With Josie look inside
He didn't know about the six-gun
Wicked Josie had
Then Josie drew his gun real fast
Gave the sheriff one big blast
And Josie was a song at last
A legend from the past
Nobody ever messed with the sheriff
Hoedown
(instrumental)
Trilogy
I've tried to mend
The love that ended
Long ago although we still pretend
Our love is surely coming to an end
Don't waste the time you've got to love again
We tried to lie
But you and I
Know better than to let each other lie
The thought of lying to you makes me cry
Counting up the time that's passed us by
I've sent this letter hoping it will reach your hand
And if it does I hope that you will understand
That I must leave in a while
And though I smile
You know the smile is only there to hide
What I'm really feeling deep inside
Just a face where I can hang my pride
Goodbye...
Goodbye...
We'll talk of places that we went
And times that we have spent
Together penniless and free
You'll see the day another way
And they could put the sunshine
for a nighttime where you lay
You're love began I don't know when
But if you do I know that
you'll be happy in the end
Living Sin
Will you stand up or will you freeze
That savage woman make you please
Turn your inside outside in
Still you don't know where she has been
Living sin
Can't you see through
She's going to realize the way to sound you
Finely ground you
Sudden
Never cured by a one night lover
Sell you
Stories of a meeting with a younger brother
Twisty
All the people lyin' were just a blind cover
No one
Ever gonna pry her from a two-faced mother
Can't you see through
She's going to realize the way to sound you
If you never saw it coming
Hooked you up with Coca-Cola coming
Nice and slippery