Ghost of the Disease


© Richard Goldman, 2009




The Dreamer is besotted
Blood not fully clotted
Stomach tightly knotted all the while


Paraphernalia hidden
The tremors come unbidden
Don't know who you're kiddin' with that guile


Better living through chemistry
Swinging blindly, tree to tree
Name your poison, count to three and smile


Rock of Ages, timeless stone
Find the strength to stand alone
Learning as you're able; cards upon the table
And you moan


The Shadow, he knows evil
Unchanged and primeval
Still, what you believe'll change by dawn


It seems imagination
Is swept up by contagion
'til the fever breaks much further on


Better living ...


Rock of Ages, sky to sand
Looking for a place to land
Abdicate the burden
Forget what you have heard and lend a hand


We've been down this road before and it's not a pretty sight
Stronger folk have been brought to their knees
Like a sycophantic host who only aims to please
It seems you've caught a ghost of the disease


The Devil lies in waiting
Hushed anticipating
Don't think I'm misstating -- he's got time


Still, an aberration
Claws toward reformation
Passing from absurd to the sublime


Better living ...


Rock of Ages, sing your song
Wondering whether we went wrong
Once the apple's bitten
a new page can be written - if you're strong


We've been down ...


Yes, we've travelled down this road, and it's not a pretty sight
Stronger folk have been brought to their knees
Like a sycophantic host who only aims to please
It seems you've caught a ghost --
Luckier than most
It seems you've caught a ghost of the disease