SCOTT WALKER: Rhymes of Goodbye

I've come far from chains,
from metal and stone
From makeshift designs,
I'm seeking a star

To grab for the truth,
to keep myself one
I turn and it's gone,
you smile and it's born

The rhymes of a woman's a river
that never ends
The rhymes of dimension surrounds us
with fire and friends
and roaring through darkness
the night children fly
I still hear them singing
the rhymes of goodbye

"There's nothing within
but within" says a voice
"That's still my empire
and I've got a choice"
It's heedless of death,
it's still got a fire
And I'll keep it burning
with hands of desire

The bells of our senses
can cost us our pride
Can toll out the boundaries
that level our lives
Can slash like the sunlight
through shutters and cracks
Our nakedness calling
our nakedness back

The rhyme of our passions find beauty
in loving love
The rhyme of our madness burns cities
in push and shoves
And roaring through darkness
the night children fly
I still hear them singing
the rhymes of goodbye

Scott 4 (1969)

Category:

Music

Tags:

• Scott
• Walker
• Engel
• Rhymes
• of
• Goodbye

[NWG92]

@alexmortland Yes, but regardless of the music, we can still objectively refute that he's "done no wrong" because his early 70s albums consisted of him singing songs that others wrote for him. Even if they were the greatest albums of all time, I think any artist who suppresses his own creativity in order to make a few bucks is "doing wrong".

[alexmortland]

@NWG92 Hey there Junior Critic. Where opinions are concerned (and especially opinions about art), there's no such thing as objectivity. I mean, I don't like those horrible 70s Walker records EITHER, but can I really PROVE that they're "objectively" worse than Tilt or The Drift? Nope, can't do it. What's the criteria?

[NWG92]

@stillovescott True, but considering he had little to no creative input on his 70s records, and considering their relative lack of originality or inspiration, I don't think that you can objectively say that he's "done no wrong". Regardless, Scott 4 and his two latest albums (Tilt and The Drift) easily rank amongst the greatest pieces of music conceived in the past century.

[stillovescott]

@NWG92 Ah! that is in your opinion...but don't forget, we all have different tastes and opinions of music!

[NWG92]

@stillovescott You must be forgetting all the horrible solo records he put out in the 70s.

[stillovescott]

He's done no wrong in the 40 odd years I've been listening to him. This is superb!

[beketaten]

This song makes me tremble all over.

[125forcesspool]

The most beautiful song on the greatest album ever made. Scott means so much to me, I can never describe.

[Useless2112]

I wrote this song.

[ween6600]

This song rides the wave, love it!