It is hard for an ex-king to become a night watchman.
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The Watchman
'Watchman, what of the night?'
'The stars are out in the sky;
And the merry round moon will be rising soon,
For us to go sailing by.'
'Watchman, what of the night?'
'The tide flows in from the sea;
There's water to float a little cockboat
Will carry such fishers as we.'
'Watchman, what of the night?'
'The night is a fruitful time;
When to many a pair are born children fair,
To be christened at morning chime.'
1849
poem by Charles Kingsley
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All's Well
Watchman, watchman, what of the night,
What of the night to tell?
The heavens are dark, and never a light
But the far-off flicker of Hell.
But the steed is in the stall,
Unsleeping;
And the warder on the wall,
Watch-keeping;
And the granary is stored,
And ready gun and sword.
In the name of the Lord,
All's Well!
Watchman, watchman, what of the night,
What of the night to tell?
The wind blows fierce, and the foam flies white,
And the waters moan and swell.
But the foes to haven keep,
Safe hiding;
And our ships are on the deep,
Sure riding;
And the gallant hearts on board
Keep ceaseless watch and ward.
In the name of the Lord,
All's Well!
Watchman, watchman, what of the night,
What of the night to tell?
There are widows weeping, and babes affright,
And a ceaseless burial bell.
But the hand that holds the gun
Still shakes not;
And the line drops one by one,
Yet breaks not.
Of the blood so nobly poured
There shall surely be reward.
In the name of the Lord,
All's Well
poem by Francis William Bourdillon
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The night watchman
The fire in the holed drum burns bright
and I can see red coals flickering
like the shining stars up in the sky
and white teeth smiles at me
while I walk by
and the night watchman puffs at a cigarette
and with sharp eyes watches
from his black overcoat
as if nothing passes him
with one hand holding a baton
and somewhere up there
eternally a watchman guards
while the lights of his fires beacons the night
against the dark, against evil things.
[References: Nagwag (night watchman) by DJ Opperman and the nightwatchman by Fhazel Johennesse.]
poem by Gert Strydom
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The Rich
A night watchman; the rich man keeps
So that he can have a sound sleep
The richman spends sleepless night
The watchman has sleep in his eyes.
Servant places delicious and rich food
but there is no time to eat
Doctor advised to leave delectableness
to be healthy and keep fit.
(C) S.D. Tiwari
poem by S.D. Tiwari
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Must you be a king?
Being a king, you don’t trust the queen.
Being a kink, you don’t trust sons.
Being a king, you suspect everyone.
A watchman will horbour no such pain.
30.12.2011
poem by Rm. Shanmugam Chettiar
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Night Watchman
The leopard's eyes scanned left and right,
As sunshine faded fast,
For soon would come the moon and night,
When one more day had past
And eyes must now be on alert
With instincts borne to bear,
In case there was a need to spurt,
Escaping fast elsewhere...
The leopard's eyes were cooling down
As twilight gathered close,
As clear blue skies turn somewhat brown
And brilliant sunshine goes...
The air has felt a sudden chill
That creatures know full well...
The moon ascends on yonder hill
And casts its silver spell...
The leopard's eyes observe the scene,
The scene he's seen before,
The coming of the in-between,
The timing ever sure...
Night watchman, waiting, instincts taut,
Aware of everything,
Avoiding dangers as he ought,
That's how he's stayed the king...
Denis Martindale, copyright, September 2012.
The poem is based on the magnificent painting
by Stephen Gayford called 'Night Watchman II'.
More Stephen Gayford poems here:
denis-martindale-dot-blogspot-dot-com
poem by Denis Martindale
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King Of Somewhere Hot
King of somewhere hot
By: jimmy buffett, ralph macdonald, william salter, robert greenidge
1988
Robert greenidge and ralph macdonald finally got me to trinidad and when I heard the desperados playing my song up on laventhill I felt like a king and it was hot.
Ive travelled all around the world
And there are places that still stand out to me
None can really quite compare
To my island in the sea
My personal utopia
A place to run to where I can hide away
Where I can truly reign supreme
Somewhere fresh and clean where a man can dream
Chorus:
Im king, (king) king of somewhere hot
Im king, (king) like every man should be
Im king, (king) king of somewhere hot
Where the music in my soul(music in my soul)
Makes me start to lose control (start to lose control)
And Ill melt right on the spot
Im the king of somewhere hot (hot)
King of somewhere hot (hot)
King of somewhere hot (hot)
King of somewhere hot (hot)
Now you just rent yourself a tile and dance the night away
Just like the locals do
A million miles from robin leach, life is just a beach
So far out of reach
Chorus:
Im king, (king) king of somewhere hot
Im king, (king) like every man should be
Im king, (king) king of somewhere hot
Where the music in my soul(music in my soul)
Makes me start to lose control (start to lose control)
And Ill melt right on the spot
Im the king of somewhere hot (hot)
King of somewhere hot (hot)
King of somewhere hot (hot)
King of somewhere hot (hot)
So hot!
(pan solo)
Some day I hope to find my queen I know shell come my way
Ill give her all my love
Its not a complicated thing someplace I can swing
Where a man can be a king
Chorus:
Im king, (king) king of somewhere hot
Im king, (king) like every man should be
Im king, (king) king of somewhere hot
I dont care how hard you look (dont care how hard you look)
Ooh you wont find me in the book (wont find me in the book)
cause Im here right on the spot
Oh! Im the king of somewhere hot (hot)
King of somewhere hot (to trot)
King of somewhere hot (hot)
Hot to trot
King of somewhere hot (to trot)
(king of somewhere hot)
song performed by by Jimmy Buffett
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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King Of The Night Time World
Ken fowley, michael anthony, paul stanley, bob ezrin
Its so sad, livin at home
Far from the city and the midnight fun
Its so bad, goin to school
So far from me and the dirty things that we do
Im the king of the night time world
And youre my headlight queen
Im the king of the night time world
Come live your secret dream
Its so fine, lovin with ease
Far from the house and the family fights
Its so fine, bein with you
Bein with me makes everything alright
Im the king of the night time world
And youre my headlight queen
Im the king of the night time world
Come live your secret dream, alright
Its so sad, youre not content
Far from the music and the neon glow
Aint you glad we got the time
Far from our folks, theyll never ever know
Im the king of the night time world
And youre my headlight queen
Im the king of the night time world
Come live your secret dream
Im the king, Im the king, Im the king, Im the king
Im the king, Im the king, Im the king, Im the king
Im the king of the night time world
And youre my headlight queen
Im the king of the night time world
Come live your secret dream
Im the king of the night time world
And youre my headlight queen
Im the king of the night time world
Come live your secret dream
Im the king of the night time world
And youre my headlight queen
Im the king of the night time world
Come live your secret dream
Im the king of the night time world
song performed by by Kiss
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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When the Watchman Saw the Light
Winter, summer, the watchman sat there looking out
from the roof of Atreus' palace.
Now he has good news to report. He's seen the fire light up
in the distance and he's happy; besides, the drudgery's over now:
it's hard to sit there night and day in heat and cold,
waiting for a fire to show
on the peak of Arachnaion.
Now the longed-for signal has appeared. Yet when happiness comes
it brings less joy than one expected.
But at least we've gained this much: we've rid ourselves
of hope and expectation. Many things will happen
to the house of Atreus: no need to be wise
to guess this now the watchman has seen the light.
So let's not exaggerate.
The light is good; and those coming are good,
their words and actions also good.
And let's hope all goes well.
But Argos can do without the house of Atreus.
Ancient houses are not eternal.
Of course many people will have much to say.
We should listen. But we won't be deceived
by words such as Indispensable, Unique, and Great.
Someone else indispensable and unique and great
can always be found at a moment's notice.
poem by Constantine P. Cavafy
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King & Country
All the love of my mother, I offer to you
And Ill try so very hard , to get you through
If lay down my life, for my king and country men
Would it change you for the better
It better be all right
To be always like children
Afraid of the night
If I gave up the cause , what would you give me
To make up for all the things that I would lose
If I lay down my life , for my king and country men
Would it change you for the better
It better be all right
To be always like children
Afraid of the night
Well you better get busy , get it over and done
I was here when you arrived , Ill be here when youre gone
If I give up my life for my king and country men
Would it change you for the better
It better be all right
To be never like people
Afraid of the night
Do do do , etc ... (fade out)
song performed by by Bee Gees
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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King's Song
Written by - Jim Croce
He struggled so hard to be king
Working night and day
Dreaming of only one thing
Never a holiday
Somewhere along the way
He forgot she was only a girl
Now his kingdom has fallen
And it's really quite a tragic tale
Cause he built a castle to harbor his queen
But the queen claimed he built her a jail
He struggled so hard to be king
He wanted everything
He built her a house by the sea
Just to keep her in
Somewhere along the way
He forgot she needed a friend
Now his kingdom has fallen
And it's really quite a tragic tale
Cause he built a castle to harbor his queen
And the queen claimed he built her a jail
It happened so quickly before he could know
She was gone, far gone
Far from the castle, the diamonds and things
She had worn to the ball
There was a note that she carefully wrote
Signed it best wishes to all
Oh you struggled so hard to be king
Working night and day
Dreaming of only one thing, never a holiday
Somewhere along the way
You forgot that I needed a man
When they found him they took him back where he belonged
And his family and friends saw him annually
And they say it's a shame what's become of the king
song performed by by Jim Croce
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Vocation
When the gong sounds ten in the morning and I walk to school by our
lane.
Every day I meet the hawker crying, "Bangles, crystal
bangles!"
There is nothing to hurry him on, there is no road he must
take, no place he must go to, no time when he must come home.
I wish I were a hawker, spending my day in the road, crying,
"Bangles, crystal bangles!"
When at four in the afternoon I come back from the school,
I can see through the gate of that house the gardener digging
the ground.
He does what he likes with his spade, he soils his clothes
with dust, nobody takes him to task if he gets baked in the sun or
gets wet.
I wish I were a gardener digging away at the garden with
nobody to stop me from digging.
Just as it gets dark in the evening and my mother sends me to
bed,
I can see through my open window the watchman walking up and
down.
The lane is dark and lonely, and the street-lamp stands like
a giant with one red eye in its head.
The watchman swings his lantern and walks with his shadow at
his side, and never once goes to bed in his life.
I wish I were a watchman walking the streets all night,
chasing the shadows with my lantern.
poem by Rabindranath Tagore
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The Watchman of Dark Christmas Night
The brazier’s glowing coals lit up his eyes.
I asked the watchman as he guarded time:
tell me, watchman, of the truth of Night..
he said: when I had conquered all the tasks of day,
I took night-watching as the sternest test,
to seek the weakness, and to seek the strength
which I might find there in my deepest self..
In darkest night, I lost myself – or so
I thought I had: for every night,
as the third hour after midnight moves
into the fourth hour, there came a time
when all one held as precious to oneself,
all joy and consolation, all the point of life
was taken from me… then I felt
myself an abject, faithless wretch..
for it seemed that even God
is in repose, in that abyss of time..
taking from me, even faith,
and hope, and love itself..
and then one day, I saw in paint –
it could have been by Rembrandt’s guided hand –
the darkness, to be full of light..
more full than day itself..
the light itself, as God, all in repose;
and in the darkness are all things
drawn back into themselves;
so that they may awake at dawn
the fresher; Diadochus, holy man,
who knew dark well, for all his holiness,
and welcomed it… gave it a name:
‘educative desolation’ was his term…
for what mortal man would not become complacent
to think he walked with God both day and night?
At that darkest hour, faith, hope, and loving-kindness
may be withdrawn from human kind; yet,
they cannot die, I learned; they must return..
And no one may tell – as shepherds watch,
and angels fill the skies –
what Mary feels, before her faith and hope
are born as joy and love..
what Mary feels, this night as dark as sin..
what Mary feels, before the holy dawn;
only humility, for her, for us,
will see us through the testing hours;
will teach us in this darkest night
the darkness full of brightest light..
We sat there silent for a space,
I and the watchman of the Night;
the brazier glowing warm and bright;
the silence full of grace.
poem by Michael Shepherd
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Bank On Your Love
One lonely eye faces the queen
How far she goes remains to be seen
She can be hard and she knows it
She plays her heart and doesnt show it
Cold night cold like me
No lov elost betting on the king
And its a hard unknown
Before the hand is showing
The con is out when the eagle flies
If you know the hand is quicker than the eye
Can I bank on your love
Hands down left high and dry
Games in the night are quicker than the eye
That aint love or affection
The dealer changed direction
Bets are high and Im losing enough
Wont anybody play fair with my love
cause its hard not knowing
And my heart is showing
The king is out and the eagle flies
Dont you know the hand is quicker than the eye
Can I bank on your love
song performed by by Hall & Oates
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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It's one of the tragic ironies of the theatre that only one man in it can count on steady work - the night watchman.
quote by Tallulah Bankhead
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Until Sunrise
“A Soldier Tales”
I stand upon this field a watchman
over my brothers who now lay at rest.
And until sunrise here I’ll stand.
Sleep my dear brothers;
Dream pleasantly with
no fear. For I will stand watch
over you all like an angel sent
from heaven. Until sunrise.
Now as the night wind whistles
I hear each of your voices in the
breeze, Each of you my dear
brothers thanking me; for watching
over you all until the sunrise.
But my dear brothers’ rest, for you need
not thank me. In fact I should be thanking you
for you are asleep now, so that I and many
others can be awake. So rest your heads in
your graves knowing that you all did not die in
vane, and until God calls me to my final resting
place. I’ll be your watchman my brothers.
Until Sunrise.
Let's Take All Night (To Say Goodbye)
Music by: Barry Manilow Lyrics by: John Bettis
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Two A.M.
Two of us
Come sunrise I'm leavin'
You know I must
I can't bear the heartache
That's in your eyes
So
Let's take all night to say goodbye
You know I want to stay
How I want to stay
Let's take all night to say goodbye
'Cause goodbye is hard to say
Oh so hard to say
So let's take all night
Smile for me
Why don't we
Make this the sweetest of memories
The love that we make now
Is all we have
So
Let's take all night to say goodbye
You know I want to stay
How I want to stay
Let's take all night to say goodbye
'Cause goodbye is hard to say
Oh so hard to say
Let's take each moment
And every desire
You make the coffee
And I'll light the fire
And we'll take all night to say goodbye
You know I want to stay
How I want to stay
Let's take all night to say goodbye
'Cause goodbye is hard to say
Oh so hard to say
So let's take all night to say goodbye
song performed by by Barry Manilow
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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Everybodys Going To Heaven / King Kong Reggae
I remember, I remember
What life was like in the yard
cause you cant ever think about dying
And it just makes a person get hard
I keep wondering if my friends feel like I do
I dont know how someone could stand it
To go through what Im now going through
So every night we party
And every night we get too high
And I put myself so close to death
til I think that I aint gonna die
And I realize just a little
Why sometimes I like to feel like dirt
Its the only thing in this day and age
That can make me feel close to the earth
But if I ever get to heaven
If I ever reach that door
I will listen why I had to go through this life
Why they just couldnt take me before
But everybodys going to heaven
cause already weve all been through hell
Were gonna laugh all night and cry all day
Watch the big monkey do the king kong reggae
A cadillac and a chevrolet
Watch the big monkey do the king kong reggae
The president of the u. s. a.
Watch the big monkey do the king kong reggae
Everybody fall down on your knees and pray
Here comes that big monkey doing the king kong reggae
song performed by by Todd Rundgren
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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To Be (Love Poem)
Sometimes it’s hard to be apart
Sometimes it’s hard to be brave
Sometimes it’s hard to be cold
Sometimes it’s hard to be daring
Sometimes it’s hard to be early
Sometimes it’s hard to be friends
Sometimes it’s hard to be good
Sometimes it’s hard to be happy
Sometimes it’s hard to be in-love
Sometimes it’s hard to be just
Sometimes it’s hard to be kind
Sometimes it’s hard to be lovely
Sometimes it’s hard to be mellow
Sometimes it’s hard to be nasty
Sometimes it’s hard to be out
Sometimes it’s hard to be poor
Sometimes it’s hard to be quiet
Sometimes it’s hard to be ready
Sometimes it’s hard to be simple
Sometimes it’s hard to be together
poem by Ian Beckett
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Hard Night For Sarah
Its been a hard night for Sarah
The divorce went through today
Ten years out the window
She's been faithful all the way
She's feeling really bitter
She's feeling lost and small
She wonders where it all went wrong
Its been a hard night for Sarah
She's taken quite a fall
Well he was all she ever hoped for
And she gave him all she had
Never gave a cause to worry
Never hurt her or made her sad
And no one thought to tell her
They all figured that she knew
Just another harmless fling
A phase all men go through
Its been a hard night for Sarah
She's going to have to see it through
Gonna have to see it through
The sun is slowly rising
On another brand new day
The children will be waking soon
And shell send them on their way
Its been a hard night for Sarah
Its been a hard night for Sarah
Its been a hard night for Sarah
But today is another day
Today is another day
song performed by by Kid Rock
Submitted by Lucian Velea
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