PROCOL HARUM

PROCOL HARUM

THE TREASURE ALBUM (1989)

  1. Whiter Shade Of Pale
  2. Homburg
  3. A Salty Dog
  4. Conquistador
  5. (No More) Fear Of Flying
  6. Grand Hotel
  7. Pandora's Box
  8. Fires (Which Burnt Brightly)
  9. The Angler
10. Home Loving
11. Say It Ain't So Joe
12. Whaling Stories
13. Shine On Brightly
14. Quite Rightly So
15. Two Fools In Love
16. No News From The Western Frontier

PROCOL HARUM

THE TREASURE ALBUM

1. WHITER SHADE OF PALE

We skipped the light fandango
Turned cartwheels 'cross the floor
I was feeling kinda seasick
But the crowd called out for more
The room was humming harder
As the ceiling flew away
When we called out for another drink
The waiter brought a tray

And so it was that later
As the miller told his tale
That her face, at first just ghostly
Turned a whiter shade of pale

She said: "There is no reason,
And the truth is plain to see."
But I wandered through my playing cards
Would not let her be
One of sixteen Vestal Virgins
Who were leaving for the coast
And although my eyes were open
They might have just as well've been closed

And so it was that later
As the miller told his tale
That her face, at first just ghostly
Turned a whiter shade of pale

And so it was...

2. HOMBURG

Your multilingual business friend
Has packed her bags and fled
Leaving only ash-filled ashtrays
And the lipsticked unmade bed
The mirror on reflection
Has climbed back upon the wall
For the floor she found descended
And the ceiling was too tall

Your trouser cuffs are dirty
And your shoes are laced up wrong
You'd better take off your homburg
'cos your overcoat is too long

The town clock in the market square
Stands waiting for the hour
When its hands they both turn backwards
And on meeting will devour
Both themselves and also any fool
Who dares to tell the time
And the sun and moon will shatter
And the signposts cease to sign

Your trouser cuffs are dirty
And your shoes are laced up wrong
You'd better take off your homburg
'cos your overcoat is too long

Your trouser cuffs are dirty
And your shoes are laced up wrong
You'd better take off your homburg
'cos your overcoat is too long

Your trouser cuffs are dirty
And your shoes are laced up wrong
You'd better take off your homburg
'cos your overcoat is too long.

3. A SALTY DOG

"All hands on deck, we've run afloat!"
I heard the captain cry
"Explore the ship, replace the cook
let no one leave alive!"
Across the straits, around the Horn
How far can sailors fly?
A twisted path, our tortured course
And no one left alive

We sailed for parts unknown to man
Where ships come home to die
No lofty peak, nor fortress bold
Could match our captain's eye
Upon the seventh seasick day
We made our port of call
A sand so white, and sea so blue
No mortal place at all

We fired the gun, and burnt the mast
And rowed from ship to shore
The captain cried, we sailors wept
Our tears were tears of joy
Now many moons and many Junes
Have passed since we made land
A salty dog, this seaman's log
Your witness my own hand.

4. CONQUISTADOR

Conquistador, your stallion stands
In need of company
And like some angel's haloed brow
You reek of purity
I see your armour-plated breast
Has long-since lost its sheen
And in your death-masked face
There are no signs which can be seen
And though I hope for something to find
I can see no place to unwind

Conquistador, a vulture sits
Upon your silver shield
And in your rusty scabbard now
The sand has taken seed
And though your jewel-encrusted blade
Has not been plundered still
The sea has washed across your face
And taken of its fill
And though I hope for something to find
I can see no place to unwind
And though I hope for something to find
I can see no place to unwind

Conquistador, there is no time
I must pay my respect
And though I came to jeer at you
I leave now with regret
And as the gloom begins to fall
I see there is no, only all
And though you came with sword held high
You did not conquer, only die
And though I hope for something to find
I can see no place to unwind
Though I hope for, something to find
I can see no place to unwind

Though I hope for, something to find
I can see no place to unwind.

5. (NO MORE) FEAR OF FLYING

There was no more fear of flying
Once the final word were spoke
There was no more tears of crying
It had all become a joke
Though they took a vow of silence
Still the rumours quickly spread
There was no more point in trying
For the great affair was dead

There was no more fear of flying
There was no more fears and pain
There was no more need for spying
They had everything to gain

There was no more fear of flying
There was no more tortured brow
They had dropped the safety curtain
They had killed the sacred cow
There was everything to live for
There was nothing to explain
They had left the scene, triumphant
They would live to fight again

There was no more fear of flying
There was no more fears and pain
There was no more need for spying
They had everything to gain

There was no more fear of flying
There was no more fears and pain
There was no more need for spying
They had everything to gain

There was no more fear of flying
There was no more fears and pain

There was no more...

6. GRAND HOTEL

Tonight we sleep on silken sheets
We drink fine wine and eat rare meats
On carousel and gambling stake
Our fortunes speed, and dissipate
It's candlelight and chandelier
It's silver plate and crystal clear

It's serenade and Sarabande
The nights we stay at Hotel Grand
The nights we stay at Hotel Grand

Tonight we dine at Hotel Ritz
A golden dish with every wish
It's mirrored walls, and velvet drapes
Dry champagne, and bursting grapes
Dover sole, and Oeufs Mornay
Profiteroles and Peach Flambé

The waiters dance on fingertips
The nights we dine at Hotel Ritz
The nights we dine at Hotel Ritz

One more toast to greet the morn
The wine and dine have danced till dawn
Where's my Continental Bride?
We'll Continental slip and slide
Early morning pinch and bite
These French girls always like to fight

It's serenade and Sarabande
The nights we stay at Hotel Grand
The nights we stay at Hotel Grand

Les nuits qu'on passe à l'Hotel Grande
Les nuits qu'on passe à l'Hotel Grande.

7. PANDORA'S BOX

While horsemen ride across the green
And Snow White still remains unseen
Pegasus, the winged horse
Relays his messages by Morse
And like some pirate sailor
We crossed the Spanish Main
And brought our magic carpet
To a marble staircased plain

While Händel plays his melody
Doctors cause uncertainty
And though I know the lifeguard's brave
There is no one for him to save
And like some pirate sailor
We crossed the Spanish Main
And brought our magic carpet
To a marble staircased plain

Cock Robin views his frozen feet
And wraps them in a winding sheet
And calls out for his favourite drink
The Persian that's as warm as mink
And like some pirate sailor
We crossed the Spanish Main
And brought our magic carpet
To a marble staircased plain.

8. FIRES (WHICH BURNT BRIGHTLY)

This war we are waging is already lost
The cause for the fighting has long been a ghost
Malice and habit have now won the day
The honours we fought for are lost in the fray

Standards and bugles are trod in the dust
Wounds have burst open, and corridors rust
Once proud and truthful, now humbled and bent
Fires which burnt brightly, now energies spent

Let down the curtain, and exit the play
The crowds have gone home and the cast sailed away
Our flowers and feathers as scarring as weapons
Our poems and letters have turned to deceptions.

9. THE ANGLER

The search is over, the battle done
The fish is beaten, the angler's won
But simple stories make longer tales
No consolation if he had failed

Through wind and desert, Blackberry Hole
Coyote and rattler had made him old
No it ain't easy, it's on the borderline
Between health and madness, the way he bides his time

Fin to fin in every log-jam
This is where they lie
The Deschutes is hot, the bottom's black
They're eye-to-eye
My oh my what fun to be on your own

Down foaming rapids into the deep black hole
Through thorns and rockslides for to reach his goal
And golden chances, he let them slip away
Or was he waiting for the Judgement Day?

They really nailed 'em on the deadline
This is where they lie
Where the water's fast, the current's strong
Their eye-to-eye
My oh my what fun to be on your own

But on the thirteenth morning when the sun was high
He tricked that steelhead and saw the line go tight
Two spirits fighting, two creatures bold
Bad luck and trouble had finally lost their hold

Fin to fin in every log-jam
This is where they lie
The Deschutes is hot, the bottom's black
They're eye-to-eye
I see why he spend his time on his own

They really nailed 'em on the deadline
This is where they lie
Where the water's fast, the current's strong
Their eye-to-eye
My oh my what fun to be on your own.

10. HOME LOVING

Don't you worry if you find me blue
There's not a single thing that you can do
I'm just thinking of the days I had with mama

Don't you worry 'bout the goodnight kiss
I won't remember all the nights you missed
I couldn't go back through it all again, mama

When as a boy I liked to fool around
I never had my feet down on the ground
But I loved my mama, I loved my papa
Loved my sister and my little baby brother

I was quite a fool boy at school
I've had my fun, but I was no one's fool
Yes I, I've had some good times, I've had some bad times
What's it matter when you've got somewhere to run to
Home
Home loving
Cost you nothing
Home loving
Safe from suffering

Don't you worry 'bout the things you said
I've no regrets about the life you led
Don't be concerned about the tears I shed
Oh mama

I could live here with a broken heart
Don't be upset 'cause we've been apart
I can forgive if you forget the cause
Oh mama

Now I'm having fun with all my friends
I bring them home and you were there again
Yes, I love my mother, love my father
Love my sister and my big baby brother

Now I'm a man no matter what went wrong
We've learnt our lesson, learnt to sing that song
We need
Home loving
Cost us nothing
Home loving
Safe from suffering
Home loving
Must be something
Share your problems with your own sweet brethren
Home loving
Cost you nothing
Home loving
Safe from suffering

Don't you worry if you find me crying
Don't be upset about how much you're trying
Though I'll admit my love for someone else
Now mama

I've got some
Home loving
Cost you nothing
You can get it for me
Home, sweet mother
Home loving
Cost you nothing
You can get it for me
Home, sweet brethren
Home loving
Home loving
Safe from suffering
Home loving
Cost you nothing
Home loving
There is something so bright
Home loving.

11. SAY IT AIN'T SO JOE

Say it ain't so Joe
Please, say it ain't so
That's not what I want to hear Joe
And I got a right to know

Say it ain't so Joe
Please, say it ain't so
I'm sure they're telling us lies Joe
Please, tell us it ain't so
They told us that our hero
Had played his trump card
He doesn't know how to go on
We're clinging to his charm and determined smile
But the good old days have gone

The image and the empire may be falling apart
The money has gotten scarce
One mans word held the country together
But the truth is getting fierce

Say it ain't so Joe
Please say it ain't so
We've pinned our hopes on you Joe
And they're ruining our show

Oh baby don't you think we're gonna get burned
Oh baby don't you think we're gonna get burned
We're gonna get learned, we're gonna get turned
We're gonna get burned
We're gonna get burned
We're gonna get burned
Say it ain't so Joe
Please, say it ain't so
That's not what I want to hear Joe
And I got a right to know

Say it ain't so Joe
Please, say it ain't so
I'm sure they're telling us lies Joe
Please, tell us it ain't so.

12. WHALING STORIES

Pailing well after sixteen days
A mammoth task was set
Sack the town
And rob the tower
And steal the alphabet
Close the door and bar the gate
Keep the windows clean
God's alive inside a movie!
Watch the silver screen!

Rum was served to all the traitors
Pygmies held themselves in check
Bloodhounds nosed around the houses
Down dark alleys sailors crept
Six bells struck, the pot was boiling
Soup spilled out on passers by
Angels mumbled incantations
Closely watched by God on high

Lightning struck out - fire and brimstone!
Boiling oil and shrieking steam!
Darkness struck with molten fury
Flashbulbs glorified the scene
Not a man who had a finger
Not a man who could be seen
Nothing called, not name nor number
Echo stormed its final scream

Daybreak washed with sands of gladness
Rotting all it rotted clean
Windows peeped out on their neighbours
Inside fireside bedsides gleam
SHALIMAR, the trumpets chorused
Angels wholly all shall take
Those alive will meet the prophets
Those at peace shall see their wake.

13. SHINE ON BRIGHTLY

My Prussian-blue electric clock's
Alarm bell rings, it will not stop
And I can see no end in sight
And search in vain by candlelight
For some long road that goes nowhere
For some signpost that is not there
And even my befuddled brain
Is shining brightly, quite insane

The chandelier is in full swing
As gifts for me the three kings bring
Of myrrh and frankincense, I'm told,
And fat old Buddha's carved in gold
And though it seems they smile with glee
I know in truth they envy me
And watch as my befuddled brain
Shines on brightly quite insane

Above all else confusion reigns
And though I ask no-one explains
My eunuch friend has been and gone
He said that I must soldier on
And though the Ferris wheel spins round
My tongue it seems has run aground
And croaks as my befuddled brain
Shines on brightly, quite insane
Shines on
Shines on.

14. QUITE RIGHTLY SO

For you whose eyes were opened wide
Whilst mine refused to see
I'm sore in need of saving grace
Be kind and humour me
I'm lost amidst a sea of wheat
Where people speak but seldom meet
And grief and laughter, strange but true
Although they die, they seldom cry

An ode by any other name
I know might read more sweet
Perhaps the sun will never shine
Upon my field of wheat
But still in closing, let me say
For those too sick, too sick to see
Though nothing shows, yes, someone knows
I wish that one was me

An ode by any other name
I know might read more sweet
Perhaps the sun will never shine
Upon my field of wheat
But still in closing, let me say
For those too sick, too sick to see
Though nothing shows, yes, someone knows
I wish that one was me

Though nothing shows, yes, someone knows
I wish that one was me

Though nothing shows, yes, someone knows.

15. TWO FOOLS IN LOVE

Don't you listen to a word they're saying
We're in love and that's the way we'll stay forever
It doesn't matter what they think about us
I know that you and I'll work it out together
They can't stand to see us caring
Can't believe what we are sharing

They tell me I'm a gentleman of leisure
And you're just a woman of pleasure
Maybe it's only infatuation
We don't care it's a lovely situation
Don't they know it's not the way we planned it
Guess they'll never really understand it

Two fools in love
Nowhere to run
Two hearts as one

Two fools in love
Blessed from above
Two hearts as one

If people had their way they'd part us
Separate lives and far removed from each other
So let's leave the world we know behind us
We'll walk away girl as lovers
It's no crime that need our time defending
Just a case of love that's never ending

Two fools in love
Nowhere to run
Two hearts as one

Two fools in love
Blessed from above
Two hearts as one

Can't they see we're
Two fools in love
Nowhere to run
Two hearts as one

Two fools in love
Blessed from above
Two hearts as one.

16. NO NEWS FROM THE WESTERN FRONTIER

Glowing in red, darker than blood
I see the earth below
The final sunset, oh my God
How far will they go?

No news from the Western frontier
No news is good news we say here
Holding back the tears
This ain't no time for fear
No news from the Western frontier

Smouldering in blue, brighter than steel
Days of claws convern
How human mind so cold to feel
Will we ever learn?

No news from the Western frontier
No news is good news we say here
Holding back the tears
This ain't no time for fear
No news from the Western frontier

No news from the Western frontier

No news from the Western frontier

No news from the Western frontier
No news is good news we say here
Holding back the tears
This ain't no time for fear
No news from the Western frontier

Holding back the tears
This ain't no time for fear
No news from the Western frontier

No news from the Western frontier

No news
No news.

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