The Old Man And The Child

Dm                                     C
An old man and child hold hands as they’re leaving
               Bb                            Asus4   A7
and they went out together to walk in the evening;
      Dm                                   C
the red dust that rose was to settle at night
             Bb                                   Asus4    A7
and the weak sun was shining, a falseness of light …
       F                                               C
The immense plain before seemed to stretch out forever
     Dm                               Asus4     A7
as far as man's eye could see in this weather
       F                                        C
and there they saw no one and nothing for hours
             Dm                      Asus4         A7
only the billowing factory smoke from the towers ...

[Verse]
Dm                               C
The two walked for a while, and evening seemed slower,
     Bb                          Asus4
the old man spoke softly and his eyes misted over:
Dm                              C
His soul it flew elsewhere, he shut his wet eyes,
    Bb                         Asus4        A7
he followed the myth where his memory lies …
        F                         C
The old suffer the injuries of many long years,
     Dm                              Asus4       A7
They can't tell the truth from their dreams or their fears,
     F                        C
The old do not know, in their thinking it seems
      Dm                          Asus4      A7
They can’t tell what’s false from true in their dreams …

[Verse]
Dm                                 C
Then the old man remarked, looking up from his feet,
Bb                          Asus4         A7
"Imagine this plain a field covered in wheat,
  Dm                      C
imagine the fruits and imagine the flowers
    Bb                     Asus4          A7
and think about voices and many bright colors
     F                            C
and all of this plain, in each direction you see,
     Dm                Asus4            A7
Held forests of trees, lovely and green,
    F                               C
the rain and the sun counted their reasons
        Dm                    Asus4                A7
And the rhythm of man took delight in the seasons …”

[Outro]
Dm                                                C
The child was quiet, at first, as if wondering more,
     Bb                                             Asus4        A7
He imagined these things he’d not thought of before
                    Dm                           C
and then he begged the old man, suddenly sure:
  Bb                           A       D    A
"I love make believe, please tell me some more!"