• The Keys of the Universe — SingerSongwriter808

The Keys of the Universe

Music & lyrics, 1981

I am a man
Who stands with his head fairly straight
There in the sand
Is the image of a god who came too late
I'm wondering why
This world has to end
Why we all must die
Is transience
The way of the gods?
Is impermanence
The law of laws
Come tell me

Gazing ahead
I see humanity all piled up dead
Looking back
I see a neutron bomb cut the world in half
Who is in charge?
Do the gods in fact exist
Or does man hold the cards?
Did we take away their power
Take it in our hands
Did we turn creation 'round
Destroy all the lands
Of plenty?

This is the way we've lived our lives
Take a good thing and turn it into lies
This is the way we understand
That the keys of the universe are in our hands
This is the way we compromise
Kill all our neighbors, then tightly shut our eyes
Oh no!

The future is dim
If we never know ourselves, how can we win?
All is at stake
When winds of time become the hands of fate
How can we choose?
If every path we take it ends up we lose?
Transcendence may be
The only way
To effect an answer
To this cosmic decay
Of suffering

The paths we take are ours to claim
We can reach for a star or stay here in pain
The time is right for us to understand
That the keys of the universe are in our hands
'Now' is the time in actuality
The past is gone, the future's only dream
Out there!
Out there!