Sing me a parable Whose lesson is too terrible For pessimists like us to understand I told you one about the snake The one that made the big mistake Remember? This one's about a rock A sailor man who's long since docked He lives on Mars, and Barnacle Bill is his name His manner impolite and brusque He sits alone upon the rust His mind is far away from the crusty Martian floor He is old and no one likes him anymore Barnacle, Barnacle Bill, Barnacle Bill the Sailor... But if they'd known him as a boy He was volatile and erogenous He rode a molten wave of joy Before he settled down h*mogenous Through the red clouds something fell Which caught his eye and broke the spell Made him forget why he was bitter. Bill was filled with fright The shiny traveler cast a brilliant crimson light And sprayed the landscape with its glitter It came to rest nearby And with a cautious eye He watched it open up and from inside Emerged a thing he'd never seen And then this alien machine Did not address him or extend its fingertips It simply bent down and kissed him on the lips. Barnacle, Barnacle Bill, Barnacle Bill the Sailor...