Fairport Convention - When It Comes, He Cannot Sleep... lyrics

(when it comes, he cannot sleep, but when he does, a strange, prophetic dream comes to him, and helps him to bear the strain of his next day's ordeal as scaffold and its crew try in vain three times to take his life) The time is near for things to pass, the time for me to leave But as i lie here all alone, i really can't believe The twenty years i've spent on earth could end in so much grief That the many friendly faces should now stare hatefully A letter home to mother and a letter home to dad Another for my sweetheart, for whom i feel so sad A lock of hair to cling to is all that will remain And the grave inside this prison yard, a stone that bears no name My trials and tribulations are nearly now all gone A murderer i never was and my spirit will live on Jesus, help me in this troubled time, this hour of trouble deep Help me find my peace of mind, help me lord, to sleep ... Sleep has surprised mr lee We'll creep in behind his eyes and, with his eyes, we will see Wherever he goes to, we'll be close behind We'll follow his dreams and we'll stroll in his mind Dream, dream John's in the garden all green With uniforms round him, the hound and the fox can be seen A willow tree leaving its branches to ground Is breathing in time to a bell's hollow sound Dream, dream Dream, dream Nature, their numbers have swelled The sun in the east is the lord of the feast to be held The doomed and the dutiful tread on the dew With frost on their faces and shine on their shoes Dream, dream Looking to earth and to sky John stares at john walking slowly along with a sigh The hand of a stranger takes hold of his arm And a voice in his ear says "they'll do you no harm" Dream, dream Dream, dream Dream, dream ... Wake up john, it's time to go Come along john, don't be slow Wake up john, it's time to go A priest joins the procession just to help me kneel With a warder at my elbow and another at my heel Marching in the morning down a path i've lately seen I was sleeping in this garden, am i still within my dream? The echo of my heartbeat is the beating of a drum And all the earth is singing with life's sweet hum We filed in solemn silence, shuffled through a door The place where life is taken for the letter of the law Shake the holy water, summon up the guard Dying's very easy, waiting's very hard A rope was hanging from the roof, a sight which puzzles me I thought a gibbet and a guard would make a gallows tree But now all is revealed, standing there is just a man My feet are on the trapdoor with a rope around my hand And now the executioner is shaking hands with me "my duty i must carry out, you poor fellow," says he A strap is tied around my feet and a bag upon my head And then the noose which separates the living from the dead Shake the holy water, summon up the guard Dying's very easy, waiting's very hard There he whispers to me "have you anything to say?" My mouth is dry, my throat is tight, i answer "drop away" Silence now surrounds me, my heart is beating on The trapdoor hardly moves at all, my life is still my own They stand me in a corner with my hands and feet still bound While a carpenter is called for and an explanation found "the rain has warped the timbers," i hear the hangman say "it's funny but it worked well, i tried it yesterday" "all is ended now," they say, "your ordeal's nearly over Your life's as good as ended," but i hear their voices waver Once more the boat is shaken and again i hang in limbo With the guardians on the trapdoor and my body stands on tip-toe Shake the holy water, summon up the guard Dying's very easy, waiting's very hard They stand me in a corner with my hands and feet still tied A warder holds onto the noose, the trapdoor opens wide Is it magic or coincidence that keeps me on the brink? It seems to work without me, "will it kill me now?" i think "please, i'm tired of living and i really want to die" I was taken to the scaffold and i heard the hangman cry "lee, i'm truly sorry, forgive these hands of mine" He drew the bolt and i felt the jolt the third and final time My life was spared that morning 'cause it wasn't theirs to take Three's the most the law requires, a man could feel the stake Shake the holy water, summon up the guard Dying's very easy, waiting's very hard ...