Mother: Gilli Smyth

I Am The Fool | Back To The Womb | Keep The Children Free | Prostitute Poem | O.K. Man, This Is Your World | Taliesin

1. I Am The Fool

I am the fool, said the Fool, 
I am the Queen, said the Queen, 
I've been here before said the Change, 
This is your life said the Dream. 

And the wind goes wheee... 
And the Queen goes "O dear", 
And the man says "I'm all alone". 

I am the boy, said the girl, 
I am the girl, said the boy, 
I am the pill, said the Church 
And I am all there is, says the God. 

And the Saint goes, "Stick 'em up", 
And the Devil goes, "Ha,Ha,Ha", 
And the man says "I'm all alone". 

"I'm your lover, dear, says Lady Porno, 
"I am the Law", says Desperado. 
"I am the truth", says Mr. Politic, 
"And I'm all this and more", says the music. 

And the Police go, ra, ra, ra, 
And the Ambulance goes...Whooo, 
And the man says "I'm all alone". 

2. Back To The Womb

I'm sorry, I'm really not having this, 
it's disgraceful. 
But Prime Minister, 
I only said that next time around I shall be a mother. 
While you're interested in these things 
you'd better find out how people buy yachts. 
Did you ask him how he was able to buy a yacht? 
Do you like the sea? 
Why do you ask these questions anyway? 
I'm a submarine Captain. 
Very interesting down there with the fishes 
and the fishes and the shimmering... 
I'm a politician. 
I'm a mother. 
I'm the mother of everything and you are my egg. 
I'm Doctor Death. I'm Doctor Doom. 
I'm an old man. 
I'm the Reverend Beverage. 
I'm Icky Dicky Dpp/ 
I'm the wizard. 
I'm the master. 
I'm a sanitation engineer. 
I'm a...I'm a Queen, I'm a Hell's Angel, I'm Father Christmas, 
I'm a boy, I'm a...rock star. 
I'm a bib boy. 
I'm a little boy. 
I'm a baby. 

3. Keep The Children Free

I mean if women are going to be really fee, 
I think they should reject marriage 
because marriage is the way they get hooked 
and they are in the power of the system: 
then the system can take away their children... 

All the people who say 
Oh women have so much power 
they don't need any more, 
look they rule the world really 
and women are free and strong 
and they should stay in the home 
and make their influence felt from there... 
because half the women in fact don't have homes... 
half the women are women 
who have to go out in the world... 

4. Prostitute Poem

It is night - it is not night 
I am happy - I am not happy 
I am sad - I am not sad 
It's early - it's late 
I walk - I stand still 
I walk - I stand still 
I look in shop windows - I have seen them all 

Bonsoir monsieur - 
tu viens avec moi 
come with me darling - 
it's not far, just round the corner. 
You want it, don't you? 
It's all the same to me 
What do you want me to do? 
I touch you - it's not easy... 
It's not like that...I'll show you how 
You are weighing me down 
I am dying...I am sick of you 

Je dois manger - 
n'importe quoi 
I am hungry 
I break off the corner of your mind and eat it 
I am eating your mind 
I am eating your body... your body 
Come here - I want your mind- 
You You come here come here 
faire l'amour faire l'amour 
oui non 
come into my arms - I kiss your lips - you die 
I want your body - I do not want your body - 
what does it matter? 
goodbye - go away - it's night - it's day - it's over. 

5. O.K. Man, This Is Your World

I want to be friends with men. 
I want to work with men. 
I like men. 
But the question is, do men like women? 

You are a man's man. 
You like a bit of a drink 
You like a good smoke. 
You like to go out with the boys.. 
You are satisfied. 
You don't want to be a woman because you 
don't want to be weak. 
You are strong man - I am weak woman. 
You are heart throb - I am hysterical blitch. 
You are great guy - I am stupid chick. 
You are real man - I am butch lesbian. 
You ares good looking - I am horny slut. 

(liar, liar, pants on fire...) 

9. Taliesin

Once upon a time, 
a long time years years ago, 
there was a witch called Caridwen. 
She lived in a huge palace with marble halls 
built on a rock in the middle of a lake. 
In that palace with her lived a huge crow, 
an old nam, 
and her son 
who was a monster. 
But she didn't think so 
and loved him dearly. 
He was horrible, 
and was always tormenting animals. 
There was a little boy, too, 
who was chained to a huge bubbling cauldron 
in the middle of the largest marble hall. 
The witch had come one night 
and stolen him out of his bed in his parents house 
and carried him to the palace 
on the back of the back crow. 
His name was Gwion and he was very very scared... 
She gave him a ladle 
and made him stir the cauldron day and night, 
and if he stopped she whipped him 
or wouldn't give him any more dry bread. 
In the cauldron was a spell of wisdom 
to make her monster son more wise, 
and it had to cook for a year and a day. 
But on the very last day of the year, 
Gwion splashed three drops of the burning liquid on his finger 
and "aieeee"...he cried, 
and put it in his mouth. 
Then he had tasted the spell and the cauldron exploded, 
exploded into thousands of pieces, 
and it was Gwion who was suddenly wise. 
He was so wise he could see everything, 
he could even see the witch Caridwen 
gathering herbs at the North Pole. 
Suddenly she turned sharply towards him 
with a terrible scream of rage. 
"You have tasted the spell meant for my son", she cried. 
Then she came flying, flying, 
over the seas and the mountains, 
the towns and the villages, 
down down to chase him and catch him 
and punish him for ever and ever... 

But he could now change into a bird 
so he flew away up towards the sun, 
but she changed into an eagle and flew after him 
faster faster catch him up. 
So he fell down through the sky into the river 
and became a fish, 
hiding among the weeds. 
She became a fish, too, 
and seam swam always after him, 
but then he got tired, 
and changed into a grain of corn 
and hid in a sack, 
but she changed into a chicken 
and snap, snap, got in the sack and ate him up. 
So now he was in her stomach, 
and grew and grew into a baby 
so that she would give birth to him. 
And she did, 
but so that she could kill that baby. " 
Now I can kill you" she cried... 
but what a beautiful baby, 
she can't she can't 
what will she do now? 

So she put him in a old leather sack 
and threw him into the river shrieking 
"go away, go away, never look at me again". 

The sack floated quietly down the river 
many many miles, 
by trees, and houses, and big pools, 
and then got caught up against a boat. 

It was a poor man's boat, 
he and his good wife were in despair, 
because they had no food or money. 
He went to the river to fish for supper, 
he found the sack, 
what a treasure, 
what a beautiful baby, 
his name was Taliesin... 
As soon as he took this golden baby home, 
their fortunes changed, 
and they had work and food. 
The baby grew into a boy, 
with beautiful clear face and strange green eyes, 
but joyful and singing always, 
such songs, 
all the people would listen and wouldn't move. 

He won a contest at the court of the king against all the bards, 
his song was light like birdsong 
and the people were entranced. 
Then he kissed the good man and wide 
and went off through the world singing marvels, 
at the court of the king, 
through the countryside, 
through the towns, 
n castles and in cottages, 
to everyone who would listen, 
and his stories were like spell, 
and all the people listening were spellbound.