Soldier

Once you were a soldier and you walked with your head held high,
You knew the secrets that would expose the universal lie,
In one hand was your guitar, and in the other a flower,
You looked so beautiful as you challenged the prophets of power,
They called you a fool and burnt your songs,
But a dream glowed in your heart and its flame was bright and strong,
You had an appointment with the vision in your eyes,
The next train you caught was taking you to paradise,
But like others before you, you must now learn,
There are no comebacks on the streets of no return.

There were golden apples to pluck and twilight mountains to climb,
And everywhere you went love came to you in jingles and rhymes,
You ate your magic mushrooms and drank your country wines,
And your temple of love floated across space and time,
There were sunshine beaches and midnight bars,
Lovers playing in the dark and reaching for the stars,
Laughter and kisses and the smell of rain in the month of June,
And your ship of dreams sailing beneath the moon,
But like others before you, you must now learn,
There are no comebacks on the streets of no return.

Oh yes, you remember and it makes you cry,
As you lie in your room of closed walls and concrete sky,
There is no magic wand to wake you from your lonely stupor,
The needle has been a very expensive tutor,
The Gods you worshipped and who taught you how to pray,
Have lost their sight and their feet are turning to clay,
Now the whispers are back in your head and your body is trembling again,
As the angels of death dance along the highways of your veins,
But like others before you, you must now learn,
There are no comebacks on the streets of no return

New Delhi.