1
Oh-oh, people of the earth
"Listen to the warning"
The Seer, he said
Beware the storm that gathers here
Listen to the wise man
I dreamed I saw on a moonlit stair
Spreading his hands on the multitude there
A man who cried for a love gone stale
And ice cold hearts of charity bare
I watched as fear took the old man's gaze
Hopes of the young in troubled graves
I see no day, I heard him say
So grey is the face of every mortal
Oh-oh, people of the earth
"Listen to the warning"
The prophet, he said
For soon, the cold of night will fall
Summoned by your own hand
Oh-oh, children of the land
Quicken to the new life
Take my hand
Ooh, fly and find the new green bough
Return like the white dove
He told of death as a bone white haze
Taking the lost and the unloved babe
Late, too late, all the wretches run
These kings of beasts now counting their days
From mother's love is the son estranged
Married his own, his precious gain
The earth will shake, in two, will break
And death all around will be your dowry
Oh-oh, people of the earth
"Listen to the warning," the seer, he said
For those who hear and mark my words
Listen to the good plan
Ah-ah-ah-ah
And two by two, my human zoo
They'll be
Running for to come
Running for to come
Out of the rain
Oh, flee for your life
Who heed me not, let all your treasure make you
Oh, fear for your life
Deceive you not, the fires of hell will take you
Should death await you
Oh-oh, people can you hear me (Oh-oh, people can you hear me)
(Oh-oh, people can you hear me)
And now I know (and now I know, and now I know)
I know, I know that you can hear me (and now I know that you can hear me)
And now I know, now I know, now I know, now I know
Now I know, now I know, now I know, now I know
Now I know (now I know, now I know)
The Earth will shake, in two will break (the Earth will shake, in two will break)
The Earth will shake, in two will break (the Earth will shake, in two will break)
Doubts all around, around, around, around, around, around, around, around
(Doubts all around, around, around, around, around, around, around, around)
(Doubts all around, around, around, around, around, around, around, around)
Now I know (now I know, now I know)
Now I know, now I know, now I know, now I know
Now I know, now I know, now I know, now I know
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa (whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa)
Listen to the wise, listen to the wise, listen to the wise
Listen to the wise, listen to the wise man
(Listen to the wise man, listen to the wise man)
La-la, la-la-la-la, la-la (la-la, la-la-la-la, la-la)
La-la, la-la-la-la, la-la (la-la, la-la-la-la, la-la)
La-la, la-la-la-la, la-la (la-la, la-la-la-la, la-la)
La-la, la-la-la-la, la-la (la-la, la-la-la-la, la-la)
La-la, la-la
Come here (la-la, come here)
I, you come here (I, you come here)
I, you come here (I, you come here)
I, you (ah)
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Listen to the mad (listen to the mad)
Listen to the man (listen to the man)
Listen to the mad man (listen to the mad man)
God give you the grace to purge this place
And peace all around may be your fortune
Oh-oh, children of the land
Love is still the answer, take my hand
The vision fades, a voice I hear
Listen to the madman
Ooh, but still I fear and still I dare not
Laugh at the madman
"Listen to the warning"
The Seer, he said
Beware the storm that gathers here
Listen to the wise man
I dreamed I saw on a moonlit stair
Spreading his hands on the multitude there
A man who cried for a love gone stale
And ice cold hearts of charity bare
I watched as fear took the old man's gaze
Hopes of the young in troubled graves
I see no day, I heard him say
So grey is the face of every mortal
Oh-oh, people of the earth
"Listen to the warning"
The prophet, he said
For soon, the cold of night will fall
Summoned by your own hand
Oh-oh, children of the land
Quicken to the new life
Take my hand
Ooh, fly and find the new green bough
Return like the white dove
He told of death as a bone white haze
Taking the lost and the unloved babe
Late, too late, all the wretches run
These kings of beasts now counting their days
From mother's love is the son estranged
Married his own, his precious gain
The earth will shake, in two, will break
And death all around will be your dowry
Oh-oh, people of the earth
"Listen to the warning," the seer, he said
For those who hear and mark my words
Listen to the good plan
Ah-ah-ah-ah
And two by two, my human zoo
They'll be
Running for to come
Running for to come
Out of the rain
Oh, flee for your life
Who heed me not, let all your treasure make you
Oh, fear for your life
Deceive you not, the fires of hell will take you
Should death await you
Oh-oh, people can you hear me (Oh-oh, people can you hear me)
(Oh-oh, people can you hear me)
And now I know (and now I know, and now I know)
I know, I know that you can hear me (and now I know that you can hear me)
And now I know, now I know, now I know, now I know
Now I know, now I know, now I know, now I know
Now I know (now I know, now I know)
The Earth will shake, in two will break (the Earth will shake, in two will break)
The Earth will shake, in two will break (the Earth will shake, in two will break)
Doubts all around, around, around, around, around, around, around, around
(Doubts all around, around, around, around, around, around, around, around)
(Doubts all around, around, around, around, around, around, around, around)
Now I know (now I know, now I know)
Now I know, now I know, now I know, now I know
Now I know, now I know, now I know, now I know
Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa (whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa)
Listen to the wise, listen to the wise, listen to the wise
Listen to the wise, listen to the wise man
(Listen to the wise man, listen to the wise man)
La-la, la-la-la-la, la-la (la-la, la-la-la-la, la-la)
La-la, la-la-la-la, la-la (la-la, la-la-la-la, la-la)
La-la, la-la-la-la, la-la (la-la, la-la-la-la, la-la)
La-la, la-la-la-la, la-la (la-la, la-la-la-la, la-la)
La-la, la-la
Come here (la-la, come here)
I, you come here (I, you come here)
I, you come here (I, you come here)
I, you (ah)
Ah, ah, ah, ah
Listen to the mad (listen to the mad)
Listen to the man (listen to the man)
Listen to the mad man (listen to the mad man)
God give you the grace to purge this place
And peace all around may be your fortune
Oh-oh, children of the land
Love is still the answer, take my hand
The vision fades, a voice I hear
Listen to the madman
Ooh, but still I fear and still I dare not
Laugh at the madman
Lyrics submitted by bluebewilderment
The Prophet's Song Lyrics as written by Brian Harold May
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Lyrics powered by LyricFind
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What an amazingly beautiful song! They say Brian once said he had written this song out of a dream he had. That might be true. Still I think it's pretty obvious that the story is based on the biblical account of the Flood. The "Prophet" is obviously Noah. The reference is clear: Beware the storm that gathers here", "And two by two my human zoo they'll be running for to come...out of the rain", "Fly and find the new green bough and return like the white dove", etc. The interesting point here is that the events are seen through the eyes of someone who is there at that place and time, and he is not sure whether to believe the warning or not. The story is written in such a way that it can be apllicable to various different situations. The Flood can be a symbol for destruction and renewal. You have to leave a lot of things behind before you can start a new life. They say Brian wouldn't write a religious song. As I view it, this is not a religious song but a spiritual one. It seems to me this is exactly the way he feels about the spiritual world. For one part, he wants to believe (not to say he ACTUALLY BELIEVES) there's more to life that the eye can meet, that there is a purpose to life, a plan for the humankind, etc. but there's always that prevailing feeling of doubt. Hence the lines: "Listen to the mad man!" (that's what people say) BUT STILL I FEAR AND STILL I DARE NOT LAUGHT AT THE MAD MAN" (the way HE PERSONALLY feels). To me this isn't the kind of song that is intended to "teach you a lesson", rather is one that makes you think and face your own doubts and fears. Although most of the song conveys a sense of doom, the last words of the prophet are very hopeful and encouraging: "God gave you grace to purge this place And peace all around may be your fortune." This track can be beautifully paired wih U2's Beautiful Day which, in my opinion, deals with the same topic of change, destruction and renewal: "See the bird with a leaf in her mouth After the flood all the colours came out"
The Prophet's Song is definitely a masterpiece and one of the most underrated songs by Queen. Please excuse my mistakes. I'm a Spanish speaker.
I have to chastise you here: How dare you compare Queen, let alone this song, to U2?<br /> ;-)<br /> Seriously, they aren't even in the same league, let alone ball park.<br /> <br /> By the way, your write-up was very well-written.
Bravo! Thanks for your interpretation. It echoes mine.