Watery eyes of the last sighing seconds
Blue reflections mute and dim
Beckon tearful child of wonder
To repentance of the sin
And the blind and lusty lovers
Of the great eternal lie
Go on believing nothing
Since something has to die
And the ape's curiosity
Money power wins
And the yellow, soft mountains
Move under him
I'm with you L.E.M
Though it's a shame that it had to be you
The mother ship
Is just a blip from your trip made for two
I'm with you boys
So please employ just a little extra care
It's on my mind
I'm left behind when I should have been there
Walking with you
And the limp face hungry viewers
Fight to fasten with their eyes
Like the man hung from the trapeze
Whose fall will satisfy
And congratulate each other
On their rare and wondrous deed
That their begrudged money bought
To sow the monkey's seed
And the yellow soft mountains
They grow very still
Witness as intrusion
The humanoid thrill
I'm with you L.E.M
Though it's a shame that it had to be you
The mother ship
Is just a blip from my trip made for two
I'm with you boys
So please employ just a little extra care
It's on my mind
I'm left behind when I should have been there
Walking with you
With you
With you
Blue reflections mute and dim
Beckon tearful child of wonder
To repentance of the sin
And the blind and lusty lovers
Of the great eternal lie
Go on believing nothing
Since something has to die
And the ape's curiosity
Money power wins
And the yellow, soft mountains
Move under him
I'm with you L.E.M
Though it's a shame that it had to be you
The mother ship
Is just a blip from your trip made for two
I'm with you boys
So please employ just a little extra care
It's on my mind
I'm left behind when I should have been there
Walking with you
And the limp face hungry viewers
Fight to fasten with their eyes
Like the man hung from the trapeze
Whose fall will satisfy
And congratulate each other
On their rare and wondrous deed
That their begrudged money bought
To sow the monkey's seed
And the yellow soft mountains
They grow very still
Witness as intrusion
The humanoid thrill
I'm with you L.E.M
Though it's a shame that it had to be you
The mother ship
Is just a blip from my trip made for two
I'm with you boys
So please employ just a little extra care
It's on my mind
I'm left behind when I should have been there
Walking with you
With you
With you
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I got the connection to Michael Collins, the astronaut, as a kid and I got kick out of it. Who else but Anderson would think to write a song, or even a short story, about the plight of the guy who didn't walk on the moon?
But why is the song also for "Jeffery and Me"? I'll hazard a guess.
Jeffrey was Jeffrey Hammond, a close friend of Anderson's from art school. They had a band together, but Hammond left the band to study painting. Apparently Jeffrey was never far from Anderson's thoughts, judging by the number of Tull songs dedicated to "Jeffrey."
I believe "For Michael Collins, Jeffrey and Me" was in part Anderson's wondering how Jeffrey might be feeling about the success of Anderson's band -- walking on the moon if you will -- while Jeffrey was left behind. Perhaps the song was even part of Anderson's campaign to woo Jeffrey into Jethro Tull.
However it happened, Anderson succeeded. Jeffrey Hammond played bass on the next Jethro Tull album, "Aqualung."