Mountaintops and Madmen Demented screams on stagnant wind Distant in their sound Relentless though with strength enough to make me turn around Magnetic curiosity entices me to hear Tempts me onward through the plains Stronger as I near I see you then in fading light beneath the thunderclouds Atop the hill Beneath your feet, the ever hopeful crowd Against a dark, corrupted sky which hides your early sins Till lightning strikes behind your back and shows your origins Revealed in a flash of light Seeds from which you grew Your face unseen but not the souls of those who spoke like you Your predecessors in a row that leads through history Lurking there behind your back Watching quietly Your echoes of utopia once rolled off Lenin's tongue Once led astray Once dashed the hopes of hearts and minds too young He listens as you mix your words into their hopeful dreams Remembering nostalgically how cheers can turn to screams The German devil watches too Prideful with the truth Beholding rabid gestures that you copied from his youth Your dark, psychotic silhouette revives his evil ghost Tempts him deep into your heart Searching for a host From Stalin to Caligula they all align as one Behind your back Behind your words in silent unison From shadows cast by promises they know you'll never keep They watch that hopeful crowd become your flock of trusting sheep You madman on the mountaintop Screaming for your crown Repeating all the promises of those who've pulled us down I'll scream above your worthless words and lead your sheep away Through your growing storm of lies Past their darkest day They'll listen to me in the sun and nod agreeably Complacent now Believing now that I have set them free In time I'll rearrange your words and climb a mountaintop Lest masses learn to rule themselves and make us madmen stop © 2000 Jim Schultz |