Blue Öyster Cult : Don't Fear the Reaper - the Best of

Hard Rock / USA
(2000 - Columbia Records)
Learn more

Lyrics


1. CITIES ON FLAME WITH ROCK AND ROLL

My heart is black, and my lips are cold
Cities on flame with rock and roll
Three thousand guitars they seem to cry
My ears will melt, and then my eyes

Oh, let the girl, let that girl, rock and roll
Cities on flame now, with rock and roll

Gardens of nocturne, forbidden delights
Reins of steel, and it's alright
Cities on flame, with rock and roll
Marshal will buoy, but Fender control

Let the girl, let that girl rock and roll
Cities on flame now, with rock and roll

My heart is black, and my lips are cold
Cities on flame with rock and roll
Three thousand guitars they seem to cry
My ears will melt, and then my eyes

Let the girl, let that girl rock and roll
Cities on flame now, with rock and roll


2. THE RED AND THE BLACK

Canadian mounted baby, a police force that works
Red and black, that's their color scheme
Get their man, in the end

It's all right (x4)
Oh yeah my honey knows it's all right
It's all right (x4)
Oh yeah my baby knows it's all right
C'mon little husky

Frontenac Chateau baby
I'll cross the frontier at ten
Got a whip in my hand baby
And a girl or a husky at leather's end

It's all right (x4)
Oh yeah my honey knows it's all right
It's all right (x4)
Oh yeah my baby knows it's all right

Hornswoop me bungo pony, dogsled on ice
Make a dash for freedom baby don't skate on polar ice
It's too think to be sliced by the light
Of long and white polar nights

It's all right (x4)
Oh yeah my honey knows it's all right
It's all right (x4)
Oh yeah my baby knows it's all right


3. FLAMING TELEPATHS

Well I've opened up my veins too many times
And the poison's in my heart and in my mind
Poison's in my bloodstream, poison's in my pride
I'm after rebellion, I'll settle for lies

Is it any wonder that my mind's on fire
Imprisoned by the thoughts of what you do
Is it any wonder that the joke's an iron
And the jokes on you

Experiments that failed too many times
Transformations that were too hard to find
Poison's in my bloodstream, poison's in my pride
I'm after rebellion, I'll settle for lies

Yes I know the secrets of the iron and mind
They're trinity acts a mineral fire
Yes I know the secrets of the circuitry mind
It's a flaming wonder telepath

Well I've opened up my veins too many times
And the poison's in my heart and in my mind
Poison's in my bloodstream, poison's in my pride
I'm after rebellion, I'll settle for lies

Is it any wonder that my mind's on fire
Imprisoned by the thoughts of what you do
Is it any wonder that the joke's an iron
And the jokes on you

And the joke's on you…


4. ASTRONOMY

The clock strikes twelve and moondrops burst
Out at you from their hiding place
Like acid and oil on a madman's face
His reason tends to fly away

Like lesser birds on the four winds
Like silver scrapes in May
Now the sands become a crust
And most of you have gone away

Come Susy dear, let's take a walk
Just out there upon the beach
I know you'll soon be married
And you want to know where the winds come from

Well it's never said at all
On the map that Carrie reads
Behind the clock back there you know
At the four winds bar

Hey, hey, hey, hey
Four winds at the four winds bar
Two doors locked and windows barred
One door let to take you in
The other one just mirrors it
Hey, hey, hey, hey

In hellish glare and inference
The other one's a duplicate
The queenly flux, eternal light
Or the light that never warms (x2)

The clock strikes twelve and moondrops burst
Out at you from their hiding place
Miss Carrie nurse and Suzy dear
Would find themselves at the four winds bar

It's the nexus of the crisis
The origin of storms
Just the place to hopelessly
Encounter time and then came me
Hey, hey, hey, hey

Call me Desdenova, eternal light
These gravely digs of mine
Will surely prove a sight
And don't forget my dog, fixed and consequent

Astronomy... a star…


5. THIS AIN'T THE SUMMER OF LOVE

Feeling easy on the outside
But not so funny on the inside
Feel the sound, pray for rain
For this is the night we ride

This ain't the garden of eden
There ain't no angels above
And things ain't like what they used to be
And this ain't the summer of love

Lock all your doors from the outside
The key will dangle by the inside
You may begin to understand
That this is the night we ride

This ain't the garden of eden
There ain't no angels above
And things ain't like what they used to be
And this ain't the summer of love

On the night we ride...this ain't the summer of love.

This ain't the garden of eden
There ain't no angels above
And things ain't like what they used to be
And this ain't the summer of love
This ain't the summer, this ain't, this ain't
This ain't the summer of love


6. (DON'T FEAR) THE REAPER

All our times have come
Here but now they're gone
Seasons don't fear the reaper
Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain... we can be like they are
Come on baby... don't fear the reaper
Baby take my hand... don't fear the reaper
We'll be able to fly... don't fear the reaper
Baby I'm your man...

Valentine is done
Here but now they're gone
Romeo and Juliet
Are together in eternity... Romeo and Juliet
40,000 men and women everyday... like Romeo and Juliet
40,000 men and women everyday... redefine happiness
Another 40,000 coming everyday... we can be like they are
Come on baby... don't fear the reaper
Baby take my hand... don't fear the reaper
We'll be able to fly... don't fear the reaper
Baby I'm your man...

Love of two is one
Here but now they're gone
Came the last night of sadness
And it was clear she couldn't go on
Then the door was open and the wind appeared
The candles blew then disappeared
The curtains flew then he appeared... saying don't be afraid
Come on baby... and she had no fear
And she ran to him... then they started to fly
They looked backward and said goodby... she had become like they are
She had taken his hand... she had become like they are
Come on baby... don't fear the reaper


7. I LOVE THE NIGHT

That night her kiss told me it was over
I walked out late into the dark
The misty gloom seems to soak up my sorrow
The further I went on I felt a spreading calm
Then suddenly my eyes were bathed in a light
And the lovely lady in white was by my side
She said "Like me I see you're walking alone
Won't you please stay?" I couldn't look away

She said I love the night
The day is OK and the sun can be fun
But I live to see those rays slip away
I love the night
There's so much I can show and give to you
If you will welcome me tonight
If only you had been there my dear
We could have shared this together

No mortal was meant to see such wonder
One look in the mirror told me so
Come darkness I'll see her again
Yes I'm gonna go 'cause now I know

She said I love the night
The day is OK and the sun can be fun
But I live to see those rays slip away
I love the night
There's so much that I can show and give to you
If you will welcome me tonight
If only you had been there my dear
We could have shared this together


8. GOIN' THROUGH THE MOTIONS

Too wild to care, you got that animal stare
You got stay anywhere in your eyes
And you're leading me on, but you can be anyone
'Cause I know you'll be gone 'fore I rise

And we're going through the motions
Yeah, we're going through the motions
Yeah, we're going through the motions
Going through the motions

Staying with you gave us something to do
I almost thought it was true for a while
'Cause there's love in you lies, you senility skies
You couldn't tell right from wrong if you tried

And we're going through the motions
Yeah, we're going through the motions
Yeah, we're going through the motions
Going through the motions

To thee I dedicate this photograph
I'll even sign it "love to you" again
And when it's faded and forgotten in some book
You'll sometimes look, you'll sometimes look, you'll sometimes look

It's a game, it's a game, no let's call it a shame
'Cause there's no one to blame just to pay
You were a friend for a day, so don't cry if I say
That you got what you want, it's OK

And we're going through the motions
Yeah, we're going through the motions
Yeah, we're going through the motions
Going through the motions

Yeah, yeah, we're going through the motions
Yeah, we're going through the motions
Yeah, we're going through the motions
Going through the motions


9. GODZILLA

With a purposeful grimace and a terrible sound
He pulls the spitting high tension wires down

Helpless people on a subway train
Scream bug-eyed as he looks in on them

He picks up a bus and he throws it back down
As he wades through the buildings toward the center of town

Oh no, they say he's got to go go go Godzilla
Oh no, there goes Tokyo go go Godzilla

History shows again and again
How nature points up the folly of men


10. IN THEE

Maybe I'll see you again baby
And maybe I won't
Maybe you've bought your ticket
Gone back to Detroit
Airplanes make strangers of us all
Give us distance
Much too easily.

Jim says some destinies
Should not be delivered
But you and I seen now baby
That still they are
Winning it makes losers of us all
'Cause the dice roll
So indifferently.

[Chorus:]
Well, I'll wrap myself in cities I travel
I'll wrap myself in dreams
I'll wrap myself in solitude
["stranger's arms" for 3rd chorus]
But I wish I could wrap myself
In thee.

Tonight it's hot, without you
Tomorrow'll be cold
Winter will come along
Driven by snow
Love it makes strangers of us all
When we part
Oh so thoughtlessly

[Chorus]

Once we breathed the breath
Of sweet surrender
Pure, pure Arab air filled our
Atmosphere
But pride it makes stars of us all
Until we fall
For everyone to see.

[Chorus] (x2)


11. THE MARSHALL PLAN

In a dark horse town, in the middle of the west
Where Friday takes so long to arrive
Johnny wakes up dreaming and turns on the radio

The he jumps up playin' his guitar in the mirror
Starts his day with a rock and roll pulse
Tonight's the night that Suzy and he
Are goin' to a rock and roll show

Tonight, I'm gonna see some rock and roll
Yeah, my favorite group is playin'
Tonight, I'm gonna see some rock and roll

Well it's showtime, and he's caught up in the crowd
He hates the crush, but he loves the music loud
He reaches out, but Suzy's disappeared,

Now Johnny's standin' on a corner, after the show
Lookin' for his Suzy dear
But there goes his Suzy in the band's limousine, yeah
Well that's the way it goes at these rock and roll shows

That's the way it goes
It's rock and roll
Well, that's the way it goes
It's rock and roll

Now Suzy's gone, and Johnny hears a thunder
As he rolls another number and he counts
He counts the times he's dreamt himself to be the hero

'Cause then when Suzy was a bore
He's heard about adventure
As he looks into the mirror now he knows
He must be the star and play guitar like thunder
And find Suzy at his rock and roll show

Boy, if I only had a good guitar and a big amp
Boy, it wouldn't be somebody else takin' my girl away
I tell ya, I know what I should do
I'll put an ad in the paper, and get a few other guys
Who wanna play as much as I do
I tell ya, I ain't playin' no surf music
I'm gonna play some heavy music
I'm gonna play bad, I'm gonna play loud
I know just what I want it to sound like
It's gonna sound like, it's gonna sound like

This is Don Kirshner
And tonight on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert
A new phenomenon in the music world
With six million albums to his credit in just two short years
My good friend, here's Johnny

Now Johnny became a legend in his time
Found it easier to live in pain
Half-a-hero in a hard-hearted game

Now it's showtime, and he's caught up in the glow
He hates the rush but he needs the music so
Still he reaches out, but Suzy's disappeared
Well that's the way it goes at these rock and roll shows
It's rock and roll

That's the way it goes, it's rock and roll (x2)


12. BLACK BLADE

I have this feeling that my luck is none too good
This sword here at my side don't act the way it should
Keeps calling me its master, but I feel like its slave
Hauling me faster and faster to an early, early grave
And it howls, it howls like hell

I'm told it's my duty to fight against the law
That wizardry's my trade and I was born to wade through gore
I just want to be a lover, not a red-eyed screaming ghoul
I wish it'd picked another to be its killing tool

Black blade! Black blade!
Forged a billion years ago
Black blade! Black blade!
Killing so its power can grow

There's death from the beginning to the end of time
And I'm the cosmic champion and I hold a mystic sign
And the whole world's dying and the burdens mine
And the black sword keeps on killing 'til the end of time

Black blade! Black blade!
Bringing chaos to the world we know
Black blade! Black blade!
And its using me to kill my friends
Black blade! Black blade!
Getting stronger so the world will end
Black blade! Black blade!
Forcing my mind to bend and bend

The black blade
Forged a million billion years ago
My cosmic sword goes on for eternity
Carving out destiny
Bringing in the lords of chaos
Bringing up the beasts of Hades
Sucking out the souls of heroes
Laying waste to knights and ladies
My master is my slave
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!


13. JOAN CRAWFORD

Junkies down in Brooklyn are going crazy
They're laughing just like hungry dogs in the street
Policemen are hiding behind the skirts of little girls
Their eyes have turned the color of frozen meat

No, no no no, no no no no no no no no,
Joan Crawford has risen from the grave
Joan Crawford has risen from the grave

Catholic schoolgirls have thrown away their mascara
They chain themselves to the axles of big Mack trucks
The sky is filled with hurt and shivering angels
The fat lady lives! Children, start your trucks!

No, no no no, no no no no no no no no,
Joan Crawford has risen from the grave
Joan Crawford has risen from the grave

(Christina... Mother's home!
No, no...
Christina...
No, no - no, no...
Come to Mother...
No, no - no, no, no no no no no no
Christina...)

Joan Crawford has risen from the grave
Joan Crawford has risen from the grave
Joan Crawford has risen from the grave
Joan Crawford has risen from the grave
Joan Crawford has risen from the grave
Joan Crawford has risen from the grave
Joan Crawford has risen from the grave
Joan Crawford has risen


14. BURNIN' FOR YOU

Home in the valley
Home in the city
Home isn't pretty
Ain't no home for me

Home in the darkness
Home on the highway
Home isn't my way
Home will never be

Burn out the day
Burn out the night
I can't see no reason to put up a fight
I'm living for giving the devil his due

And I'm burning, I'm burning, I'm burning for you
I'm burning, I'm burning, I'm burning for you

Time is the essence
Time is the season
Time ain't no reason
Got no time to slow

Time everlasting
Time to play besides
Time ain't on my side
Time I'll never know

Burn out the day
Burn out the night
I'm not the one to tell you what's wrong or what's right
I've seen signs of what (freezing their eyes) went through

Well I'm burning, I'm burning, I'm burning for you
I'm burning, I'm burning, I'm burning for you

Burn out the day
Burn out the night
I can't see no reason to put up a fight
I'm living for giving the devil his due

And I'm burning, I'm burning, I'm burning for you
I'm burning, I'm burning, I'm burning for you


15. SHOOTING SHARK

Well I'm up there beside the magic man
And he layed some tricks for me
He said you do need help my friend
I whispered, obviously

He laid a spread of Jacks and Queens
And he begged me take my pick
But every face that had your face
I cried out, I am sick

[Chorus:]
Sick of hauling your love around
Want to run my train alone
But the engine tracks straight through your heart
And weighs me like a stone
Oh it's a hard love to love you it takes up all my time
Having you so familiar like past lives and nursery rhymes

So I gave away the pictures and your golden ring
And the phone calls you sent me and the silver birds that sing
Then the man he told me something that really brought me down
Your things were blown away it's true but you were still in town
Chorus:
The magician left a message, it flashes when I hide
Accept the chains of loving,
Accept the rails remove yourself from her side
Do without her love

As I lay back in the speeding train, I keep it by my side
I could mail a letter to you but I still have my pride

[Chorus]

Three times I've sent you back from me three times my boat's gone dry
And three times I've seen the shooting shark lighting up the sky
Oh it's a hard love to love you babe it takes my breath away
The fourth time round is the last time round there's nothing else to say


16. TAKE ME AWAY

Strange shapes light up the night
I've never seen 'em though I hope I might
Don't ask if they are real
The men in black, their lips are sealed

Fantasy fills my mind
To leave this place before my time
Release myself from earthly care
My dream may be your nightmare

[Chorus:]
I turn my hopes up to the sky
I'd like to know before I die
Memories will slowly fade
I lift my eyes and say
Come on take me away
Come on take me away

Come here girl close to me
A thousand stars your eyes can see
First one we see tonight
I wish I may I wish I might

[Chorus]

[Chorus]
I lift my eyes and say
Come on take me away


lyrics added by tango666 - Modify this lyrics