I had that same old dream in my sleep again last night-
A princess called to me from just outside my sight.
I woke up covered in sweat with tears in my eyes,
I got up and gazed at the moon in the autumn sky.
And I'm not sure I feel that strong anymore,
Looking in the glass at a man I've never seen before-
And I don't know my name or where I'm from,
I don't know where I am or why I have come...
And this is the part of me I must face all alone.
I don't know who the Princess thinks I am, but she's wrong.
Every man knows he's bound for a fall,
Every man knows he's not really strong at all...
It's not the thorns, it's the blood on the rose
That every man loses because every man knows.
Your gaze haunts me, I'm afraid of what you see;
Do you love the masquerade or are you in love with me?
You depend upon me to be the hero of the day,
You rely upon me to always know what to say...
I wish I could be that champion you want for you,
Most times I'm talking 'cause I don't know what else to do.
I have no strength in this this heart's empty flask,
So I hide my weakness behind this tuxedo mask.
My spirit is just an echo in darkened halls,
Your love, like moonlight, through a window falls...
Every man knows his woman is stronger than steel,
Every man knows he must hide how weak he feels,
It's not really lying, it's the bravest of roles
That every man must perform because every man knows.
I know you don't want to be the one who has to fight,
I know you don't want to be the one who sets it right,
I know you only fight to make me proud of you,
If you only saw inside, you'd know there's no reason to.
I'm just a normal guy here inside my heart,
Not really strong, just strong enough to play the part.
You amaze me so much that I can't even explain
How I love you so hard my world aches with pain.
I have a dream that visits me every night
Of you- sweet, wonderful you- and it's a beautiful sight.
Every man looks up to the sea where the moon swims,
And wonders why his girl wastes all of her time on him.
Every man knows he's not good enough for his girl,
Every man knows for her he'd trade his whole world...
It's not the thorns, it's the blood on the rose
That every man loses because every man knows.
Every man knows...
i don't want the stigmata on my hands.
i don't want to die on cherry hill,
or crucified in some foreign land.
i never asked to be your hero,
i never wanted to save the world.
i don't want to die a martyr,
i just want to be a normal girl.
No- i don't want to go down fighting
And i don't want to go down in flames;
I just want to lie here beside you
And hear you whisper me my name.
i don't want to agonize like samson,
i don't want to serve while i wait.
i'm not the ruler of this heaven-
i will not resist the apple's bait.
i want to lose my paradise
and through eden go an unsolitary way.
i don't want to paradise regain,
i just want you to stay.
No- i don't want to go down a hero
And immortalized in some poet's song;
I just want you to hold onto me,
And lie and tell me nothing will go wrong.
i don't want to face down the kraken.
i don't want to end up in shalot,
eating lotus with roman heroes,
trying to be what we're not.
i don't want to hear the idylls.
i don't care to cross the bar.
i do not long to meet my pilot.
i only want to be where you are.
No- i don't want to go down swinging
And i'm not ready to burn out right here.
I just want to hear you love me,
Kiss me my love, and draw me near.
i have heard what the thunder said,
and i know the way the world will end.
i don't want to die in the water,
with silent mermaids my only friends.
i know the question of the magi:
what did the star lead them to?
i don't want to die among aliens,
i want to live here beside you.
No- i don't want to go down fighting
And i don't want to go down in flames.
I just want to lie here beside you-
The only one who still knows my name.
i'm not the beauty of the water,
the spirit of fire, or sincere wood;
i'm no child of love or firefly of earth,
and i wouldn't be a king even if i could;
i'm not the lights on lonesome quest-
i am the tides and and silver shining one,
i am the queen with a thousand enemies,
forever and ever on the run.
but i always seem to run into you,
and i see the pride that lights in your eyes...
if you only knew all that i give for you.
i fight for you and for you alone i'll die.
And i don't want to go down fighting,
I'm so frightened of all them, it's true,
But i'll send everyone of them to hell
If they try to take me away from you.
Both poems, "Usagi's Lyric", and "What Every Man Knows", by Allen W. Rathbone II