Lyrics for various albums recorded by Focus.

``Why Dream'' from In And Out Of Focus
(Leer/Cleuver)
Why dream about the future? 
Now is the present, as bad as the present can be.
Why dream about the future? 
The light is dark, and darkness is all you can see.

Planes go flight by flight (planes go flight by flight),
Ready for a fight (ready for a fight),
Ships passed in the night through the Bosperus(?).

Marching columns sound (marching columns sound),
Reasons scattered found,
For me, for you, for all of us.

Why dream about the future? 
The sun is shining upon a world full of fear.
Why dream about the future? 
When the clash and the bang up that future is coming to hear.

This is our time (this is our time),
We will drink this wine (we will drink this wine),
Reacheth our cup (reacheth) and we like it fun.

Please don't hesitate,
Before it is too late,
You had your chance and lived your fate.

We dream about the future,
Where we can check things as they ought to be.
We dream about the future,
Where we'll be moving and chasing our own destiny.


``Happy Nightmare (Mescaline)'' from In And Out Of Focus
(Leer / Dresden / Hayes)

Only once in a life, mescaline.
Floating over a mountain, like to sea.
Stop and faint(?) at the sun, feel the blood through your arm,
Only once in a life, mescaline.

Happy nightmare, have(?) flown, live it through,
(Taste the beauty of the sweet red wine),
Grab for air, see your skin turning blue,
(Smell the freshness of the grass beneath the pines).
There's a man with three heads,
There's a girl with three butts,
See they're both running fast after me,
(Gonna catch you, gonna fill you full of love).

Have your head filled to the top with big pearls,
(Feel the softness of the mountain's hill),
Then you hear someone's dead in the world,
(Sink your body in a cold bath of mill(?)).
You can bet your sweet life
That they fought with a knife,
See they're all running fast after me,
(Wanna kiss you, run their fingers through your hair).

Get a feeling deep inside that you're dead,
(Can't you hear the clock of life ticking loud?),
Try to run from the snake pit in your bed,
(Then you'll find what you thought could not be found).
Smell the nearness of the grave,
Wonder if you can be saved,
Other world's still running fast after me,
(When they get you, gonna give you everything).


``Black Beauty'' from In And Out Of Focus
(Leer / Cleuver)

My girl's darkest skin was dark, your eyes were shining bright,
Oh Black Beauty, close in my heart.
I was King Solomon who held his Queen of Sheba tight,
Oh Black Beauty, held in my arms.

How we were told love was not meant for us,
Two different worlds kept apart, heart against heart.

But we knew where to find an opportunity,
Far away, where no one was near.

We could meet there that night and with impunity,
Oh Black Beauty, love without fear.
Our love was wonderment, so young and so pure,
I held your trembling hand, I was so sure.

Then when our lips met there was no return,
And the fire was burning with our hearts.

So we were told love was not meant for us,
Two different worlds kept apart, heart against heart.

But we knew where to find an opportunity,
Far away, where no one was near.

I was King Solomon who held his Queen of Sheba tight,
Oh Black Beauty, love without fear.


``Focus (Vocal)'' from In And Out Of Focus
(Leer / Cleuver)

Focus yourself on the love, you all Mankind, come and make it show again.



``Moving Waves'' from Moving Waves
(music: Leer; lyrics: Inayat Khan)

Moving waves, the wind has left you and you are still in commotion.

We are still repeating the word it has taught us,
It moves our whole being to ecstasy.

Waves, why do you all become excited and then all calm together?

Because behind our individual action there is one impulse working.

Rising waves, what motive is behind your impulse?

The desire to reach upwards



``Round Goes the Gossip'' from 3
(Leer)

Forthwith Rumour runs through Libya's great cities - 
Rumour of all evils the most swift. 
Speed lends her strength and she wins vigour as she goes; 
Small at first through fear, soon 
She mounts up to heaven, and walks the ground with head hidden in the clouds.



``Wingless'' from Con Proby
(Leer / R Leer)

I'm a bird but I am wingless, on a tree top way up high;
Springtime's coming, green and reckless, oh I long and long to fly.

But my love, I get so restless, thinking only old times;
While my heart moves free I'm sunk, wish that I could move around.

Why my heart was fixed forever, fixing love without fear;
That one day I'll be without you, is it true and is it near?

Sunlight, starlight, love your laughter, and the love of gentle hearts;
And beyond the face of the loved one, there you'll find the face of God.


``Eddy'' from Con Proby
(Leer / R Leer)

Just like Ed in the morning, he never said it although we could;
And I know, I know someone who would, but he never woke to have an ear.

Yes, I think of things unnoticed, like what happens in there;
And what lies without motion, just like Eddy sleeping here.

When I come home in the morning, softly as I tripped on;
I know things that Papa told you that have only just begun.

I'm gonna fly away, here I go, here I go, here I go ...

See you across the table, smile's a diet on your face;
Being here with my heart open seems a little out of place.


``Brother'' from Con Proby
(Leer / R Leer)

I've never been unhappy or alone, each day daylight came back.
I always watched the stars, not thinking space big and dark.
Rains always were my friend; the wind knew all my secrets.

Brother do you know that the times are hard,
Do you want to see my eyes, then buddy, make a start;
'Cause brother do you see that the times are hard, and I need love.
Brother do you know that the times are hard,
Do you want to see my eyes, you better make a start;
'Cause brother do you see that the times are hard, and I need love.

I do not fear the shadows of trees, but city shadows, no moon.
I saw a child of God; he was someday to go into the world.

Brother do you know that the times are hard,
Do you want to see my eyes, you better make a start;
'Cause brother do you see that the times are hard, and I need love.
Brother do you know that the times are hard,
Do you want to see my eyes, and try and make a start;
'Cause brother do you see that the times are hard, and I need love.


``Tokyo Rose'' from Con Proby
(R Leer / J Smith)

Hahaha, hey you know something? World War II wasn't all that much fun,
'Specially if you didn't even have a gun. Well, you know you gotta go through
it if you wanna get to it, and I can tell you I did, but no thanks to a little
lady. She was, uh, she, she kept us up all hours of the night. Hell, half the
time we didn't have time to fight. But I don't think I would have to expound
much further 'cause everyone knows 'bout Tokyo Rose.

Hehaha, lemme tell you a little more. Scared? Christ, I was so damned scared I
could crawl under a snake's belly, with a top hat on, without even touching it.
That's how scared I was. Shit, who wants your ass blown off when you don't even
know if it's kosher. You know, kind of like when you went to school. Always
breakin' the rules, thinkin' nobody knows. Haha, but don't kid yourself, baby,
the lady in the classroom knows, and her name? You got it -- Tokyo Rose.

Lord, have mercy. Ha, I feel like I'm teaching class. I gotta go through it all
over again, 'cause you haven't learned your lessons now. I don't want to give
you a bad report card, so I say, do you know that World War II wasn't fun. Have
you got that down, Jim? Right on, especially if you didn't have a gun. Well,
you know you gotta go through it if you wanna get to it. And I can tell you I
did, but no thanks to a little lady, yeah, she kept us up all hours of the
night. Hell, half the time, we never had time to fight. And, uh, yeah, there's
no sense of me expounding any further.


``How Long'' from Con Proby
(Leer / R Leer)

How long lasts love? When does a smile begin? 
How far is a dream from remembering?
And how fast is a train of thought,
And I know how long a moment can last.

How high can you see in the sky,
And does it never end?
And I think that the world was meant to
Be much better than we've ever seen her for,
And I say that each time you can't be kind and mild,
You'll know the joy to make it better,
And I think we must, and why don't we start now?

How high, how clear, and how bright is an angel's flight?
How fast is a train of thought, and I know how long a moment can last.

And I think that the world was meant to
Be much better than we've ever seen her for,
And I say that each time you can't be kind and mild,
You'll know the joy to make it better,
And I think we must, and why don't we start now?