brought to book

Van Der Graaf Generator

Named, the day and date
Picked, the place and time to meet
Set, the words l uttered in stone

To right the many wrongs
That I ve done along the way
Now the ball s in my own court

Angels hide in the inglenook
Saints alive, I ll be brought to book

One false move was all it took
All the wicked thoughts will be brought to book

I m not proud of what I did before
I acknowledge all my actions nonetheless
Undiminished, the returning score
I played my part in any sins I now confess

All that s done is done
And all that comes along the way
Lands up in the lap of the gods

One false step, one last look
Under time and tide I ll be brought to book

I never thought I d get to see this through
The cold documented case
One by one the arguments fall through
The past stares me in the face
Never thought I d see it through
Here it is, the self-obsession and surrender
Here it is, it s right in front of me
Here it is, the package gets returned to sender
Here, with interest, it comes back to me
I never thought I d see it through
Finally wearing history naked on my face
I ll disclose the truth of what I ve done
Reveal the lines I ve spun in passing
I will face up to the music
And with what breath s left in my lungs
I ll settle up the score and bid farewell to everyone

Time to square the circle
Time to dot the I s and cross the t s
Time to keep on working
To unspot the hand that did the deeds
To wash out the wounding
To effect a final remedy
In the last accounting
All the sum of parts in threnody

I m not proud of who I ve been before
I ve no pride in what I ve done before
Time alone holds what s in store

I m gathered in by hook or by crook
All in due course I ll be brought to book