The Madness of Lee Scratch Perry

The man bent over his guitar,
A shearsman of sorts. The day was green.
They said, "You have a blue guitar,
You do not play things as they are."

The man replied, "Things as they are
Are changed upon the blue guitar."

Wallace Stevens, The Man With The Blue Guitar

Madness!

Well they're spying on me from the tape recorders
All the people say I'm out of order
I've been sent to Earth from outer space
As a warning to the human race
Well the dogs are howling at the moon
And an orchestra is out of tune
I've got a blue guitar

And I'm driving in my car to Abyssinia
Cos life over there is better by far
From Philadelphia to Jamaica
I'm sick to the death of the way things are
I'm over the abyss, can't take much more of this
Don't want to kill myself you see there's too much risk
The pills don't work, the gun might miss
They say schizophrenia's a fine madness

And I'm sad to say I'm on my way
I won't be back for many a day
Well the bank is stealing all my cash
I know that flight 13 is going to crash
I know that people don't like me
I know that's because I call thin thin, I call fat fat
Well I know the messiah's coming down
I had to leave my little girl in Kingston town

So tell me how far to Abyssinia
The second on the left after Jamaica
I'm driving in my car, running way far
From things as they are ..... schizophrenia!

There are forces out to destroy me
And I know you think I'm paranoid
Because I say there's a big conspiracy
Well it's a self-fulfilling prophecy
I've got a blue guitar

Wishing 'pon a star
Wishing 'pon a star
Sitting in a bar with a broken heart
What do you call it when your life falls apart?
Schizophrenia, schizophrenia
Carry me away to Abyssinia
We'll play a little song of the way things are
For things are changed upon a blue guitar
Things are changed upon a synthesiser

All the ladies in the house go 'Lah dee dah'
Listen to the man with the blue guitar
Shake up your bosom take it out of your bra
Fruits in the pockets of a cornucopia
Schizophrenia, schizophrenia
I've got a broken heart and my head's in a mess
And the train is at the station and the steam begin to hiss
Take me anywhere away from all this!

Toss the caber, do the highland fling
Your daddy's gonna buy you a diamond ring
He's got a battering ram, a battering ram
And he's got a little problem with who I am
From Jamaica to Philadelphia
Lee Scratch Perry to Frank Sinatra
Somewhere over the rainbow: madness!