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When the Great Man Falls

When the great man falls
when the great man falls
when the great man falls we fall, we fall

He was a teacher, like a sailor
like the pilot of a ship gone crazy
with all hands on deck
steering for the storm on the high, high sea
in the lightning, in the cracking
in the shaking of the world like thunder
we thought we were lost
his eyes would light up
and he would dance with glee
and when we stood back on the shore
we thought we were invincible
but the tide would pull us hard when the great man fell

When the great man falls
When the great man falls
When the great man falls we fall, we fall

When he met us he renamed us
in the image of the gods or heros
breaking down the doors
opening the way to the high walled town
you're Athena, Dionysus
Persephone, Odysseus
he would find the throne of the tyrant of the mind
and he would tear it down
then the passages we read we would tread upon as well
oh how would we go on when the great man fell

When the great man falls
When the great man falls
When the great man falls we fall, we fall

He was a father, chinese scholar
a footsoldier at Iwo Jima
and he built a house
high up in the woods where the snow is bright
we would gather at a table
constructed from an old grain silo
and we would wander up high into the hills
and we would stand in light
now his body's just a shell but his house is still full
we gather there to talk since the great man fell

When the great man falls
When the great man falls
When the great man falls we fall, we fall
When the great man falls
When the great man falls
When the great man falls we fall, we fall, we fall, we fall, we fall.