Collections of Yesterday (1975)

Is it the Tao that teaches
That life is sorrow
And when we search we seldom find
The secret that makes us happy

Oh samurai sitting sadly in silent solitude
Slowly searching for some secret satisfaction
That some say secretly satisfies

I saw the boy sitting near Angkor Wat
Playing the samisen, watching the clouds,
Searching for peace, replacing the stones
Of a broken wall, silently singing a melodious tune
That whispered through the vines
Happy with life and then he was gone

Be like the Japanese man
Who slowly slides his finger
Across a melodious samisen
And watches the sleeping dragon

Be like the Cambodian mother who dislikes her child
Learning the art of hashi when taught by a Vietnamese
She stands with her head low and secretly
Raises her eyes to observe what has been done

Remember the little boy who offered you the tea
And was it his home you had slept in this past week
And did the tea make you forget or did you want to forget
And what time was it and did you really sleep

As the lake shimmers and reflects
What we all believe to be true
Always remember that misty morning
When you awoke and looked outside

The upstairs bedroom always made us happy
Helping us dream, create, imagine and fulfill
It was always there with the sun on the other side of the house
And the wind during the cool autumn nights
Our memories of a summer five past the seven

Be like the friend you remember
Who sat near a silent lake and cried
Because he could never forget
The way in which you comforted him