The Balance

Song ratings

Rating Comments Author Date
Average song rating The last of Graeme Edge's signature spoken-word pieces (...until 1999, on the Strange Times album) is far and away his best. He removes the echo and speaks in a subdued tone a story of a sensitive young man coming to terms with his human failings, thereby finding peace. It is beautifully rendered, and Ray Thomas provides very tasteful backing music while Graeme reads. Severely compromising the track, sadly, is a jarring and repetitive musical chorus (also written by Thomas) which is sung too quickly and detracts from the rest of the music. A rare occasion of the Moodies failing to present a song in its finest possible light. Bruce Beatlefan November 9, 2011

Lyrics

After he had journeyed,
And his feet were sore,
And he was tired,
He came upon an orange grove
And he rested
And he lay in the cool,
And while he rested, he took to himself an orange and tasted it,
And it was good.
And he felt the earth to his spine,
And he asked, and he saw the tree above him, and the stars,
And the veins in the leaf,
And the light, and the balance.
And he saw magnificent perfection,
Whereon he thought of himself in balance,
And he knew he was.

Just open your eyes,
And realize, the way it's always been.
Just open your mind
And you will find
The way it's always been.
Just open your heart
And that's a start.

And he thought of those he angered,
For he was not a violent man,
And he thought of those he hurt
For he was not a cruel man
And he thought of those he frightened
For he was not an evil man,
And he understood.
He understood himself.

Upon this he saw that when he was of anger or knew hurt or felt fear,
It was because he was not understanding,
And he learned, compassion.

And with his eye of compassion.
He saw his enemies like unto himself,
And he learned love.
Then, he was answered.

Just open your eyes,
And realize, the way it's always been.
Just open your mind
And you will find
The way it's always been.
Just open your heart
And that's a start.

 

Print version

Information

Previous | Next song

from the album

A Question of Balance
A Question of Balance