The Poetry of Rock n' Roll: "The Scent of Magnolia"

In honor of National Poetry Month, I am continuing a feature from years past: The Poetry of Rock n' Roll. And we kick off this month of poetry with a song by an exquisite wordsmith and stellar talent, David Sylvian.

His song "The Scent of Magnolia" is a journey.

(As usual I will be posting songs for this month-long series without links to the actual songs since the focus is on the lyrics as poetry.)

The Scent of Magnolia

In the coldest hour something's going down
Whatever pierced the heart, it didn't make a sound
I am terrified but I'm not losing sleep
If I'm falling then I'm falling at her feet

I'm leaving America, I'm taking a girl
I'm selling my soul again, I'm gaining the world
Every sense defies this impossible dream
None of the history books describe what I've seen

The rose, the breath, the undying spark
The lotus heart's open, embracing the dark
On the uncharted road is the not-coming-back
In the language I speak is the words that I lack
The oncoming cars, the wedding of stars

Will I know your name or recognise your face
Or by what means I'll be delivered from this place
Here comes the gun, there goes the flash
Once the bullet leaves it's never coming back

The scent of magnolia, the face of a girl
And every detail embodies the world
What kind of goals define this impossible dream
None of the picture-books reflect all I've seen

I'm leaving America, I'm taking the girls
I'll fire from the future and ambush the world

On the uncharted road is the not-coming-back
In the language I speak is the words that I lack

The scent of magnolia, the face of a girl
And every detail embodies the world
What kind of goals define this impossible dream
None of the history books describe where I've been

I'm leaving America, I'm taking a girl
I'll fire from the future and ambush the world

http://www.davidsylvian.com/