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The Spirit of Man Lyrics by Jeff Wayne

Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds

1978

[Narrator: Richard Burton ("The Journalist")]
I suddenly noticed the body of a parson lying on the ground in a ruined churchyard. I felt unable to leave him to the mercy of the red weed, and decided to bury him, decently
[Julie Covington: ("Beth")]
Nathaniel! Nathaniel!
[Narrator: Richard Burton ("The Journalist")]
The parson's eyes flickered open. He was alive!
[Julie Covington: ("Beth")]
Nathaniel, I saw the church burst into flame, are you all right?
[Phil Lynott: ("Parson Nathaniel")]
Don't touch me!
[Julie Covington: ("Beth")]
But it's me, Beth! Your wife!
[Phil Lynott: ("Parson Nathaniel")]
No! You're one of them- a devil!
[Julie Covington: ("Beth")]
He's delirious!
[Phil Lynott: ("Parson Nathaniel")]
Lies! I saw the devil's sign!
[Julie Covington: ("Beth")]
What are you saying?
[Phil Lynott: ("Parson Nathaniel")]
The green flash in the sky. His demons were here all along, in our hearts and souls, just waiting for a sign from Him. And now they're destroying our world!
[Julie Covington: ("Beth")]
But they're not devils, they're Martians
[Narrator: Richard Burton ("The Journalist")]
We must leave here!
[Julie Covington: ("Beth")]
Look, a house still standing, come Nathaniel, quickly
[Narrator: Richard Burton ("The Journalist")]
We took shelter in a cottage, and black smoke spread, hemming us in. Then a fighting machine came across the field spraying jets of steam that turned the smoke into thick, black dust...
[Martians]
Ulla!
[Julie Covington: ("Beth")]
Dear God, help us!
[Phil Lynott: ("Parson Nathaniel")]
The voice of the Devil is heard in our land!
[Verse 1: Phil Lynott ("Parson Nathaniel")]
Listen, do you hear them drawing near
In their search for the sinners?
Feeding on the power of our fear
And the evil within us?
In carnation of Satan's creation of all that we dread
When the demons arrive those alive would be better off dead!
[Chorus 1: Julie Covington ("Beth")]
There must be something worth living for
There must be something worth trying for
Even some things worth dying for!
And if one man can stand tall
There must be hope for us all
Somewhere, somewhere in the spirit of man
[Verse 2: Phil Lynott ("Parson Nathaniel")]
Once, there was a time when I believed
Without hesitation
That the power of love and truth could conquer all
In the name of salvation
Tell me what kind of weapon is love when it comes to the fight?
And just how much protection is truth against all Satan's might?
[Chorus 1: Julie Covington ("Beth")]
There must be something worth living for
There must be something worth trying for
Even some things worth dying for
And if one man could stand tall
There must be some hope for us all
Somewhere, somewhere in the spirit of man
[Julie Covington: ("Beth")]
People loved you, and trusted you, came to you for help...
[Phil Lynott: ("Parson Nathaniel")]
Didn't I warn them this would happen? Be on your guard, I said, for the Evil One never rests... I said exorcise the devil! But no, they wouldn't listen, the demons inside them grew and grew, until Satan gave his signal and destroyed the world we knew!
[Chorus 2: Julie Covington ("Beth")]
No Nathaniel, oh no Nathaniel
No Nathaniel, no, there must be more to life
There has to be a way that we can
Restore to life the love we used to know
(No) Nathaniel, no, there must be more to life
There has to be a way that we can
Restore to life the light that we have lost
Guitar Solo (5:10 - 5:51)
[Verse 3: Phil Lynott ("Parson Nathaniel")]
Now darkness has descended on our land
And all your prayers cannot save us
Like fools we've let the devil take command
Of the souls that God gave us
To the altar of evil like lambs to the slaughter were led
When the demons arrive the survivors will envy the dead!
[Chorus 1: Julie Covington ("Beth") & Phil Lynott ("Parson Nathaniel")]
There must be something worth living for
(No, there is nothing!)
There must be something worth trying for
(I don't believe it's so!)
Even some things worth dying for
If just one man could stand tall
There would be some hope for us all
Somewhere, somewhere in the spirit of man
[Phil Lynott: ("Parson Nathaniel")]
Forget about goodness and mercy, they're gone!
Instrumental (6:51 - 7:36)
[Phil Lynott: ("Parson Nathaniel")]
Didn't I warn them? Pray, I said! Destroy the devil, I said! They wouldn't listen! I could have saved the world! But now it's too late... too late!
[Chorus 2: Julie Covington ("Beth")]
No Nathaniel, oh no Nathaniel
No Nathaniel, no, there must be more to life
There has to be a way that we can
Restore to life the love we used to know
(No) Nathaniel, no, there must be more to life
There has to be a way that we can
Restore to life the light that we have lost...
[Phil Lynott: ("Parson Nathaniel")]
Dear God! A cylinder's landed on the house, and we are underneath it, in the pit!
[Narrator: Richard Burton ("The Journalist")]
The Martians spent the night making a new machine. It was a squat, metallic spider with huge, articulated claws, but it, too, had a hood in which a Martian sat. I watched it pursuing some people across a field. It caught them nimbly and tossed them into a great metal basket upon its back
[Phil Lynott: ("Parson Nathaniel")]
Beth! She's dead! Buried under the rubble. Why?
Satan! Why did you take one of your own?
[Chorus 3: Phil Lynott ("Parson Nathaniel")]
There is a curse on Mankind
We may as well be resigned
To let the devil, the devil take the spirit of man
[Narrator: Richard Burton ("The Journalist")]
As time passed in our dark and dusty prison, the Parson wrestled endlessly with his doubts. His outcries invited death for us both - and yet, I pitied him...
Credits

About “The Spirit of Man” by Jeff Wayne

Read the complete lyrics to "The Spirit of Man" by Jeff Wayne from the album "Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds" in 1978. On Lyrks you can follow along with the full text, explore the artist's discography, and discover related songs. The track is often categorized under Orchestral, Soundtrack, Electronic.

"The Spirit of Man" is performed by Jeff Wayne. from the album "Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds" in 1978 This page provides the full lyric text for fans who want to sing along, study the songwriting, or compare versions across releases. Lyrks organizes lyrics by artist and song slug so you can bookmark and share a stable URL. Music lyrics help listeners connect with emotion, narrative, and rhythm in a track. Whether you are learning English, researching a favorite chorus, or preparing for karaoke, having accurate line breaks and section labels (verse, chorus, bridge) makes the experience easier. We link to the official artist profile on Lyrks where available, including biography snippets, top songs, and chart placements when we have that data. If you enjoy "The Spirit of Man", explore more songs by Jeff Wayne using the links below. Chart and trending pages on Lyrks highlight what listeners are searching for this week. For copyright or correction requests, see our DMCA and contact pages.

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Frequently asked questions

"The Spirit of Man" is credited to Jeff Wayne. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"The Spirit of Man" appears on "Jeff Wayne’s Musical Version of The War of the Worlds" in 1978.

Visit the Jeff Wayne artist page at /artist/jeff-wayne for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.