Lyrks
Lyrks
Cover Art

Zen Lyrics by John Cale

HoboSapiens

2003

It's midnight
And our silver-tongued obsessions come at us out of the dark
Scrambling to be recognised before tearing themselves apart
It's zen and the art of Bollywood
Heroes turning on a spit
The lovers unable to resolve a prehistoric bitch

We don't know the half of it
Clever is as clever does
His drawn lights sparking on a merry-go-round
Hypnotizing everyone on it
In zen and the art of forgery
We're losing control of light
DeLorean, Picasso, Mondrian, El Greco
Someone's gonna pay the price

If I didn't know you better than that
I'd never let you out of my sight

Where is the art of sorcery?
We wanna be fooled again
Staggered by deception
Charmed into submission
Helpless as a deck of cards
It's now the art of reality
Calling a spade a spade
Facing the obvious
A monkey and his grinder
But on a different plain

I see you clearly from day to day
As clearly as I see tonight

"Keep talking," said the slow-eyed Mandarin
"I have got nothing to say
Meet me on the staircase on your way down
We'll see if there's been a mistake"
In zen and the art of algebra
There is no value for time
Whatever thrives inside the dark
Decays on the outside
Credits

About “Zen” by John Cale

Read the complete lyrics to "Zen" by John Cale from the album "HoboSapiens" in 2003. 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 Pop.

"Zen" is performed by John Cale. from the album "HoboSapiens" in 2003 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 "Zen", explore more songs by John Cale 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.

View all songs and biography for John Cale · Trending lyrics · Billboard Hot 100

Frequently asked questions

"Zen" is credited to John Cale. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.

"Zen" appears on "HoboSapiens" in 2003.

Visit the John Cale artist page at /artist/john-cale for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.


Lyrks
Lyrks

Your gateway to the world of music lyrics.

Product

Features


© 2026 Lyrks. All rights reserved.