[Part I: Up Ahead] [Verse 1] Passage assured On the good ship Goodbye... Dare I raise up my eyes To stare into the rigging? [Chorus] (Preparing to go home...) [Verse 2] All we could have done We're at pains to explain But all our might in the main Is only empty promise Unfulfilled at last Still no-one can be blamed For breaking daily bread Thinking ahead [Chorus] (Preparing to go home...) (Preparing to come home...) [Verse 3] Blessed with strange grace And reluctant to face Ineluctable fate I say I saw the future I said forget the past But I'll not hear the last Of lives I've never led Thinking ahead [Chorus] (Preparing to go home...) (Preparing to come home...) Thinking ahead (Preparing to go home...) (Preparing to come home...) Thinking ahead (Preparing to go home...) (Preparing to come home...) Thinking ahead (Preparing to go home...) [Part II: Continental Drift] [Verse 4] We make the beds in which we'll stretch In unconscious pre-planning; Tending and hedging our bets Thinking we're thinking ahead [Verse 5] Out of the blue comes the given life Out of the window volition In small miracles, in constant reinvention We make sense of each current position [Bridge] Every choice that we make, every trick that we turn up Appears in its principle sound Yeah, we're self-made men, masters of our destiny Free and unbound... [Verse 6] In to the heart comes the brave new world Where we're slaves to the strength of conviction... Yeah, I believe decisions come like continents to conquer Like I believe we're no strangers to fiction [Bridge] Every road that we take Means a journey rejected We pretend we can still have it all; Every future we dream a virtual reality Only vanity still holds us enthralled When the best laid plans of mice and men All unravel in the judgement call Hey, pride still make us ride for a fall [Chorus] Surely we look ripe for a fall Surely we look ripe for a fall Surely we look ripe for a fall; Maybe we just ride for the fall (Hey!) Surely we look ripe for a fall Surely we look ripe for a fall Surely we look ripe for a fall; Yeah, maybe we just ride for the fall Maybe we just ride for the fall Maybe we just ride for the fall [Part III: The Twelve] [Verse 7] The jury's out upon the matter And they can barely bear to admit That all the time that we spend planning In the end will matter not one whit [Verse 8] Though I've certainly considered Every vital pro and con I get no scent of an acquittal I lose the drift... the signs are wrong What's going on? [Verse 9] (Twelve signs of the zodiac Twelve hours to face The twelve disciples all aquiver Twelve arrows strike a twelve-tone case.) [Verse 10] Round and round in repetition Of the flight from boredom into thrill And all the time we're waiting on the punchline The hollow laugh within "we will' [Verse 11] What won't we give to take up The turning over of a new leaf? No one ever reaching future perfect; Before we know it, beyond belief We come to grief We hit the reef [Part IV: Long Light] [Verse 12] Signs serial Adrift in the air Immaterial Face up to the phosphor flare [Verse 13] Ghost essence Fuels fire in the rig; Incandescence Let's dance out the mystery jig [Bridge] Jig Dance the dance of mystery light Dance the dance, jig Dance the dance infernally bright [Instrumental Break] [Verse 14] Dark water Dark fire down below... Storm quarter Time to dance out the mystery - no! [Verse 15] The twelve will swing us to completeness Right from the cradle to the grave And all our future projection's Only second guessing seventh waves... A break in the connections We thought were built to last Here's a change in the weather Tsunami time - The wave's already rolling in towards us from the past [Part V: Backwards Man] [Intro] It's only looking backwards That you retrace your hand It's only in a moment of reversal That you can see where you stand... Ease out, come through the film and through the mirror Welcome the backwards man [Verse 16] Oh yes, the beach still stirs the ocean And soon the tide will turn the moon round All is forgiven and all was foreseen - All's as it ever could be [Verse 17] Ends forced motive out of meaning Means all even out in the end; Retracing steps In the process you learn to stand Learn to walk again So much gets forgotten, so much is forsworn In retrospect [Bridge] Did I really do that? Was I ever so young? [Outro] It's here, looking backwards That you confront your own face It's only in such moments of reversal That you're secure in place Through the fire backwards Again and again Return to base Return to base Return to base Return to base Return to base Return to base Return to base Return to base Return, return... [Part VI: As You Were] [Verse 18] It's some relief To find the possible in store; Beyond belief In overtime, I'm overboard... Uncharted waters, full fathom five The future's rising, it's just arrived [Verse 19] It's not the same As I imagined it would be But there's no blame If every life's imaginary [Bridge] And if I get quite what I deserve That'll end the sentence, the time I've served A full stop to the sentence... [Verse 20] When it's all done you willed the person you've become In serious fun it's as you were that you become And so it's done [Part VII: Or So I Said] [Verse 21] I saw the future Or so I said... How strange they seem The lives I've never led Thinking ahead [Chorus] (I'm ready to go home...) (I'm ready to come home...) (I'm ready to go home...) (I'm ready to come home...) (I'm ready to go home...) (I'm ready to come home...) (I'm ready to go home...) (I'm ready to come home...) (I'm ready to go home...) (I'm ready to come home...) [Outro] So head on (I'm ready to go home...) Headlong (I'm ready to come home...) So head on (I'm ready to go home...) Headstrong (I'm ready to come home...) So head on (I'm ready to go home...) Headlong (I'm ready to come home...) So head on (I'm ready to go home...) Headstrong (I'm ready to come home...) Headlong (I'm ready to come home...) So head on (I'm ready to go...)
Read the complete lyrics to "A Headlong Stretch" by Peter Hammill from the album "Roaring Forties". 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 In English, Experimental Rock, Experimental.
"A Headlong Stretch" is performed by Peter Hammill. from the album "Roaring Forties" 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 "A Headlong Stretch", explore more songs by Peter Hammill 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.
"A Headlong Stretch" is credited to Peter Hammill. Songwriting credits may include additional writers listed on the release; check the credits section on this page for linked collaborators.
"A Headlong Stretch" appears on "Roaring Forties".
Visit the Peter Hammill artist page at /artist/peter-hammill for biography, popular tracks, and links to more lyric pages.
