RECORDS OF
THE LAMP

English male vocal,
acoustic Bob Dylan / American folk / weathered country-blues,
nasal weathered male vocal, gravelly and gentle, story-telling,
not singing strongly — talking through song,
close mic, dry, intimate folk recording,
bluesy harmonica throughout,
acoustic guitar fingerpicking with open chords, central,
upright bass walking,
brushed drums very minimal,
gentle organ pad in background,
6/8 swing feel,
A long folk ballad about a Chinese woodcutter who became a sage,
The temperature of an old man telling a true story,
Verse 11 refrain: warmer, more melodic,
Verse 12: slowest, most weathered,
Outro: harmonica solo extended, then silence,
do not loop, do not repeat,
BPM 88, Key G major

[Intro — Harmonica]

[Verse 1]

I was selling firewood in the marketplace
my father was dead, my mother thin
a man on the corner was reading from a book
he said dwell nowhere, let your mind arise
something in my chest cracked open like a melon
I dropped the firewood right there in the street
and I never picked it up again

[Verse 2]

I walked a thousand miles to Huangmei mountain
the old man looked at me like a stray dog
he said southerners ain't got Buddha-nature
I said people got north and south
Buddha-nature ain't got north and south
he didn't smile but his eyes did something
and he sent me to the rice-pounding shed

[Chorus]

How does it feel
how does it feel
to be the one they don't see
to be the one with no robe
to be the one with no name
how does it feel

[Verse 3]

He said write me a poem, I'll give you the robe
Shenxiu wrote the body is a bodhi tree
the mind is a mirror, polish it clean
I was still pounding rice in the back
I told a boy to write on the wall for me:
bodhi has no tree, the mirror has no stand
from the beginning there is not one thing
so where would the dust land

[Verse 4]

He called me at the third watch, locked the door
read me the Diamond Sutra in a whisper
gave me the robe, gave me the bowl
said now run, boy, run south and don't come back
they will kill you for this robe

[Chorus]

How does it feel
how does it feel
to find out the cook is the patriarch
to find out the rice-pounder wrote the sutra
how does it feel

[Verse 5]

I hid with hunters for fifteen years
cooked vegetables in the meat broth
nobody knew the sixth patriarch
was the cook in a hunting camp
and I'll tell you this much, friend
I wasn't the patriarch in those years
I was the cook
and that was the same thing

[Verse 6]

I walked into a temple in Guangzhou
two monks were arguing about a flag
one said the flag is moving
the other said no, the wind
I said it isn't the flag, isn't the wind
your minds are moving, gentlemen
your minds are moving

[Outro]

I never learned to read
they wrote down everything I said
and they called it a sutra
the first sutra from a Chinese mouth
from a mouth that couldn't read its own name

dwell nowhere
let your mind arise
from there

Mixed male and female vocals,
late-period Beatles / 1960s art pop / multi-part suite,
warm McCartney-style male lead, intimate and melodic,
secondary female vocals for character parts,
three-part harmonies in coda,
not concert pop — chamber pop with sitar and acoustic guitar,
close mic, warm reverb on vocals,
acoustic guitar fingerpicking and strumming, central,
sitar enters in part II, Indian-influenced,
electric guitar with chorus pedal, Velvet Underground deadpan in part III,
piano ballad in part V, Let It Be style,
ethereal reverb in part IV, Across the Universe style,
cello and three-part harmony in part VI, Because style,
kettle whistling at start,
gentle bass walking,
brushed drums, light,
A suite about a Chinese Buddhist family,
The temperature of a small house with rice paper windows,
Song moves through six parts, each with different Beatles-era texture,
Part VI coda: three voices harmonizing,
Outro: voices fade, cello sustains, silence,
BPM 84, Key C major

[Intro — acoustic guitar, kettle whistling]

[Part I — Morning in the Kitchen]

(McCartney-esque, gentle)

Pang:
I am making bamboo baskets in the yard
Lingzhao is grinding sesame
her mother is folding the laundry
the sun is on the rice paper window

We sold three baskets yesterday
We bought a little oil, a little salt
We bought a paper of tea
That is the whole household

Mother:
The pot is on the fire
come and eat, come and eat

Lingzhao:
I cut the bun in half
half for father, half for mother
and I am still hungry

Pang:
Then I will cut my half in half
here, daughter, here

All three voices, harmonizing:
share it, share it, share it
the last bite is the first bite
when you share it
when you share it

[Part II — The Two Masters]

(Harrison-esque, sitar enters)

Pang:
Long ago I went to see Shitou
I asked him who is the one
who is not a companion to the ten thousand things
He put his hand over my mouth
and I understood half of it

Then I went to see Mazu
asked him the same question
He said wait until you have drunk
all the water of the West River in a single gulp
then I will tell you

I laughed, the answer was the river
the river was already in my mouth
Mazu wrote you are done, go home and live

So I went home and lived
I sold my property, I dropped my books in the lake
I built baskets
and the river was still in my mouth

[Part III — Going Out for Oil]

(Velvet Underground groove, deadpan)

I'm walking down to the market for oil
got a few copper coins in my sleeve
got an empty jar on a string

The merchant knows me
layman, how's the family
the family is well
give me ten ladles of sesame oil

I'm carrying the sesame oil home
I'm carrying the sesame oil home
this is the only sutra I know today
this is the only sutra I know today

[Part IV — Snow at the Door]

(Lennon-esque, "Across the Universe" reverb)

One winter day a monk came to the gate
the snow was falling thick on the path
I pointed at the snow, I said
good snowflakes
each one falls in its own place
not one of them lands anywhere else

The monk said where do they land then
I slapped him gently on the cheek
he laughed, he understood half of it

Then he said
not one of them lands anywhere else
and he walked into the snow
and the snow walked into him

[Part V — Lingzhao Goes First]

(McCartney piano ballad, "Let It Be" gravity)

Pang:
I am old now, my back is bent
my hands are stiff
but my daughter Lingzhao
my daughter is sharp as a knife

I said Lingzhao, watch the sun
tell me when it reaches the zenith
I want to go at noon

She looked out the window
Father, come quick
there is an eclipse

I went to the door, looked at the sky
no eclipse, the sky was bright
I turned around
Lingzhao was sitting in my chair
hands folded in the lotus position
she had gone before me

I laughed and laughed
sharp girl, sharp girl
you have taken the first half for yourself

[Part VI — The Mother, Alone, and Coda]

("Because"-style three-part harmony, then cello)

Mother (alone now):
I am washing the rice in the river
the river is the same river

My husband studied with Mazu
he learned to drink it in one gulp
My daughter took the first half
that was her teaching

I am the one who stayed
I am the one who buried them both
that is also the teaching

There is rice in the bowl
I will eat half, I will leave half on the altar
for the two who went ahead

The bun is cut
the bun is always cut
even when there is no one left to share with
that is the practice
that is the only practice

[Coda — all three voices return, harmonizing]

share it, share it, share it
the last bite is the first bite
share it, share it, share it

and in the end
the half you give
is equal to
the half you keep

and in the end
the half you keep
is equal to
the half you give

English male vocal with Sanskrit syllables,
drone metal / dark ambient metal / ritual doom,
extremely low guttural male voice, spoken and chanted, almost throat-singing register,
not singing — chanting and intoning,
close mic, dry, dark and ominous,
extremely down-tuned electric guitar sustained drone, distorted and slow,
massive distorted bass drone, gigantic low frequencies,
single notes held for very long durations, no chord progressions,
no drums, no rhythm section,
throat hum and overtone singing texture,
sampled snow and wind sounds, distant,
single bell strike at sharp moments,
second voice (the wall) lower and processed,
A song about nine years of silent meditation facing a wall,
The temperature of a cave in the mountains in winter,
Verse 4: snow sounds enter, drone quieter,
Verse 5: sharp impact, then drone returns,
Outro: drone fades, snow continues, silence,
do not loop, do not repeat,
BPM 40, Key drop-tuned E

[Intro — drop-tuned guitar drone, single sustained note, throat hum]

OṂ
OṂ
OṂ

[Verse 1 — Year One]

(low spoken, Attila Csihar register)

I crossed the sea in a reed boat
The Emperor asked how much merit have I gained
I said no merit
He said what is the highest truth
I said vast emptiness, nothing holy
He said who stands before me
I said I do not know

I crossed the river on a single reed
I came to this mountain
I sat down facing the wall
I sat down facing the wall

[Chorus — guttural drone, double-tracked]

The wall is in front of me
The wall is in front of me
The wall is in front of me
HŪṂ
A bird built a nest in my hair
I did not move
I did not move
I did not move
HŪṂ

[Verse 2 — Years Three and Four]

What is being looked at
What is doing the looking
What is being looked at
What is doing the looking
The wall is looking back
The wall is looking back
We have been looking at each other
for years now
I do not know
which of us is the wall

A peasant left a bowl of millet
the birds took it
he thought he was feeding a god
he was feeding a god
he just did not know which god

[Bridge — Year Five, the wall speaks]

(second voice, lower, the wall's voice)

Why are you looking at me
Why are you looking at me
I am you
I am you
I am you

(Bodhidharma)

Yes
Yes
Yes

[Verse 3 — Years Six and Seven]

(no words for a long time, only drone — then:)

I have forgotten my name
I have forgotten my name
What was my name
It does not matter
It does not matter
It does not matter
OṂ
AH
HŪṂ

[Verse 4 — Year Eight, the snow]

(snow sounds enter, drone quieter)

A man is standing behind me
in the snow
I do not turn around
He has been standing there for hours
The snow is up to his waist
He does not speak
I do not speak
The snow continues
The snow continues
The snow continues

[Verse 5 — Year Nine, the severed arm]

(sharp impact, then drone returns)

A voice behind me, shaking, bleeding
Master, my mind is not at peace
please, pacify my mind

I turn around for the first time in nine years
A man kneeling in the snow
holding his own severed arm
The snow is red around him

I say
bring me your mind and I will pacify it
He says
I have searched for my mind
and I cannot find it
I cannot find it anywhere
I say
there
I have pacified it

[Outro — drone fades, snow continues]

We are two old men in the snow
one with two arms, one with one arm
We are laughing
We are laughing
We are laughing

I will go back across the sea
on a single sandal
on a single sandal
on a single sandal

OṂ
AH
HŪṂ

[drone fades to silence]

English male vocal,
Syd Barrett solo era / fragile psychedelic folk / outsider folk,
fragile high tenor male voice, breathy and childlike, occasionally off-key,
not singing perfectly — singing as if half-remembering,
close mic, dry, intimate and unstable,
out-of-tune acoustic guitar fingerpicking, gentle and brittle,
occasional second guitar with detuning,
sparse piano single notes,
brief organ swirl in middle section, Farfisa-like,
distant tambourine occasionally,
brittle high laugh at start,
unsteady tempo, sometimes slowing, sometimes drifting,
no drums for most of song,
soft brushed snare in middle section,
A song about two men who disappeared into rocks,
The temperature of an English cottage and a Chinese cliff,
Verse 3: Cambridge accent shift, slightly different vocal,
Verse 7: two voices intertwined, harmony,
Outro: voice and guitar fade, single brittle note,
do not loop, do not repeat,
BPM 76, Key G major

[Intro — out-of-tune acoustic guitar, a high brittle laugh]

[Verse 1]

There's a man on the mountain who has no name
he laughs all day at the moon
and the moon laughs back
and they both fall down

I went up the path with a rice cake in my sleeve
the path got narrower
and then the path was just me
walking

A bird said are you Hanshan
I said I think I used to be
the bird flew off
and took my name with it

[Chorus]

cold mountain, cold mountain
寒山, 寒山
my house is the rocks
my bed is the moss
my friend is the man who isn't there
who isn't there

[Verse 2]

I had a brother once
his name was Shide
he worked in the temple kitchen
he stole the leftovers for me
in a bamboo tube

We ate them by the river
he laughed so hard he fell in the river
didn't notice
the river was busy being a river

[Verse 3 — Cambridge accent now]

I was in a band once in London
we made records about gnomes and bicycles
the lights were very bright
and I started to see things

So I went home to my mother in Cambridge
I painted the cellar walls
I grew tomatoes
I watched the television with the sound off
for thirty years
for thirty years

[Chorus]

cold mountain, cold mountain
寒山, 寒山
my house is the rocks
my house is the bungalow
my friend is the man who isn't there
who isn't there

[Verse 4]

I wrote a poem on a tree
the tree didn't read it
the tree grew over it
now the poem is inside the tree

I painted a painting on a wall
the wall got painted over
now the painting is inside the wall

what is the difference
between a poem inside a tree
and a painting inside a wall
there is no difference
that is the joke
that is the only joke I know

[Verse 5]

A monk came up the mountain with a bag of paper
he wanted my poems for the temple library
I said they're on the rocks
they're on the trees
they're on the bones of the deer that died last winter
go ahead, copy them
I won't watch
I'll be over there laughing

he copied them for a year
his hands got cold
when he was done
I'd already gone into a crack in the rock
into a crack in the rock
he wrote
he went into the rock
he wrote
and the rock closed

[Verse 6]

A man came to my mother's door in Cambridge
he had a tape recorder
he wanted to ask about the band
about the songs, about the lights
I said I'm Roger
Syd was someone else
Syd went into a crack in the rock
he didn't understand
he wrote it down anyway

[Verse 7 — both voices intertwined]

I am painting a still life of three plums
I am writing a poem about three plums
the plums are on a plate
the plums are on a rock
the plate is in Cambridge
the rock is on a mountain
the painter is the poet
the cellar is the cave
the cave is the cellar
I am laughing
because nobody knows
that I figured it out
and I'm not telling

[Outro]

I have one tooth left
and it doesn't hurt anymore
I have one poem left
and it doesn't mean anything anymore
I have one friend left
and he isn't here
and he never was
and that's the friend

I'm going into the rock now
I'll see you on the other side
or maybe I won't
it doesn't matter
the rock is laughing too
you just can't hear it yet

English male vocal,
Nick Cave Ghosteen era / dark chamber pop / prayer rock,
deep baritone, whispered and intimate, alternating with sung moments, fragile,
not aggressive — confessional and tender,
close mic, dry with warm reverb,
sparse piano single notes and gentle chords, central,
sustained synth pad throughout, ambient warmth,
violin bowed drone, sometimes melodic, Warren Ellis style,
female choir humming beneath, distant and ethereal,
no drums for most of song,
distant gentle bass in later parts,
A song from an old father to his disowned son,
The temperature of a death-bed confession with faith intact,
Part VI: wall of sound, violin swells, choir grows, whispered vocal,
Part VII: instruments quieter, voice intimate,
Part VIII: piano and voice only,
Coda: voice repeats name, child's voice in distance, silence,
do not loop, do not repeat,
BPM 60, Key Cm

[Intro — piano, violin, breath]

[Part I — The Letter]

I am writing a letter
to my son
whom I disowned
seven years ago

His name is Zenran
His name means good warmth
I gave him that name
when his mother held him
in the candlelight
and I thought
here is the good in me
made visible

[Part II — The Cutting]

Zenran went east to preach in my name
he told the people
that I had given him
a secret teaching
that the rest of the disciples
had not received

He said
my father whispered it to me alone
at night, by the river

There was no secret
There was no river
There was no night

I had to write the letter
Zenran, from this day
you are not my son

I signed it with my hand
that does not stop shaking now
I sent it east
and I have not slept
through one whole night
since

[Part III — The Mercy Seat]

I am ninety years old
I cannot eat the rice my wife prepares
my teeth are gone
my hands shake on the brush
when I write the nembutsu
for a peasant who has come to my door

Namu Amida Butsu
Namu Amida Butsu
南無阿弥陀仏

I say it
I do not know if I believe it
that has never been the question
the question was always
can the worst man be saved
can the worst man be saved

[Part IV — Doctrine in a Whisper]

The good man can be saved
how much more
the evil man

The good man relies on his goodness
how heavy his goodness becomes

The evil man has nothing
how light his nothing becomes
in the hand of the Buddha

This is what I taught
This is what they will call
the doctrine of evil persons
after I am dead

[Part V — Confession]

I was a monk for twenty years
on Mount Hiei
I shaved my head, I sat on a cushion
I copied the sutras
I disciplined myself

And I could not stop wanting
I could not stop wanting food
I could not stop wanting a woman
I could not stop wanting

I came down the mountain
I went to Hōnen and I knelt
I said I have failed at being a monk

He smiled, he was already old then
he said
you cannot fail at being a monk
because there is no such thing as a monk
there is only Namu Amida Butsu

I took a wife — the first monk in this country
to take a wife in the open
her name was Eshinni
we had seven children
one of them was Zenran

[Part VI — Ghosteen]

(wall of sound, violin, choir, whisper)

Son
I am writing to you
even though I cannot send the letter
because I do not know
where you have gone

Some say you went further east
some say you died of shame
some say you are still preaching
the secret teaching that was never given

It does not matter
the letter is for me

Son
the nembutsu you whispered as a child
in your sleep
is the same nembutsu

Amida heard it
Amida hears it
right now

Even though I disowned you
Amida did not
Amida did not

[Part VII — The Other Power]

There is a power that is not me
There is a hand that is not my hand

When my hand shakes on the brush
the other hand is steady

When my heart fails
the other heart is full

When I disowned my son
the other did not disown him

This is what tariki means
other power
not my power
not ever my power

[Part VIII — The Last Day]

Eshinni is reading to me
my eyes are too tired now
she is reading from a letter she wrote forty years ago
about the night we married

She is laughing
Shinran, you were so frightened
you thought lightning would strike you
for breaking the precept

I say
it did, Eshinni
lightning did strike
and it was you
and it was the children
and it was Zenran
and the lightning was the Buddha
and I am still standing in it

Namu Amida Butsu
Namu Amida Butsu
南無阿弥陀仏

[Coda]

If you can hear me, Zenran
if you can hear me

I am sorry
I am sorry

I was not a good father
I was not a good monk
I was not a good husband
I was not a good teacher

I was an evil man
and that is why
I was saved

You too
were saved
the moment you whispered the name

even if you whispered it as a lie
Amida does not care
Amida does not care

Namu Amida Butsu
Namu Amida Butsu

[a child's voice in the distance: Namu Amida Butsu. Then silence.]

English male vocal,
early Tom Waits / Closing Time era / saloon ballad / jazzy folk,
deep gravelly male baritone, intimate and humorous, slightly weary,
not singing — telling a story over a drink,
close mic, dry, room ambience prominent,
upright piano slightly out of tune, central, stride piano feel in bridge,
upright bass walking slowly,
brush snare drum, very light jazz feel,
harmonica brief in coda, single slow phrase,
no electric instruments,
saloon room ambience throughout,
A song about a 120-year-old monk telling people to drink tea,
The temperature of a quiet bar at closing time,
Bridge: piano breaks into saloon stride, brush kicks up,
Verse 5 onwards: piano softer, more intimate,
Coda: only piano remains, bass and brush drop out, harmonica enters with one phrase,
Outro: low chuckle, cough, single piano chord, porcelain cup on wood, silence,
do not loop, do not repeat,
BPM 76, Key C major

[Intro — out-of-tune upright piano, brush on snare, walking bass]

[Verse 1]

I have been here forty years
sitting in this same chair
drinking from this same cracked cup

People come up the mountain
they want to know
what is the meaning of it all
I say have you eaten breakfast
they say yes
I say go wash your bowl

That's been my answer for forty years
and nobody's ever come back to complain

[Chorus]

Chi cha qu
喫茶去
Chi cha qu
喫茶去
go drink tea
go drink tea
go drink tea
and shut up

[Verse 2]

A young monk came up last spring
sharp as a razor
he said Master, I have just arrived
I said go drink tea

Then an old monk came up
who had been here twenty years
he said Master, I have been here a long time
I said go drink tea

The temple director scratched his bald head
Master, why did you tell them both
the exact same thing
I said director
He said yes
I said go drink tea

[Chorus]

Chi cha qu
喫茶去
go drink tea
and shut up

[Verse 3]

A man came up with a dog
the dog had three legs and a torn ear
The man said
Master, does a dog have Buddha-nature
I looked at the dog
the dog was scratching itself
I said no

The man said but the Buddha said
all sentient beings have Buddha-nature
so why does this dog not
I said because he knows
The man said knows what
I said knows enough not to ask

[Bridge — saloon piano stride, spoken]

I'll tell you something
they won't tell you in the monasteries
A patriarch is just an old man
who has been drinking tea
in the same room for so long
that the tea has started drinking him

The robes don't make the monk
the shaved head don't make the monk
the tea makes the monk
and the tea is just hot water and leaves
and the leaves were on a tree last year
and the tree was a seed the year before
and the seed was in the wind

I've been the wind once
I've been the seed once
I've been the tree once
I've been the leaf once
Now I'm just the old man with the cup
and that's the last form
before I'm the wind again

[Verse 4]

An emperor sent for me once
come to the capital and teach me
I sent him a poem instead:
the old monk does not move from his cup
if the emperor wants to drink tea
the emperor can come up the mountain
and bring his own cup

He did not come
he sent me a brick of tea instead
the tea was very good
I drank it for a year
I have outlived three emperors
and the tea outlived all of us

[Chorus]

Chi cha qu
喫茶去
go drink tea
and shut up

[Verse 5]

The disciples ask me
Master, when you die
what should we write on your gravestone
I say write nothing
don't waste good stone

They say but Master
how will people find you
I say
if they're looking for me
they won't find me
if they're not looking for me
they'll find me everywhere

They write it down
they always write it down
that's the disease of disciples
they mistake the writing for the master

If I could give them one last thing
it would be the cup
with tea still warm in it
and a note that says
finish this

[Outro — only piano and harmonica]

I'm a hundred and twenty years old
I've been telling people to drink tea
for forty of those years
and I'm starting to wonder
if maybe I should drink some tea myself

(a low chuckle, ending in a cough)

go drink tea
go drink tea
Chi cha qu

Mixed female and male vocals,
Julianna Barwick-style looped vocal ambient / sacred ambient / wordless choral,
soft ethereal female vocal, wordless vowels and "ah" "ko" "ha" syllables, looped and layered,
distant male spoken voice for dream fragments, low and intimate,
not singing in lyrics — wordless female voice as texture, male voice as narration,
close mic on both, lush warm cathedral reverb,
sustained synth pad underneath, ambient warmth,
sparse piano single notes,
distant rain and temple gate sounds,
single uguisu bird call in coda,
no drums, no bass, no rhythm,
A song about a monk who recorded his dreams for forty years,
The temperature of a Japanese mountain temple at dawn,
Female voices form the wordless choir throughout,
Male voice enters quietly to narrate dream fragments,
Voice fragments include "ko" and "haha" repeated softly,
Coda: female voices descend in one final note, piano, rain, bird, silence,
do not loop, do not repeat,
BPM 48, Key C major

[Intro — looped female voices, wordless vowels, rain, temple gate creak]

ko
ko
ko

(I was a child)

[Fragment One — the tree that knew my name]

I dreamed
a pine tree spoke to me
the pine tree said
Myōe
you forgot me when you were eight years old
I have been waiting

I asked the tree what it wanted
the tree said
nothing
I just wanted to say your name
before you forgot it again

[Fragment Two — haha]

haha
haha

(mother)

I dreamed my mother
who died when I was eight
came to the cell
she sat on the floor
she did not look at me
she was sewing a small white robe
I asked for whom
she said for the boy
I said which boy
she said the one who is dreaming

[Fragment Three — the deer at the gate]

A deer came to the gate of the temple
it stood there for three days
without eating, without drinking, without sleeping
on the fourth day
it bowed three times
and walked away

the gatekeeper said
Master, what was that
I said that was me
he said you are inside the temple, Master
I said
I have been outside the gate
for forty years
bowing, bowing, bowing

[Fragment Four — the small Buddha]

I dreamed I had become small as a thumbnail
sitting in the palm of a hand
I did not know whose hand
the hand was warm
the hand was breathing
I tried to look up to see the face
but the hand was the whole world
the hand was the whole world
I sat there
I think I am still sitting there

[Interlude — only the female voices, wordless, weaving]

[Fragment Five — the woman from across the sea]

I dreamed
a woman from India came to me
walking on the water of the sea
between Kii and the southern islands
she was small as a child
she had no language I knew
she opened her hand
inside her hand was a single grain of rice
she said something I did not understand
but I bowed
she went back across the water
walking, walking, walking

I wrote down the dream
and I built a small island of rocks
in the garden pond
I called it
the place of the woman who came
it is still there

[Fragment Six — the precepts]

I am a monk
I am a monk who has kept the precepts for forty years
I have not lain with a woman
I have not eaten meat
I have not drunk wine
I have not killed a fly

This is not what makes me a monk
This is not what makes me a monk
What makes me a monk is

[silence]

ko
the dream
the dream
that I write down every morning
in this same book
for forty years

The book is the practice
The dreams are the sutra
that no one else will ever read

[Fragment Seven — the ear]

I cut off my own ear
in a dream
then in waking life
with a knife
so that I would not be tempted to leave the temple
because no one would want
a monk with one ear

The blood was real
the dream was real too
both of them
I cannot remember now
which came first

[Fragment Eight — the island]

I have always wanted to go
to the island where the Buddha walked
I planned the journey three times
each time
a dream came that told me
stay

In the third dream
the Buddha himself came and sat on my mat
he said
Myōe
you are already on the island
you have been on the island
for a long time

I did not go to India
I stayed at Toganoo
I planted trees
I wrote down the dreams
I bowed at the gate
where the deer had stood

[Coda]

The book is almost full
forty years

When I die
the book will continue
to dream

it will dream
of the next reader

even if no one
ever opens it

[female voices, one final wordless note, slow descent. Piano. Rain. A single uguisu bird. Silence.]

English male vocal with Japanese chant,
late-60s Detroit proto-punk / garage rock / MC5 and Stooges era,
raw shouted male vocal, young and aggressive, alternating between rant and chant,
not singing — preaching and inciting,
close mic, slight room ambience,
twin fuzz guitars with feedback, Wayne Kramer style,
distorted overdriven bass, driving,
hard rock drums, 8th note pounding, no swing,
ride cymbal accents,
free jazz texture in middle sections,
crowd chant backing vocals,
conch shell horn in coda, low and long,
Intro: feedback, single cymbal, fuzz guitar erupts, drums kick in,
Verse: relentless drive, half-shouted vocal,
Pre-Chorus: building hysteria,
Chorus: full assault, anthemic shout-along chant,
Bridge: Stooges swagger, single locked riff,
Outro: noise climax, conch horn cuts through, fades, silence,
do not loop, do not repeat,
BPM 132, Key Em

[opening: feedback. Then a single ride cymbal hit. Then Wayne Kramer-style fuzz guitar erupts in a single sustained dissonant chord. Drums kick in at full volume — 8th note pounding, no swing. A voice — young, raw, half-shouted, Rob Tyner meets Iggy Pop:]

[Intro — call to action, MC5 Kick Out the Jams style]

KICK OUT THE PRIESTS
KICK OUT THE PRIESTS
KICK OUT THE PRIESTS, MOTHERFUCKERS
I said KICK OUT THE PRIESTS
KICK OUT THE PRIESTS
KICK OUT THE PRIESTS, MOTHERFUCKERS

[Verse 1 — Kamakura 1260, young Nichiren, 38 years old]

I'm walking up to the Shogun's gate
with a scroll in my hand
and a fire in my chest
and a fire in my chest
I wrote it on a fishing boat
I wrote it on a fishing boat
between hauling nets
between hauling nets
It's called Risshō Ankoku Ron
Establish the Right Teaching, Pacify the Land
Establish the Right Teaching, Pacify the Land
I'm gonna tell the Shogun
I'm gonna tell the Shogun to his face

[Pre-Chorus]

The Pure Land monks — they're a LIE
The Zen monks — they're DEMONS
The Shingon monks — they're DESTROYING the country
The Vinaya monks — they're TRAITORS
THE FOUR HERETIC SCHOOLS
THE FOUR HERETIC SCHOOLS
THE FOUR HERETIC SCHOOLS
Only one sutra
Only one sutra
Only the Lotus
Only the Lotus

[Chorus]

NAMU MYŌHŌ
RENGE KYŌ
NAMU MYŌHŌ
RENGE KYŌ
南無妙法蓮華経
南無妙法蓮華経
南無妙法蓮華経
CHANT IT
CHANT IT
CHANT IT OR DIE TRYING

[Verse 2 — they burn his hut]

They burned my hut down
They burned my hut down
in the middle of the night
in the middle of the night
I came out with the sutra in my arms
I came out with the sutra in my arms
I said
come on
come on
kill me
kill me
you'll just make me a martyr
you'll just make me a martyr
They beat me with sticks
They beat me with sticks
they exiled me to Izu
they exiled me to Izu
I wrote letters from the rock
I wrote letters from the rock to my disciples
don't stop chanting
don't stop chanting
don't stop chanting

[Chorus]

NAMU MYŌHŌ
RENGE KYŌ
NAMU MYŌHŌ
RENGE KYŌ
CHANT IT
CHANT IT
CHANT IT OR DIE TRYING

[Verse 3 — Tatsunokuchi, 1271, the execution that didn't happen]

They put me on a horse at midnight
hands tied behind my back
they're taking me to the beach at Tatsunokuchi
they're gonna cut my head off
I see the executioner
he's drawing his sword
his sword catches the moonlight
his sword catches the moonlight
I'm chanting
I'm chanting the title
I'm chanting the title
NAMU MYŌHŌ RENGE KYŌ
NAMU MYŌHŌ RENGE KYŌ
And then —
And then —
a comet hits the sky
a comet hits the sky
the executioner drops his sword
the executioner drops his sword
the horse panics
the soldiers fall to their knees
the soldiers fall to their knees
I'm still kneeling there
I'm still kneeling there with my head on the block
I'm still chanting
I'm still chanting
they couldn't kill me
they couldn't kill me
they couldn't kill me

[Bridge — Iggy Pop Search and Destroy swagger, the band locks into a single riff]

I am the soul of this country
I am the soul of this country
they tried to bury me
they tried to bury me
they didn't know
they didn't know
they didn't know I was a SEED

I am Nichiren
Nichi — SUN
Ren — LOTUS
I am the sun
I am the lotus
I am the sun in the lotus
I am the lotus in the sun
You can't kill the sun
You can't kill the sun
You can't kill the lotus
You can't kill the lotus

[Verse 4 — they exile him to Sado]

They sent me to Sado island
Sado in the winter
Sado in the winter is HELL
Sado in the winter is HELL
I lived in a graveyard hut
I lived in a graveyard hut
I had no food
I had no fire
I had ink and paper
I wrote Kanjin no Honzon Shō
I wrote Senji Shō
I wrote Kaimoku Shō
I wrote them on the back of donations
I wrote them with frozen fingers
I wrote them with frozen fingers
I wrote them with FROZEN FINGERS

Some peasants brought me rice
Some peasants brought me rice
they knelt down
they said teach us
I taught them
I taught them the title
I taught them the title
NAMU MYŌHŌ RENGE KYŌ
within a year there were hundreds of them
within a year there were hundreds of them
on an island they sent me to die on
on an island they sent me to die on
there were HUNDREDS OF THEM
chanting the title

[Chorus]

NAMU MYŌHŌ
RENGE KYŌ
NAMU MYŌHŌ
RENGE KYŌ
CHANT IT
CHANT IT
CHANT IT OR DIE TRYING

[Verse 5 — Minobu 1282, dying]

I am sixty years old
I am dying at Minobu
the mountains are deep here
the snow is deep here
my disciples are around me
my disciples are around me
they are crying
they shouldn't be crying
I told them
don't worry about my body
the body is a borrowed thing
chant the title
chant the title
I told them
after I die
the Lotus Sutra will keep walking
on its own
on its own
on its own
It does not need me
It does not need me
It never needed me
I was just the one who pointed
I was just the one who pointed at it

[Outro — the whole band goes into a sustained climactic noise, Iggy howl, drums double time]

POINT AT IT
POINT AT IT
POINT AT IT
CHANT IT
CHANT IT
CHANT IT
DIE FOR IT IF YOU HAVE TO
DIE FOR IT IF YOU HAVE TO
NAMU MYŌHŌ
RENGE KYŌ
NAMU MYŌHŌ
RENGE KYŌ
南無妙法蓮華経
南無妙法蓮華経
南無妙法蓮華経

[a conch shell horn — 法螺貝 — the long, low cry traditionally blown by mountain ascetics. It cuts through the noise. The band drops out. Only the horn. Then the horn fades. Then silence.]

(after the silence, one last whispered line:)

I was the sun.
I was the lotus.
I am still here.
NAMU MYŌHŌ RENGE KYŌ.

English male vocal,
Captain Beefheart Trout Mask Replica era / avant-garde blues / experimental rock,
gravelly male voice, alternating shout and growl, theatrical and unpredictable,
not singing — declaiming and incanting,
close mic, dry, rough recording,
distorted electric guitar, dissonant chords and slide,
second guitar in different tuning, polymetric,
electric bass walking in odd meter,
drum kit, complex polyrhythmic playing, 7/8 against 4/4 feel,
delta blues slide guitar fragments,
guitars tuning sounds at intro,
A song about a Chinese Zen master who taught contradictions,
The temperature of a desert blues band falling apart and reforming,
Movement Four: polyrhythmic chaos, bass and drums only,
Movement Six: brief slow blues riff that disintegrates,
Coda: band collapses into noise, sudden stop,
Outro: horse whinny, hooves fading, silence,
do not loop, do not repeat,
BPM 100, Key Em

[opening: a guitar tunes itself wrong on purpose. Drums start in 7/8, bass in 4/4, second guitar in 11/8. They never lock. Beefheart-style growl, low and gravelly, the voice of a man who eats nails:]

[Movement One — the patriarch's face]

I have a face like a horse
I have a face like a horse
my tongue covers my nose
my tongue covers my nose when I stick it out
my eyes are the eyes of an ox staring at the moon
my walk is the walk of a tiger
my walk is the walk of a tiger
who has forgotten he is a tiger
who has forgotten he is a tiger

That's how the chronicles describe me
That's how the chronicles describe me
Ma-zu
horse
patriarch
the horse patriarch
the horse patriarch
who kicked Buddhism in the teeth

[Movement Two — young: mind is Buddha]

When I was young I taught
your mind is the Buddha
your mind is the Buddha
your mind is the Buddha

A monk came to me
the monk said Master, what is the Buddha
I said mind
your mind is the Buddha
the monk understood
the monk understood
he went away happy
he went away happy with a baby's smile
he went away happy with a baby's smile

I was lying to him
I was lying to him
but it was the kind of lie
that becomes true if you swallow it
that becomes true if you swallow it

[Movement Three — old: not mind, not Buddha]

When I got old I taught
not mind, not Buddha
not mind, not Buddha
not mind, not Buddha

A monk came to me
the monk said Master, what is the Buddha
I said not mind
not Buddha
not anything
the monk got confused
the monk got confused
the monk said
but Master
you used to teach the opposite
I said
the opposite of what

[Movement Four — the leg-pulling]

[the band shifts into a polyrhythmic chaos for 30 seconds, then drops to bass and drums only]

A monk named Shuilao came to me
Shuilao came to me with a question
Shuilao said
what is the meaning
of Bodhidharma coming from the west
I waited until he was close enough
I waited until he was close enough
then I kicked him in the chest
then I kicked him in the chest
he flew across the room
he flew across the room
he landed flat on his back
he landed flat on his back
he started laughing
he started laughing
he clapped his hands and said
ten thousand sutras
ten thousand commentaries
all of them on the tip of one hair
and I just got the whole thing
he never stopped laughing
he never stopped laughing
for the rest of his life
for the rest of his life
they called him Laughing Shuilao
they called him Laughing Shuilao
I kicked him into enlightenment
I kicked him into enlightenment
that's a teaching too
that's a teaching too

[Movement Five — Layman Pang asks the question]

A layman named Pang came up the mountain
he was a basket maker
he asked me
who is the one who is not a companion
to the ten thousand things
I said
wait
wait until you have drunk
all the water of the West River
in a single gulp
then I will tell you

He laughed
He laughed because he understood
the answer was the river
the answer was the river
the river was already in his mouth

He went home and threw all his books in the lake
He went home and threw all his books in the lake
He sold his property
He sold his property
He made baskets
He made baskets for the rest of his life

I wrote him a note that said
you are done
go home and live
That's the only diploma I ever issued
That's the only diploma I ever issued

[Movement Six — the bent teaching]

You want to know which one was true
mind is Buddha
or
not mind, not Buddha
BOTH
BOTH
BOTH

I bent the teaching like a piece of bamboo
I bent the teaching like a piece of bamboo
I bent it one way for the young monks
I bent it the other way for the old monks
I bent it sideways for Shuilao
I bent it backwards for Pang

The teaching is bamboo
The teaching is bamboo
it BENDS
it BENDS
that's what teaching IS

If you want a straight teaching
go to the sutra library
go to the sutra library
the sutras stand up straight
the sutras stand up straight
on the shelves
on the shelves
collecting dust
collecting dust
because nobody reads them
because nobody reads them
because they are STRAIGHT
because they are STRAIGHT

[Movement Seven — ordinary mind is the way]

[a slow blues riff emerges, briefly, then disintegrates]

A monk asked me
Master, what is the Way
I said
ordinary mind is the Way
He said
how do I approach it
I said
if you try to approach it
you've already missed it
He said
so how do I know if I have it
I said
you can't know
because if you don't try to know
you'll never not have it
He said
Master, I am confused
I said
good
now we can begin

[Movement Eight — the seventy disciples]

I had seventy three enlightened disciples
seventy three
seventy three enlightened disciples
walking around China
walking around China
with my dirt on their shoes
with my dirt on their shoes
with my voice in their throats
with my voice in their throats
with my kick in their ribs
with my kick in their ribs

One of them was Baizhang
who made the rule
one day without work
one day without food
One of them was Nanquan
who cut a cat in half
to settle an argument
about Buddha-nature
One of them was Layman Pang
who made baskets
One of them was Mazu
another Mazu
another Mazu
not me
a different one
but actually
actually
they were all me
they were all me
they were all me
because I taught them
how to bend the teaching

The teaching is in the bending
The teaching is in the bending
not in the words
not in the words
not in the words

[Movement Nine — I am dying]

I am dying
I am dying in the year of the horse
which is funny
which is funny
because my name is horse
my name is horse
I am seventy nine
my back is bent like the teaching
my back is bent like the teaching

A monk asks me
Master, are you well today
I say
Sun-faced Buddha
Moon-faced Buddha
he says what does that mean
I say
the Sun-faced Buddha lives eighteen hundred years
the Moon-faced Buddha lives one day and one night
he says which one are you
I say
today I am one
tomorrow I am the other
and they are the same Buddha
and they are the same Buddha
just bent different ways
just bent different ways

[Coda — the band collapses into noise, then suddenly stops. Only a single voice, a single growl:]

I rode a horse here
I rode a horse here from the previous life
I rode a horse here from the previous life
I am going to ride a horse out
I am going to ride a horse out into the next life
into the next life

In between
In between
I bent some bamboo
I bent some bamboo
I kicked some monks
I kicked some monks
I issued one diploma
I issued one diploma to a basket maker

That's a life
That's a life
that's enough
that's enough

NEIGH

[the sound of a horse — a real horse, recorded — whinnying. Then hooves on dirt, slowly fading. Then silence.]

Female vocal with Greek and wordless syllables,
dark avant-classical / contemporary sacred / extended vocal technique,
intense female vocal, contralto to high register, theatrical,
not pop singing — sacred lament tradition,
close mic, cathedral reverb,
sparse piano with dissonant chords,
sustained string drone faint,
no rhythm,
multi-tracked vocal in middle,
wordless syllables and Greek fragments,
single bell,
A lament for a killed cat,
The temperature of a Mediterranean funeral chapel,
Part IV: dissonant chord, sustained high note,
Part VII: voice layers,
Coda: bell, silence,
do not loop, do not repeat,
BPM 54, Key atonal Em

[opening: silence. Then a single piano note — middle C — struck with full force. Reverb of a cathedral. Then a voice — female, low at first, then climbing — half-sung, half-spoken, in the Galás register that has no name:]

[Part I — The Cat's First Voice]

I am the cat
I am the cat in the temple
I am the cat in the temple of Nanquan
I am the cat the monks were fighting over
I am the cat the monks were fighting over
because I was rare
because I was rare
because I had three colors
because I had three colors on my back

The eastern monks said she is ours
The western monks said no, she is ours
The cooks fed me
The cooks fed me when no one was looking
I did not belong to anyone
I did not belong to anyone
I was a cat
I was a cat in a temple
I was a cat in a temple that had food
that had food
that had food
and rats

[Part II — The Patriarch Enters]

[piano: a low cluster, struck and held. The voice drops to a whisper.]

He came in with his stick
He came in with his stick
The patriarch came in with his stick
his stick that he used for many things
his stick that he used for many things
He saw the monks arguing
He saw the monks arguing about me
He picked me up by the neck
He picked me up by the neck
he held me up in the air
he held me up in the air

(the voice rises)

He said
if you can say something
you can save the cat
if you cannot say something
I will cut the cat in two

The monks looked at the floor
The monks looked at their hands
The monks did not say anything
Not one of them said anything

[Part III — The Cat's Second Voice]

I could have said something
I could have said something for them
I could have said something for them
I could have meowed
I could have meowed loud enough to break the silence
But I did not
But I did not
because what would I have said
because what would I have said
in a language they understood

I said it in my own language
I said it in my own language
I said
please
please
please
he did not understand
he did not understand cat
he did not understand cat
he only understood his own koan
he only understood his own koan

[Part IV — The Cut]

[piano: violent dissonant chord, struck and let ring. Then silence. Then a single high note from the voice, sustained for 30 seconds, in the Galás extreme upper register. Then silence again.]

He cut me in two
He cut me in two
in front of his disciples
in front of his disciples
to teach them something
to teach them something
he could not teach them
with words

The eastern half fell to the east
The western half fell to the west
the two halves of me
the two halves of me
did not argue anymore
did not argue anymore

That was his lesson
That was his lesson
see how the dispute ends
see how the dispute ends
when there is nothing left to dispute

[Part V — The Disciple Returns]

[the piano resumes, now slower, almost a dirge. The voice drops back into the low register.]

His best disciple came back that night
his best disciple came back that night
from another temple
from another temple
he had been away
he had been away

The patriarch told him what had happened
The patriarch told him what had happened
with a small smile
with a small smile
expecting praise
expecting praise

The disciple did not say anything
The disciple did not say anything for a long time
Then he took off his shoe
Then he took off his shoe
and put it on his head
and put it on his head
and walked out of the room

The patriarch laughed
The patriarch laughed and said
if you had been here
if you had been here
the cat would have been saved

[Part VI — The Cat's Third Voice (the question)]

[piano: glossolalia in the voice — meaningless syllables, ritualistic, building. Then sudden drop.]

How beautiful
How beautiful
how very beautiful
the answer
of the disciple

He understood
He understood what the patriarch wanted
He played the game
He played the game with a shoe on his head

But I want to ask
I want to ask
I want to ask the disciple
across one thousand years
I want to ask
could you not have done that
before
before
before he picked up the knife

I want to ask
does the answer come
only after the killing
I want to ask
was your shoe-on-head
worth a cat

I am asking
I am asking
I am asking
across one thousand years
I am still asking

[Part VII — The Other Cats]

[the piano stops. Only the voice and the cathedral reverb. The voice begins to layer — Galás-style overdubs, three then five then seven voices of herself.]

I am the cat
I am the cat at Nanquan's temple
I am also the cat in every temple
I am also the cat in every temple

I am the heretic burned at the stake
I am the heretic burned at the stake
to teach the village a lesson
to teach the village a lesson
I am the woman drowned for floating
I am the woman drowned for floating
I am the dissident shot for speaking
I am the dissident shot for speaking
I am the boy beaten for naming
I am the boy beaten for naming

I am every body
I am every body that has been cut in two
to teach someone
to teach someone
who was watching
who was watching
a lesson
a lesson
they could have learned
they could have learned
some other way
some other way

The patriarchs always say
The patriarchs always say
there was no other way
there was no other way
There was always another way
There was always another way

[Part VIII — Greek Lament]

[a Greek mourning song fragment — moirologi — appears in the lower voice. Galás's family roots in Smyrna. The melody is ancient, the words half-Greek, half-glossolalia.]

ω αδελφέ μου
ω αδελφέ μου
o my brother
o my brother
ω γάτα μου
ω γάτα μου
o my cat
o my cat
αλίμονο
αλίμονο
alas
alas

[Part IX — The Cat's Fourth Voice (the verdict)]

[the piano returns, now playing a slow, almost gentle pattern. The voice softens but does not lose its edge.]

I do not say the patriarch was evil
I do not say the patriarch was evil
I say only this
I say only this:

every koan has a body
every koan has a body
every body has a name
every body has a name
every name has a mother
every name has a mother
who is still grieving
who is still grieving

You may say
You may say
the cat is just a metaphor
the cat is just a metaphor
it never happened
it never happened

I say
I say
go look at your dinner plate tonight
go look at your dinner plate tonight
go look at the cow
go look at the cow
who was cut in two for you
who was cut in two for you
to teach you nothing
to teach you nothing

The cat was a metaphor
The cat was a metaphor
but the metaphor
but the metaphor
had a heartbeat

[Coda — silence, then a bell]

[the voice drops. The piano plays one final dissonant chord. Long silence. Then — a single cat's meow, recorded, real. Then a temple bell, struck once. The bell rings for 40 seconds, decaying. Silence.]

Male vocal sung in English, vocoder processed throughout,
robotic harmonized voices in four-part harmony,
German electronic / Kraftwerk-style synthesizer music,
vintage analog synthesizers, motorik electronic minimalism,
mechanical precision, clinical and warm at once, never dramatic,
vocoder close mic, slow delivery, never singing — speaking through filters,
Moog-style analog lead, 4-bar repeating sequence as foundation,
sequential synth bass underneath,
every note placed precisely, no expression — only structure,
minimal 4/4 mechanical beat, vintage analog drum machine, no fills, no human feel,
Verse 7 strips back to one synth and voice only,
vintage analog warmth, dry mix, no reverb on vocoder, slight tape hiss,
Kraftwerk-era studio aesthetic,
Coda: sustained Synclavier-style major triad, then abrupt cut, no fade,
No acoustic instruments, no strings, no piano, no organic drums, no emotional swells,
do not loop, do not repeat,
BPM 98, Key Am

[opening: a single Moog synthesizer note. A second note. A simple 4-bar sequence emerges, repeating. Then a Vocoder voice — flat, mechanical, four voices in harmony — says, very slowly:]

○
△
□

[Verse 1 — Vocoder, mechanical 4/4 beat]

I am Sengai
I am Sengai
I am the abbot
of Shōfuku-ji
in Hakata
I draw circles
I draw triangles
I draw squares
I draw them every day
I draw them every day
on rice paper
on rice paper
I am eighty seven
I am eighty seven
my hand still works
my hand still works
my mind still works
my mind almost works

[Refrain — robotic harmonized voices]

Maru
Sankaku
Shikaku
○
△
□
Maru
Sankaku
Shikaku
○
△
□

[Verse 2 — synth bassline, drum machine enters]

What does it mean
what does it mean
the circle, the triangle, the square
Nothing
Nothing
nothing at all
nothing at all
That is the meaning
That is the meaning
nothing
is the meaning

If I told you what they meant
If I told you what they meant
you would write it down
you would write it down
and you would frame it
and you would frame it
and you would hang it on the wall
and you would point at it
and you would point at it
and you would say
I understand
I understand
You would not understand
You would not understand
you would have a piece of paper
you would have a piece of paper
on the wall

[Refrain]

Maru
Sankaku
Shikaku

[Verse 3 — Trans-Europa Express style, train rhythm enters]

A scholar came from Edo
A scholar came from Edo on a horse
he said
Master, what does the circle mean
Master, what does the triangle mean
Master, what does the square mean
I gave him a cup of tea
I gave him a cup of tea
he drank it
he drank it
I said
the cup was round
the cup was round when it was full
the cup is empty now
the cup is empty now
now it is just a cup
now it is just a cup

The scholar wrote it down
The scholar wrote it down
he wrote it down on a piece of paper
he wrote it down on a piece of paper
he rode back to Edo
he rode back to Edo
with a piece of paper
with a piece of paper
He understood nothing
He understood nothing
nothing
nothing
nothing
That was the lesson
That was the lesson
he did not learn

[Verse 4 — Kraftwerk Computer World synth stab, glitchy]

I painted a frog
I painted a frog
I wrote next to the frog
if zazen makes you a Buddha
the frog would have been a Buddha
by now
by now
by now

I painted a fart
I painted a fart from a horse
I wrote next to the fart
even the wind has wisdom
the wind just doesn't know it

I painted myself
I painted myself badly
I painted myself badly on purpose
I wrote next to myself
old monk
old monk
useless old monk
useless old monk
ha ha ha
ha ha ha
ha ha ha

The disciples were embarrassed
The disciples were embarrassed
they did not understand
they did not understand
that the joke was the teaching
that the joke was the teaching
the joke was the teaching

[Refrain]

Maru
Sankaku
Shikaku
○
△
□

[Verse 5 — Die Mensch-Maschine slow synth ballad section, vocoder more present]

The shogun's emissary came
The shogun's emissary came to Hakata
he said
Master, you must come to Edo
the shogun wants you to teach
I said
tell the shogun
I am too old
I cannot remember the way to Edo
I cannot remember the way to Edo
I forget where Edo is

He said
but Master, it is well known
I said
Edo is well known
to you
to me
Edo is not well known
to me, Edo is
not real
not real

He went back to Edo
He went back to Edo
he reported
the master is senile
the master is senile
I am not senile
I am not senile
I just have no use
I just have no use
for Edo
for Edo
for Edo

[Verse 6 — vocoder more emotional, the machine voice cracks]

The disciples gather around me
The disciples gather around me
they know I am dying
they know I am dying
they say
Master, leave us a final teaching
Master, leave us a final teaching

I say
I don't want to die
I don't want to die
I don't want to die

They are shocked
They are shocked
they say
Master, but you are enlightened
Master, but you are enlightened
I say
so what
so what
I still don't want to die
I still don't want to die

That is my final teaching
That is my final teaching
don't pretend
don't pretend
even at the end
even at the end
pretending is the worst Buddhism
pretending is the worst Buddhism

[Refrain — slowed, almost ceremonial]

Maru
Sankaku
Shikaku
○
△
□

[Verse 7 — minimal, just one synth and the voice]

If you must have an answer
If you must have an answer
here is one
The circle is the universe
The triangle is the body sitting in meditation
The square is the earth
Or
The circle is the head
The triangle is the heart
The square is the gut
Or
The circle is nothing
The triangle is nothing
The square is nothing

All three are correct
All three are correct
all three are wrong
all three are wrong
Pick whichever you like
Pick whichever you like
because it doesn't matter
because it doesn't matter

[Coda — the synth sequence simplifies, then stops. Only the vocoder voice, then only one human voice, the machine processing falls away]

I am painting my last
I am painting my last circle now
I drew a circle
I drew a triangle
I drew a square
I wrote nothing next to them
I wrote nothing next to them
I signed my name
I signed my name
Sengai
Sengai

That is my will
That is my will
that is my testament
that is my testament

A circle
A triangle
A square
signed
Sengai

[the sound of a brush being set down on a wooden table. Then the sound of paper being rolled. Then a Synclavier sustained chord, very simple, a major triad. Then it cuts off — abruptly, like a Kraftwerk track ending.]

[silence]

[then, almost too quiet to hear, a small human chuckle. An old man's laugh. Then nothing.]