Early Kansas Lyrics


These lyrics were transcribed by Ron Chrisley (ronc@cogs.susx.ac.uk) from a tape of some very old Kansas songs. The titles came from Kerry Livgren later.

They're interesting, to say the least. :)

From John Bowes -- Kerry Livgren has seen these, and said that this music was performed by Kansas II (see below for lineup). Kerry was primarily playing an old "gold top" Les Paul, which he literally sweated the finish off of and later refinished to the natural mahogany back/maple top. Since I'm getting down to details here, it also originally had small humbuckers but was rerouted for the larger ones. Pictures of Kansas II and Kerry and the Les Paul can be found in _Seeds of Change_ on pages 119/120.

Also from Kerry - "Where do people get this stuff? I'm not happy that it's floating around, as the copies they must have are surely terrible. Some day I'd like to release all this stuff on a CD for collectors if there's enough interest."


Hegemonium

Snake men dance in a fiery pile
Wizards make their time worthwhile
Bodies burning in a pit
Boiling oil and sizzling spit

Body fluids and blood flows fast
Insects swarm on maiden chaste
Eyeballs staring open wide
And bones protruding from a side

People stand in a burning tree
Someone screaming helplessly
Heads are buried in the sand
A man is reaching for a skull in hand

Bombs have torn the flesh away
And two moons stole the sun today
Maggots have a holiday
And sunsets frighten worms away

Telephones ring endlessly
Horses writhe in agony
A sterile axe, bloody bodies hacked
The king has moved into a shack

Bombs have torn the flesh away
And two moons stole the sun today
Maggots have a holiday
And sunsets frighten worms away

Reunion in the Mountains of Sarne

Inside every boy and man
Was the warring of the clan
They could never let it be
Throwing bones into the sea

On the 7th day of May
Swordsman slew the Krist of Raime
Left him lie upon the court
A bloody omen for their sport

Oh! Oh!

In the morning, 'cross the land
All the lords were there, at hand
And the peace that was to be
Died in minds that failed to see

Pounding hooves tore in the ground
Scarring all the land around
When the spear and arrow fly
Will a single soul know why?

Oh! Oh!

Gone the battle, on the eve
In the darkness kneeled three
On their faces loomed the fire
Two survived the funeral pyre

Wives and children kneeled in awe
For no reason that they saw
Did so many need to die?
Will a single soul know why?

Nactolos 21

Standing alone, feeling it be
Why is it so hard just to live?

Biting my soul, just trying to be
What is that they're looking for?

If you can't see the way it must be
You don't have any right to live

Just leave us alone, just let us be
We are the ones -- rule the world!

You have come to the brink of your destruction
My patience has worn thin
It is time to judge the value of your life
Let a thinking man begin

If you can't live, lifting yourself
Why do you drag down someone else?

Just leave us alone, just let us be
We are the ones -- rule the world!

Standing alone, feeling it be
Why is it so hard just to live?

Biting my soul, just trying to be
What is that they're looking for?

If you can't live, lifting yourself
Why do you drag down someone else?

Just leave us alone, just let us be
We are the ones -- rule the world!

Totus Nemesis

Upon this man there is a curse
His life is only getting worse
Nowhere to turn, nowhere to run
A reign of fear at last begun

The morning sun is so obscure
And for this ill there is no cure
This isn't what you bargained for
God is gone and locked the door

Who will tell you what it's all about?
I can only dream of getting out

The ?? will ease your fears
Before the gun of twenty years
The faith you had in man is lost
And now you cannot pay the cost

Hell has opened up its gate
The hour is growing very late
Help is there within our reach
But you in silence ?? teach

Who will tell you what it's all about?
And I can only dream of getting out

The ?? will ease your fears
Before the gun of twenty years
The faith you had in man is lost
And now you cannot pay the cost

The morning sun is so obscure
And for this ill there is no cure
This isn't what you bargained for
God is gone and locked the door

Who will tell you what it's all about?
And I can only dream of getting out

Greek Structure Sunbeam

I feel you're walking in a striped wheel
A long way to the other side
They looked us over her and plastered egg
Upon our bodies, two so fine
You'll note the movement on our eyes

Soft dirt below me, green ?? is ??
What happened to the marble plain?
We enter doorways through paper moons
And slide ten thousand miles below
I wonder why we talk so slow

Outdated movies are showing here
Behind the curtain upside down
Pink woolly mammoths are worth the prize
As I go swimming in your eyes
The mammoth jumps right up and flies

??, take in the air
Let music take you there
They call it amber ??
The movie in your eyes

Only pieces in the game
Just one lone woman who's to blame
Each time we'll start it all again

Quick rundown of bands and members

The Gimlets I (64-67) Kerry Livgren (gtr) Timothy Scott Strauss (gtr) Karl Geiss (?) Friend and influence Scott Kessler (bass) Dan Wright (organ) John Pribble (drums) [leaves because of mononucleosis] Betty Livgren (mother) The Gimlets II (67) Kerry Livgren (gtr) Scott Kessler (bass) Dan Wright (organ) Carl Corona (drums) The Gimlets III (67-69) Kerry Livgren (gtr) Timothy Scott Strauss (?) [enlisted in military] Karl Geiss (?) Scott Kessler (bass) Dan Wright (organ) Joe Berg (drums) [from Lawrence] Pete Murfitt-played guitar for a short time The Mellotones (69) Kerry Livgren (gtr) Don Montre (keys) Reasons Why (69) Kerry Livgren (gtr) Don Montre (keys) Lynn Meredith (vocals) [from Manhattan, Kansas] Don ? Bass Drummer -forgotten Saratoga (69-70): "Serenome"; "Myriad" Kerry Livgren (gtr) Don Montre (keys) Scott Kessler (bass) Dan Wright (organ) Zeke Low (drums) Lynn Meredith (vocals) [from Manhattan, Kansas] White Clover I (70) Phil Ehart (drums) Dave Hope (bass) Jeff GLixman-Organ Steve Walsh (vocals, Organ) Warren Eisenstein (guitar) (where does Blair Honeyman fit in?)-He doesn't Kansas I (70-71): "Pandemonium Mass" Kerry Livgren (gtr) Don Montre (keys, sax, flute) Dan Wright (keys, gtr) Lynn Meredith (vocals) Phil Ehart (drums) Dave Hope (bass) Larry Baker (gtr, sax) Gregg (vocals) Kansas II (71 - early 73) Kerry Livgren (gtr) Don Montre (keys, sax, flute) Dan Wright (keys, gtr) Lynn Meredith (vocals) Zeke Low (drums) Rod Mikinski (bass) [from Lawrence] John Bolton (sax, flute) [from Manhattan, Kansas] White Clover II (71-73) Phil Ehart (drums) Dave Hope (bass) Steve Walsh (vocals) Robby Steinhardt Rich Williams White Clover III/Kansas III (73) Kerry Livgren (gtr) Rich Williams (gtr) Robby Steinhardt (violin, vocals) Phil Ehart (drums) Dave Hope (bass) Steve Walsh (vocals)