Baal's Hymn

Whilst his mother's womb contained the growing Baal

Even then the sky was waiting quiet and pale

Naked, young, immensely marvellous

Like Baal loved it, when he came to us

That same sky remained with him in joy and care

Even when Baal slept peaceful and unaware

At night a lilac sky, a drunken Baal

Turning pious as the sky grows pale

So through hospital, cathedral, whiskey bar

Baal kept moving onwards and just let things go

When Baal's tired, boys, Baal cannot fall far

He will have his sky down there below

When the sinners congregate in shame together

Baal lay naked, revelling in their distress

Only sky, a sky that will go on forever

Formed a blanket for his nakedness

And that lusty girl, the world, who'll laughing yield

To the men who'll stand the pressure of her thighs

Sometimes gave him love-bites, such as can't be healed

Baal survived it, he just used his eyes

And when Baal saw lots of corpses scattered round

He felt twice the thrill, despite the lack of room

Space enough - said Baal, -then I'll thicken the ground

Space enough within this woman's womb

Any vice for Baal has got its useful side

It's the man who practices it, he can't abide

Vices have their point, once you see it as such

Stick to two for one will be too much

Slackness, softness are the sort of things to shun

Nothing could be harder than the quest for fun

Lots of strength is needed and experience too

Swollen bellies can embarrass you

Under gloomy stars and this poor veil of tears

Baal will graze a pasture till it disappears

Once it's been digested to the forest's teeth

Baal trod singing for a well earned sleep

Baal can spot the vultures in the stormy sky

As they wait up there to see if Baal will die

Sometimes Baal pretends he's dead, but vultures swoop

Baal in silence dines on vulture-soup

When the dark womb drags him down to its prize

What's the world still mean to Baal, he's overfed

So much sky is lurking still behind his eyes

He'll just have enough sky when he's dead

Once the Earth's dark womb engulfed the rotting Baal

Even then the sky was up there, quiet and pale

Naked, young, immensely marvellous

Like Baal loved it when he lived with us