Peter Hammill
Lyric guide

Mr. X (Gets Tense)

Read Mr. X (Gets Tense) lyrics by Peter Hammill on LyroVerse, with linked artist context and related song paths.

Peter Hammill visibility1 visits
person Curated by Ethan Walker LyroVerse team
Reference snapshot

The page facts to cite before the commentary

Use this page for the lyric text, linked artist context, and any LyroVerse editor's note attached to the song. Listener comments remain user-generated and should not be treated as the primary source.

Page type: lyric reference Artist: Peter Hammill Canonical path: /peter-hammill/mr-x-gets-tense Related lyric paths: 6
Lyrics

Mr. X (Gets Tense)

The lyric stays readable and compact here; the note and related paths sit nearby so you do not lose the song while looking for context.

The current affair gets to be my business

I heard the news on the radio

The sun on earth... what is this?

Is that the way that the crazy goes?

Attention tuned to the satellites,

looking down for an overview.

In the chapel of space we are acolytes.

In the battle of time we're all soldiers too

and the relative choir

push the energy higher

Under fire.

The sliding show in the macroscopic

finger on the button pointing to progress.

The apparatus roll, no-one here can stop it,

too busy learning more - always knowing less.

Soon turkey - wrapped in the spaceman blanket

we'll offer up lame duck apologies

and settle down for the final banquet,

the gourmet dish of technology,

cryogenic device

catches all human life

Under ice.

The current affair gets to be all out businness.

It's filtered in through the T.V. screen.

The norm, the average... what is this,

when it goes blank what does that all mean?

And what's the drive of each individual?

And what's the way that the story ends?

Is it Mr. X left as the last residual

holder of the flame, conscience of all men?

But he's so tense to expire

he throws himself on the wire

Under fire.

Is this the way the world ends?

Under ice. Under fire

Has there been some mistaken design?

Under ice

Got to find the human voice.

Lord, deliver us from Babel.

Quick answers

What this page can answer fast

Who performs "Mr. X (Gets Tense)"?

Peter Hammill performs "Mr. X (Gets Tense)", and this lyric page sits inside the Peter Hammill catalog on LyroVerse.

Are there related songs to explore after "Mr. X (Gets Tense)"?

Yes. The related section below points to The Institute Of Mental Health, Burning and A Headlong Stretch: iii. The Twelve with a short reason for opening each page next.

Where can I find more songs by Peter Hammill?

Use the artist link near the top of the page or the related paths section below to keep moving through Peter Hammill's lyric pages.

Song Room

Interpretations, questions, and corrections for this song

Interpretations, questions, memories, and correction notes live together here. The room stays noindex while the best insights are reviewed.

Open Song Room
0 followers Selected insights only surface after moderation
Listener comments

What people are saying

0 comments
Add a short interpretation or memory

A strong comment here is specific: the phrase you keep hearing, the mood you come back for, or the reason this song stays in rotation.

Sign in to post the first listener note. Reporting stays open to everyone.

No listener comments on Mr. X (Gets Tense) yet.