If nothing is given  nothing is required  sent early to bed  the boy never tired  alone in the dark  he learned not to cry  then in his dream  he could fall, he could fly  (the bird's on the wing  there's blood on the thorn)  alone in the dark  he learned not to cry  then in his dream  he could fall, he could fly  (the bird's on the wing  there's blood on the thorn  the snails on the runway  a comet is born)  It was a careless life in any sense  A long way out with no defense  Another careless life  Another tilt at staying free  Blessed are the poor in spirit  We'd better be  The women fell silent  when trouble began  they carried the babies  they carried the can  they carried his cases  out to the car  waving him off to  another small war  (everyone thinks and  no one knows  everyone knows and  no one thinks)  It was a careless life in any sense  A long way out with no defense  Another careless life  Another tilt at staying free  Blessed are the poor in spirit  We'd better be  Trawling the desert  the whole press-card jive  tempting the guns  to be sure he's alive  dictating impressions  for memoirs to come  the sky held its breath  the stones were dumb  they blew his driver  out of the jeep  headlines on Sundays  make editors weep  all these adventures  all of these rhymes  don't stand a prayer  in desperate times  (the bird's on the wing  there's blood on the thorn  the snails on the runway  a comet is born  everyone thinks and  no one knows  everyone knows and  nobody knows)  It was a careless life in any sense  A long way out with no defense  Another careless life  Another tilt at staying free  Blessed are the poor in spirit  We'd better be