This is a strange affair
The time has come to travel
But the road is filled with fear
This is a strange affair
My youth has all been wasted
And I'm bent and grey with years
And all my companions are taken away
And who will provide for me
Against my dying day
I took my own provision,
But it fooled me and wasted away

Oh where are my companions?
My mother, father, lover, friend, and enemy
Where are my companions?
They're prisoners of death now,
And taken far from me
And where are the dreams I dreamed
In the days of my youth
They took me to illusion when they
Promised me the truth
And what do sleepers need to make them listen,
Why do they need more proof?
This is a strange, this is a strange affair

Won't you give me an answer?
Why is your heart so hard
Towards the one who loves you best?
When the man with the answer
Has wakened you, and warned you,
And called you to the test
Wake up from your sleep that builds
Like clouds upon your eyes
And win back the life you had
That's now a dream of lies
Turn your back on yourself and if you follow,
You'll win the lover's prize
This is a strange, this is a strange affair

Copyright: Kobalt Music Publishing Ltd.
Writer(s): RICHARD THOMPSON