The Kid - Gary Lucas, Peter Hammill

And the kid walks up to the stage

With his innocence shining

Eager to join the parade of the damned

Bearing his confidence lightly

Wearing his heart on his sleeve

Shares out his passion twice nightly

And he begs us to cast and believe

The kid’s quickly turning the page

While the juices are flowing

No assurance he gave worth a damn

Playing the room like a trouper

Maybe it’s gone to his head

Fame takes him up as a suitor…

The kid gladly climbs in her bed

Call it a Faustian deal

But the demons that chase him are real enough

The kid at the front of the stage gathers all the attention

Help that he hired has been paid off in full

Sweeps up the laurels and plaudits

It seems they’re no more than his due

A price will be paid in the audit

But the kid never thought such things through

The kid’s terrified of the stage

With his innocence tarnished

Buries himself in ahazy half-life

Fame’s a vindictive and unyielding lover…

Hiding away on his own

The kid’s not the first to discover

Applause can’t sustain you alone

Call it a Faustian deal

But the demons that chase him are real enough

Everything he touched is broken

Everything is damned

And he’s running away from the stage

Just as fast as he can