David Bowie: Baal's hymn

Whilst his mother's womb contained the growing BaalEven then the sky was waiting quiet and paleNaked, young, immensely marvellousLike Baal loved it, when he came to usThat same sky remained with him in joy and careEven when Baal slept peaceful and unawareAt night a lilac sky, a drunken BaalTurning pious as the sky grows paleSo through hospital, cathedral, whiskey barBaal kept moving onwards and just let things goWhen Baal's tired, boys, Baal cannot fall farHe will have his sky down there belowWhen the sinners congregate in shame togetherBaal lay naked, revelling in their distressOnly sky, a sky that will go on foreverFormed a blanket for his nakednessAnd that lusty girl, the world, who'll laughing yieldTo the men who'll stand the pressure of her thighsSometimes gave him love-bites, such as can't be healedBaal survived it, he just used his eyesAnd when Baal saw lots of corpses scattered roundHe felt twice the thrill, despite the lack of room"Space enough" said Baal, "then I'll thicken the groundSpace enough within this woman's womb"Any vice for Baal has got its useful sideIt's the man who practices it, he can't abideVices have their point, once you see it as suchStick to two for one will be too muchSlackness, softness are the sort of things to shunNothing could be harder than the quest for funLots of strength is needed and experience tooSwollen bellies can embarrass youUnder gloomy stars and this poor veil of tearsBaal will graze a pasture till it disappearsOnce it's been digested to the forest's teethBaal trod singing for a well earned sleepBaal can spot the vultures in the stormy skyAs they wait up there to see if Baal will dieSometimes Baal pretends he's dead, but vultures swoopBaal in silence dines on vulture-soupWhen the dark womb drags him down to its prizeWhat's the world still mean to Baal, he's overfedSo much sky is lurking still behind his eyesHe'll just have enough sky when he's deadOnce the Earth's dark womb engulfed the rotting BaalEven then the sky was up there, quiet and paleNaked, young, immensely marvellousLike Baal loved it when he lived with us