It was the Summer of Cassandra
Somewhere in the Year of the Cat
There were warriors who danced in the moonlight
Or something like that
It was in the place that the old shaman mentioned
Where the Tee Pee smoke hung in the trees
That's when the summer of Cassandra
Just happened to me

But now there are business calls
And trips to the mall
Where the beggars are all dressed like St. Nick
And as I'm driving there
I scream and I glare
At the guy who cut me off, "What a prick!"
Once at the mall I can sense
That there's no recompence
For all the smiles I have seemed to misplace
And now it always seems
That this life and its dreams
Are filled with memories I've tried to erase

It was the Summer of Cassandra
It was the rising of a new moon
There was an expectation of changing
That swept through the room
And just like laughter after the crying
Or like tears from the smoke in my eyes
It seems that everything that's ever happened
Was not a surprise

And as I walk or I run
It's like I'm under the gun
Yet I know I have nowhere to be
The white cane on the floor
Or the note on the door
Speak of changes that I don't care to see

And now you see I am old
And yes, my heart has grown cold
I believe I don't believe any more
So now the preachers preach
What the teachers can't teach
Of how to play the game and how to score

It was the Summer of Cassandra
It was the fear of being free from the cage
It was the ecstacy of dropping dillusions
As then leaving the stage
Just like the rains that refresh the landscape
Or like the Tom Toms that lead us to dance
I could tell that this new beginning
Was my final chance

And so with pen in hand
And no marching band
I finally found the freedom I've sought
With a Masters Degree,
New philosophy
Forged from the lessons that corruption has bought
And through contentedness
I found a happiness
That seems to transcend both time and space
Now I have found my new self
And a world full of wealth
By giving up and leaving the race

It was the Summer of Cassandra

THE END