Teachers

[Verse 1]

I met a woman long ago

Her hair the black that black can go

Are you a teacher of the heart?

Soft, she answered no

[Verse 2]

I met a girl across the sea

Her hair the gold that gold can be

Are you a teacher of the heart?

Yes, but not for thee

[Verse 3]

I met a man who lost his mind

In some lost place I had to find

"Follow me," the wise man said

But he walked behind

[Verse 4]

I walked into a hospital

Where none was sick and none was well

When at night the nurses left

I could not walk at all

[Verse 5]

Morning came and then came noon

Dinner time a scalpel blade

Lay beside my silver spoon

[Verse 6]

Some girls wander by mistake

Into the mess that scalpels make

Are you the teachers of my heart?

We teach old hearts to break

[Verse 7]

One morning I woke up alone

The hospital and the nurses gone

Have I carved enough my Lord?

Child, you are a bone

[Verse 8]

I ate and ate and ate

No, I did not miss a plate, well

How much do these suppers cost?

We'll take it out in hate

[Verse 9]

I spent my hatred everyplace

On every work, on every face

Someone gave me wishes

And I wished for an embrace

[Verse 10]

Several girls embraced me, then

I was embraced by men

Is my passion perfect?

No, do it once again

[Verse 11]

I was handsome, I was strong

I knew the words of every song

Did my singing please you?

No, the words you sang were wrong

[Verse 12]

Who is it whom I address?

Who takes down what I confess?

Are you the teachers of my heart?

We teach old hearts to rest

[Verse 13]

Oh teachers, are my lessons done?

I cannot do another one

They laughed and laughed and said, Well child

Are your lessons done?

Are your lessons done?

Are your lessons done?