Richard Thompson Strange Affair lyrics

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