Horsell Common And The Heat Ray (Liam Neeson)
Jeff Wayne
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Lyrics
Next morning, a crowd gathered on the common, hypnotized
By the unscrewing of the cylinder. Two feet of
Shining screw projected when suddenly, the lid fell off
Two luminous, disc-like eyes appeared above the rim. A huge
Rounded bulk, larger than a bear, rose up, slowly, glistening
Like wet leather. Its lipless mouth quivered and slathered, and
Snake-like tentacles writhed as the clumsy body heaved and pulsated
A few young men crept closer to the pit. A tall funnel rose, then an
Invisible ray of heat leapt from man to man, and there was a bright
Glare as each was instantly turned to fire. Every tree and bush
Became a mass of flames at the touch
Of this savage, unearthly heat ray
People clawed their way off the common, and I ran too. I felt I was
Being toyed with, that when I was on the very verge of safety
This mysterious death would leap after me and strike me
Down. At last, I reached Maybury Hill, and I looked with
Astonishment at the tranquility of the scene. Yet once inside
In the dim coolness of my home, I wrote an account for
My newspaper before I sank into a restless, haunted sleep
I awoke to alien sounds of hammering from the pit
And hurried to the railway station to buy the paper
Morning paper! Men from Mars!
Men from Mars!
Newsboys exclaimed that one or two adventurous souls
Had crawled near the Martians in the night
Never to be seen again
Yet around me the daily routine of life
Working, eating, sleeping
Was continuing serenely
As it had for countless years
On Horsell Common, the Martians continued
Hammering and stirring
Sleepless, indefatigable
At work upon the machines they were making
Now and again, a light
Like the beam of a warship's searchlight
Swept the common
And the Heat-Ray was ready to follow
In the afternoon, a company of soldiers came through
And deployed along the edge of the common
To form a cordon
That evening there was a violent crash
And I realized with horror that my home
Was now within range of the Martians' Heat-Ray
At dawn, a falling star with a trail of green mist
Landed with a flash like summer lightning
This was the second cylinder
Morning paper! Men from Mars!