Richie Havens - The Great Mandala (The Wheel of Life) Lyrics

So I told him, that he better shut his mouth
And do his job like a man,
And he answered, listen father,
I will never kill another,
Thinks hes better than his brother who died
What the hell does he think hes doing,
To his father who brought him up right

[Chorus]
Take a place on, the great mandala
As it moves through your brief moment in time,
We'll lose now, you must choose now
And if you lose your only losing your life

Tell the jailer not to bother, with his meal
Of bread and water today
He is fasting, till the killings over
He's a modern, thinks he's a prophet
But he's a coward, he's just playing the game
He cant do it, he cant change it
And its been going on for ten thousand years

[Chorus]

Whats that rumbling, in the court yard
Seven thousand faces are turned to the gate
Whats that? their saying, "kill the trader"
Kill the trader,
Kill the trader, kill the trader

[Chorus]

Tell the people they are safe now,
Are guns stopped him, now he lies still in his cell
That has gagged all his accusations,
We are free now, you can kill now
You can hate now, now we can end the world
We're not guilty he was crazy
And its been going on for ten thousand years

[Chorus]

[Repeats till fade]
And if you lose your only losing your life