Mike Batt: The Hunting Of The Snark

(COL 4806132, Released in 1986)
Front cover Back cover

Cast:
Roger Daltrey as the Barrister, Art Garfunkel as the Butcher, Julian Lennon as the Baker, Cliff Richard as the Bellman Mike Batt as the Boots, Captain Sensible as the Billiard Marker, Deniece Williams as the Beaver.

Narrated by:
Sir John Gielgud and John Hurt

with:
The London Symphony Orchestra

Track List

  1. Introduction
  2. Children Of The Sky
  3. The Bellman's Speech
  4. The Escapade
  5. Midnight Smoke
  6. The Snooker Song
  7. The Pig Must Die
  8. The Beaver's Lesson
  9. A Delicate Combination
  10. As Long As The Moon Can Shine
  11. Dancing Towards Disaster
  12. The Vanishing

Trivia

This Album is based on Lewis Carroll's nonsense poem with the same name. You find it here.

Lyrics to all songs from that album

Introduction

(Instrumental Introduction)

They sought with thimbles, they sought it with care;
They pursued it with forks and hope;
They threatened its life with a railway share;
They charmed it with smiles and soap.

Children Of The Sky

(Boots)
Out in the deserts of darkness and dreams,
Out though the oceans of sadness we sailed.
Venturing onwards through mystical scenes,
Blown on the whim of the wind that prevailed.
We had no reason to doubt the truth,
Driven by danger and discontent,
And the drums of youth.

Don't let the memory die,
Childen of the sky, heroes of the sea.
And as your life passes by,
Remember how it feels to be
Children Of The Sky

Searching on mountains of wisdom and fears,
Searching in forests of feathers and snow.
Travelling through valleys of secrets and tears,
Where only the brave or the foolish would go.
Watching for signs in an empty sky,
We never thought that the rain would fall,
As the years went by.

Don't let the memory die,
Childen of the sky, heroes of the sea.
And as your life passes by,
Remember how it feels to be
Children Of The Sky

(Instrumental Section)

Don't let the memory die,
Childen of the sky, heroes of the sea.
And as your life passes by,
Remember how it feels to be
Children Of The Sky

"Just the place for a Snark!" the Bellman cried
As he landed his crew with care;
Supporting each man on the top of the tide
By a finger entwined in his hair.

The Bellman himself they all praised to the skies -
Such a carriage, such ease and such grace!
Such solemnity, too! One could see he was wise,
The moment one looked in his face!

But the danger was past - they had landed at last,
With their boxes, portmanteaus, and bags:
Yet at first sight the crew were not pleased with the view,
Which consisted of chasms and crags.

He served out some grog with a liberal hand,
And bade them sit down on the beach:
And they could not but own that their Captain looked grand,
As he stood and delivered his speech.

The Bellman's Speech

(Bellman)
Friends, Romans and countrymen!
Please lend me your ears,
And I will carefully impart what you may have thought for years,

But were too scared to ask,
By day or after dark;
In the Hunting of the Snark!

The emotional occasion brings the moisture to my eyes
As I rise to remark
That I think we may be gaining on the Snark.
I'm of notorial persuasion that I hear its distant cries.
And they're never far away,
(Crew and Bellman)
(No they're never far away)
(Bellman)
So I rise to remark
That I think we may be gaining on the Snark.

Friends, Romans and countrymen!
Please lend me your ears,
And I will carefully impart what you may have thought for years,

But were too scared to ask,
By day or after dark;
In the Hunting of the Snark!
(Crew)
The Hunting of the Snark, The Hunting of the Snark...
(+ Bellman)
In the Hunting of the Snark!

From my own investigations and the bearings on the chart,
In my heart I can see
A potential Snark may lurk in every tree.
As I make these observations I suggest that we should start,
For we haven't any time to spare
(No we haven't any time to spare)
In your hearts you'll agree,
A potential Snark may lurk in every tree!

Friends, Romans and countrymen!
Please lend me your ears,
And I will carefully impart what you may have thought
for years,

But were too scared to ask,
By day or after dark;
In the Hunting of the Snark!
(Crew)
The Hunting of the Snark, The Hunting of the Snark...
(+ Bellman)
In the Hunting of the Snark!

The Escapade

(Instrumental Section)

(Beaver)
It seems to me,
We have landed in a lonely place
Where the sun won't shine of its own volition,
And this crazy mission
May just be a wild goose chase.
We've sailed for years,
And we find ourselves upon this beach
Searching for some beast from the realms of fiction,
It's a wild addiction for something we'll never reach.

(Bellman + Crew)
Pay no heed to the faint of heart!
Don't let these words of weakness fool you...

Ignore these words of dismay,
Don't let the chance slip away
This is the time to be strong!
The chips are down, the hunt is on!

(Guitar section and Main Theme)

There was one who was famed for the number of things
He forgot when he entered the ship:
His umbrella, his watch, all his jewels and ring,
And the clothes he had bought for the trip.

He had forty-two boxes all carefully packed,
With his name painted clearly on each;
But, since he omitted to mention the fact,
They were all left behind on the beach.

He came as a Baker; but owned, when too late -
And it drove the poor Bellman half mad -
He could only bake Bridecake - for which I may state,
No materials were to be had.

(Baker)
I came as the Baker on this escapade,
I knead the dough, but I can't look after the bread,
The Banker does it instead,
And although I never feel afraid,
Somehow I know
It could be the single worst mistake I've ever made,
To come as the Baker on this escapade.

(Butcher)
I came as the Butcher on this escapade,
Without the heart for moving in for the kill,
It makes me want to be ill,
But my orders have to be obeyed;
Though I take part,
I'm not the one on whom the blame should all be laid,
I'm only the Butcher on this escapade.

He came as a Butcher: but gravely declared,
When the ship had been sailing a week;
He could only kill Beavers. The Bellman looked scared,
And was almost too freightened to speak.

But at length he explained, in a tremulous tone,
There was only one Beaver on board;
And that was a tame one he had of his own,
Whose death would be deeply deplored.

(Beaver)
I came as the Beaver on this escapade,
Though I must say, I'm only here for the fun,
An optimist on the run,
I'm not lost, I've only been mislaid,
I know one day
I'll find the sun, though now I'm walking in the shade,
I'm only the Beaver on this escapade.

(Main Theme)

They roused him with muffins - they roused him with ice -
They roused him with mustard and cress -
They roused him with jam and judicous advice -
They set him conundrums to guess.

When at length he sat up and was able to speak
His sad story he offered to tell;
And the Bellman cried "Silence! Not even a shriek!"
And excitedly tingled his bell.

"I skip forty years," said the Baker, in tears,
"And proceed without further remark
To the day when you took me aboard of your ship
To help you in hunting the Snark.

"A dear uncle of mine (after whom I was named)
Remarked, when I bade him farewell -"
"Ok, skip your dear uncle!" the Bellman exclaimed,
As he angrily tingled his bell.

"He remarked to me then," said that mildest of men,
"If your Snark be a Snark, that is right:
Fetch it home by all means - you may serve it with greens,
And it's handy for striking a light.

"But oh, beamish nephew, beware of the day,
If your Snark be a Boojum! For then
You will softly and suddenly vanish away,
And never be met with again!"

Midnight Smoke

(Baker)
Sing your hymns of Evensong,
Sail out to far lagoons,
All you fishermen and you fortune hunters,
Sharpen your harpoons.
Sing rhapsodies to the fickle gods that guide you,
Awake the brave adventurer that sleeps inside you.

(Baker, Boots + Crew)
Before you vanish away like midnight smoke,
So that no signs or memories remain,
You might vanish away like midnight smoke,
And never be seen again.

(Baker)
You sailors, sail your stormy seas;
You gamblers, roll your ball.
All you butterflies and you ballerinas,
Dance until you fall.
Dream and believe; follow what you're searching for,
One day the brave adventurer will be no more.

(Baker, Boots + Crew)
You just vanish away like midnight smoke,
So that no signs or memories remain,
You'll just vanish away like midnight smoke,
And never be seen again.

(Instrumental Break)

(Baker, Boots + Crew)
You just vanish away like midnight smoke,
So that no signs or memories remain,
You'll just vanish away like midnight smoke,
And never be seen again.

"I engage with the Snark - every night after dark -
In a dream delirious fight:
I serve it with greens in those shadowy scenes,
And I use it for striking a light.

"But if ever I meet with a Boojum, that day,
In a moment (of this I am sure),
I shall softly and suddenly vanish away -
And the notion I cannot endure!

"'Tis a pitiful tale," said the Bellman, whose face
Had grown longer at every word;
"But, now that you've stated the whole of your case,
More debate would be simply absurd."

"The rest of my speech" (he explained to his men)
"You shall hear when I've leisure to speak it.
But the snark is at hand, let me tell you again!
'Tis your glorious duty to seek it!"

"To seek it with thimbles, to seek it with care;
To pursue it with forks and hope;
To threaten its life with a railway-share;
To charm it with smiles and soap!"

"For the Snark's a peculiar creature, that won't
Be caught in a commonplace way.
Do all that you know, and try all that you don't;
Not a chance must be wasted to-day!"

The Snooker Song

Then the Banker endorsed a blank cheque (which he crossed),
And changed his loose silver for notes.
The Baker with care combed his whiskers and hair,
And shook the dust out of his coats.

The maker of Bonnets ferociously planned
A novel arrangement of bows;
While the Billiard-marker with quivering hand
Was chalking the tip of his nose.

(Billiard Marker)
It's only a game, so
Put up a real good fight,
I'm gonna be snookering you tonight.
I'm famed for my aim, so
Y'better believe I'm right,
I'm gonna be snookering you,
Snookering you tonight!

I could spend days
Gazing across the balze at you,
You'll never win
When I begin
My break of fifty-eight
(or maybe more, who can be sure?)

To say it's a frame-up
Wouldn't be fair or right,
I'm gonna be snookering you tonight.
Resist me in vain, but
Victory's in my sight,
I'm gonna be snookering you,
Snookering you tonight!

Love is a game
Snooker's the same so join the queue,
Ged a good grip
Don't let it slip
And think about the pink
(Don't let a red go to your head!)

It's only a game, so
Put up a real good fight,
I'm gonna be snookering you,
Snookering you tonight!
To say it's a frame-up
Wouldn't be fair or right,
I'm gonna be snookering you,
Snookering you tonight!

Love is a game
Snooker's the same so join the queue,
Ged a good grip
Don't let it slip
And think about the pink
(Don't let a red go to your head!)

It's only a game, so
Put up a real good fight,
I'm gonna be snookering you,
Snookering you tonight!

Snookering you, snookering you tonight!
Snookering you, snookering you tonight!

The Pig Must Die

He dreamed that he stood in a shadowy Court,
Where the Snark, with a glass in his eye,
Dressed in gown, bands, and wig, was defendig a pig
On a charge of deserting its sty.

(Barrister)
I dreamed last night I was standing in a court of Law,
And the Snark was the Counsel for Defence,
He was trying to establish the innocence,
Of a pig that I clearly saw,
As stated hereinbefore
In a Court of Law.

And while I was standing in a Court of Law,
The jury talked so they missed a lot,
And some were listening and some were not,
So the judge cried, "I implore,
Bring it down to a deafening roar,
In this Court of Law".

(Barrister + Jury)
Let's teach it a lesson it'll never forget
For a devious deed it will live to regret,
It's clear that the pig must die.
We're of the opinion the pig must pay,
We can't let it live for another day,
We fear if the rules apply,
It's clear that the pig must die.

(Barrister)
The Snark replied, "I beg you my learned friends,
For it seems to me with the naked eye
That the pig can live or the pig can die,
And its happiness all depends
On the mercy that now extends
From my learned friends."

(Jury)
Let's teach it a lesson it'll never forget
For a devious deed it will live to regret,
It's clear that the pig must die.
(Barrister + Jury)
We're of the opinion the pig must pay,
We can't let it live for another day,
We fear if the rules apply,
It's clear that the pig must die.

Let's teach it a lesson it'll never forget
For a devious deed it will live to regret,
It's clear that the pig must die.
We're of the opinion the pig must pay,
We can't let it live for another day,
We fear if the rules apply,
It's clear that the pig must die.

Then the snark pronounced sentence, the Judge being quite
Too nervous to utter a word;
When it rose to its feet, there was silence like night
And the fall of pin might be heard.

(Barrister)
Let's teach it a lesson it'll never forget
For a devious deed it will live to regret,
It's clear that the pig must die.
(Barrister + Jury)
We're of the opinion the pig must pay,
We can't let it live for another day,
We fear if the rules apply,
It's clear that the pig must die.

But their wild exultation was suddenly checked
When the jailer informed them with tears
Such a sentence would have not the slightest effect,
As the pig had been dead for some years.

The Beaver's Lesson

They sought it with thimbles, they sought it with care;
They pursued it with forks and hope;
They threatened its life with a railway-share;
They charmed it with smiles and soap.

Then the Butcher contrived an ingenious plan
For making a separate sally;
And had fixed on a spot unfrequent by man,
A dismal and desolate valley.

(Butcher)
In the valley, where the shady people roam,
I was walking in the dark,
When I realized that I was not alone.

(Beaver)
In the valley, all those miles away from home,
I was hunting for the Snark,
When I realized I was not alone.

But the valley grew narrow and narrower still,
And the evening grew darker and colder,
Till (merely from nervousness, not from goodwill)
They marched along shoulder to shoulder.

Then a scream, shrill and high, rent the shuddering sky,
And they knew that some danger was near:
The Beaver turned pale to the tip of its tale,
And even the Butcher felt queer.

"'Tis the voice of the Jubjub!' he suddenly cried.
(This man, that they used to call "Dunce.")
"As the Bellman would tell you," he added with pride,
"I have uttered that sentiment once."

"'Tis the note of the Jubjub! Keep count, I entreat.
You will find I have told it you twice.
'Tis the song of the Jubjub! The proof is complete,
If only I've stated it thrice."

The Beaver had counted with scrupulous care,
Attending to every word:
But it fairly lost heart, and outgrabe in despair,
When the third repetition occurred.

A Delicate Combination

The Beaver confessed, with affectionate looks
More eloquent even than tears,
It had learned in ten minutes far more than all books
Would have taught it in seventy years.

Such friends, as the Beaver and Butcher became,
Have seldom if ever been known;
In winter or summer 'twas always the same-
You could never find either alone.

And when quarrels arose- as one frequently finds
Quarrels will spite of every endeavour-
The song of the Jubjub recurred to their minds,
And cemented their friendship for ever!

(Butcher + Beaver)
Oh it's hard to believe we could end up friends,
By a delicate combination
(Butcher)
Of fear of the dark,
(Beaver)
Belief in the Snark,
(Both)
And intelligent conversation.
Who would have guessed on this windswept night,
We would balance the whole equation?
(Butcher)
Who would have forseen, friendship between,
(Beaver)
Female Beaver
(Butcher)
And male caucasian?

As Long As The Moon Can Shine

(Butcher)
I must have known that it existed but I couldn't quite conceive it,
I was always the loser in affairs of the heart,
Well, you know how when you find something that you want, you don't believe it,
No you can't quite believe it when the good times start.

I used to think of love as just a dream that dissapears,
But you've taught me more tonight than I have learned in all those years.

As long as the moon can keep on shining,
And the sun keeps hanging in the sky,
No-one can take what flows between us,
No-one alive.
As long as the moon can keep on shining,
And the years keep rolling slowly by,
You'll be a friend of mine,
As long as the moon can shine.

Some people search for people, and some people search for freedom,
And some search for nothing but the thrill of the chase;
Well you know sometimes you search for things just to find that you don't need them,
Or you search for the right things in the wrong kind of place.

I used to think of love as just a promise people make,
Or a game that people play, or just a risk that people take.

As long as the moon can keep on shining,
And the sun keeps hanging in the sky,
No-one can take what flows between us,
No-one alive.
As long as the moon can keep on shining,
And the years keep rolling slowly by,
You'll be a friend of mine,
As long as the moon can shine.

As long as the moon can shine.

They returned hand in hand, and the Bellman, unmanned
(For a moment) with noble emotion,
Said "This amply repays all the wearisome days
We have spent on the billowy ocean!"

Dancing Towards Disaster

(Beaver)
Forget the risks we are taking
Let it rain, let it hail, let it snow;
We could be wrong all along
But at least if we keep on we soon will know,
Although:

We could be dancing towards disaster
With every movement we make,
We could be dancing to disaster,
We could fall with every step we take.
We could be dancing towards disaster,
With every thrill that we share,
We could be dancing to disaster
But I get the feeling we don't care.

There is no time left for wasting
Looking back round the corners we've turned.
Don't count the cost or we're lost,
For the bridges we have crossed have all been burned,
And we've learned:

We could be dancing towards disaster
With every movement we make,
We could be dancing to disaster,
We could fall with every step we take.
We could be dancing towards disaster,
With every thrill that we share,
We could be dancing to disaster
But I get the feeling we don't care.

(Beaver + Crew)
Dancing, dancing,
For all we know we're dancing to disaster.
Dancing, dancing
Dancing to disaster.
Dancing, dancing, dancing, dancing, dancing,
Dancing to disaster.

We could be dancing towards disaster
With every movement we make,
We could be dancing to disaster,
We could fall with every step we take.
We could be dancing towards disaster,
With every thrill that we share,
We could be dancing to disaster
But I get the feeling we don't care.

We don't care.
We don't care.

The Vanishing

(Instrumental Section)

(Baker)
It seems to me, Since we landed in this lonely place,
That the sun now shines of its own volition,
And this crazy mission isn't just a wild goose chase;
We sailed for years
Till we found ourselves upon a beach,
Gaining on this beast from the realms of fiction,
I've a strong conviction it's a thing we soon may reach.

"The Baker is shouting!" the Bellman said.
"He is shouting like mad, only hark!
He is waving his hands, he is wagging his head,
He has certainly found a Snark!"

Erect and sublime, for one moment in time,
In the next the wild figure they saw
(As if stung by a spasm) plunge into a chasm
While they waited, and listened in awe.

"It's a Snark!" was the sound that first came to their ears,
And it seemed almost too good to be true.
Then followed a torrent of laughter and cheers;
Then the ominous words: `It's a Boo-'

They hunted till darkness came on, but they found
Not a button, or feather, or mark,
By which they could tell that they stood on the ground
Where the Baker had met with the Snark.

In the midst of the word he was trying to say,
In the midst of his laughter and glee,
He had softly and suddenly vanished away-
For the Snark was a Boojum you see.

(Hope)
Don't let the memory die,
Children of the Sky, heroes of the sea,
And as your life passes by,
Remember how it feels to be
Children of the Sky.

(Instrumental Section)

(All)
Don't let the memory die,
Children of the Sky, heroes of the sea,
And as your life passes by,
Remember how it feels to be
Children of the Sky.



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