PHOENIX
(Bill Staines)

There's a dreamer coming down;
He's lighting up the town,
A flashing spectacle
Of light and love and living.
When he falls away,
Nothing follows but the day
And all the memories
Of better times for giving.

Oh, Lord, have mercy on this poor, poor heart;
Keep it from the ashes,
And teach it how to fly again;
Oh, Lord, have mercy on this poor, poor heart.

It's hard to wish upon a star
When you see that star is falling;
It's hard to hold on to a dream
When it comes crashing down;
But they fill the empty nights,
And the cost ain't much for trying,
Just a tear or two
To a heart that's known some crying.

Oh, Lord, have mercy on this poor, poor heart;
Keep it from the ashes,
And teach it how to smile again;
Oh, Lord, have mercy on this poor, poor heart.

Look into the night:
Another dreamer's taking flight,
And he's shining with the stars
And all the heavens.
Listen to the wind:
There's another song beginning,
And it's looking for a friend,
Someone to sing to.

Oh, Lord, have mercy on this poor, poor heart:
Keep it from the ashes,
And teach it how to fly again;
Oh, Lord, have mercy on this poor, poor heart.

Copyright 1980, Folk-Legacy Records and Mineral River Music
From If I Were a Word, Then I'd Be a Song, Songs by Bill Staines, Folk-Legacy Records, 1980.

filename[ PHOENIX
JRO
Apr01 ^^

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Later note added:
On the First Million Miles CD, Staines sings "take it from the ashes" in the chorus. In the songbook, it's "keep it from the ashes."