Here It Comes

Next Stage In the mystery of the human development Is that of Old age Coming on Just about when you learn How to do What they have been trying to teach you You begin to fumble And then you have to Pull yourself together And for another few years Act as though You still could do it And then everybody else begins to see That he's not doing so well They put another waiter in To take over the job for you And That kind of thing You are gradually Eased out You are gradually Eased out The first half of life When there is a knock on the door You think 'Here it comes' 'Here it comes' And the last half of life When there is a knock on the door You think 'Here it comes' 'Here it comes' In other words The first function Of the Local social mythology Was to Bring you from childhood Dependency To responsibility In terms Of the social demand And then just about when you are Beginning to feel good about it all The society that has said You've got to do what we want Begins to say Well It looks as though you can't do what we want So You are on your own Then you have what's called a nervous breakdown The first half of life When there is a knock on the door You think 'Here it comes' 'Here it comes' And the last half of life When there is a knock on the door You think 'Here it comes' 'Here it comes' The Next problem then In a mythological order That is going to take care of us Is to tell us what to do with our psyches When that begins to happen The economic problem isn't the main one Not that somebody should You know Give you a fishing rod And send you out fishing And then have dinner for you when you come home It's what are you gonna do? With that Power inside you What are you gonna do? With that Power inside you What are you gonna do? With that Power inside you What are you gonna do? With that Power inside you What are you gonna do? With that Power inside you The first half of life When there is a knock on the door You think 'Here it comes' 'Here it comes' And the last half of life When there is a knock on the door You think 'Here it comes' 'Here it comes' You've become Somewhat Aware Of the world Of the mystery of the world And you just don't want to go doodling Along with silly little children's tasks And that's not what you're Worth It's not what you are ready for There are problems to face The most challenging one Is death Man is the only animal that knows he's going to die And as soon as you fumble that ball It's coming It's coming The first half of life When there is a knock on the door You think 'Here it comes' 'Here it comes' And the last half of life When there is a knock on the door You think 'Here it comes' 'Here it comes' So We find This Wonderful problem And mythologies In general The religions Have served it They have provided Images Tasks Discipline That carry the child From Childhood dependency to responsibility Rather simple responsibilities Those that society says You've got to Accept And then They've provided A way out They tell you That daddy Will beat a bear And you're going back home Now this isn't quite enough anymore Either Is it any wonder that our clergymen Look a little bit anxious these days?