I CANNOT UNDERSTAND

(Tune: originalish)

I cannot understand the man.
His thoughts are of an alien kind.
A gulf too wide for me to span--
I cannot touch his mind:
These waters are too deep to sail.
The darkness holds a thousand fears.
How can it be that I should fail
And after all these years?
I cannot understand the man.
His thoughts are of an alien kind.
A gulf too wide for me to span--
I cannot touch his mind.
[Mind how you go, there, sit down master,
I've got a bit of cheese and the kettle's on the fire.
There's bread for the soup and an apple here for after,
You really should retire, but I might as well
Talk to myself, I know, why fight it,
You never hear a word, is it really any wonder,
Sitting up here with your books all night, it's
That that'll wreck your eyes.]
I cannot understand the girl:
She said my fee was far too high.
And yet I did not charge at all--
I simply asked her why.
What fear was it that ruled her mind?
Why should she be afraid of me?
Within this dark that holds me blind
What monsters can she see?
See what I mean, now that's the problem,
You never even listen to a word I say, here's
Me nearly off my head with worry and
You shrug it all away, I don't know
What you would do if I just absconded,
Starve in a week or two, I shouldn't wonder,
Still, I suppose we're too well bonded,
What would I do alone?]
I only try to help and heal
The players in this twisted game.
I grieve for all the pain they feel:
I do not look for blame.
Her ruined hand and haunted eyes,
The way she flinched and turned away--
I who am held so wise, why can I not surmise
The part she has to play?
My heart is weighted down with pain.
[Down in the dumps, it's not surprising, guess what I heard last night?]
I cannot fathom out this coil.
[Out by the tower a bunch of reivers got into a fatal fight.]
Nor can I see the slightest gain
[Slight possibility it could be the princeling, me I rather doubt it, still...]
In all my mental toil.
[You drink your tea now, I'll shut the window, draughts only make you ill.]
And ever since the old king died,
[Old fool never knew what they were up to, pigheaded just like you.]
A fear has lain on all the land.
[All right for him though, he got his own way, more than some of us can do.]
There is no good in either side:
[I'm off to bed now, come when you want to, just try to get some sleep.]
I cannot understand.