Seeing the lyrics here reminds me of something I've thought about a few times before - if you have heard this song a few times, you can no longer see these words as poetry only - there is no way to suppress the melody inside your head. Since at least some of the emotive power comes from the music, you can no longer really judge the emotive power of those words as a poem. No real point, just some random thoughts.

I'm going to paste in some lyrics that I'll bet few of you have ever heard - I would be interested to know if you think it stands on its own as a poem - I can no longer read it without hearing the song.

Circus Of Heaven (Jon Anderson)

The day the Circus of Heaven came in to town

Local folks lined the streets in a Midwestern town

Waiting anxiously for the parade to begin all around

On the very last day

A unicorn headed the mystical way

Surrounded by what seemed a thousand golden angels at play

Behind were Centaurs, elves, bright fairies all in colours of jade

On the very final day

For what seemed only just a moment in time

Seven solemn flying silvered regal horses rode by

Seven golden chariots in tow, a wonder to behold

The Seven Lords of the Mountains of Time

There then arose where nothing really stood there before

A giant tent rising one thousand feet high frofrom the floor

Towns people flocked inside with their eyes all amazed

To greet the Seventh Lord of the seventh age

A fanfare rang out in an incredible sound

Bringing out the strangest visions perfect harmony round

Any dreams he asked would they like to have seen

From historical or mythical scenes

Then there above their heads just as vivid as life

Each vision transported multitudes inventing light

Grecian galleons, the sack of Troy, to the Gardens of Babylon

A play of millions roared along

The gigantic dreams of Alexander the Great

Civil wars where fbrothers fought and killed their friendship with hate

All seen by Zeus performing scenes in the magical way

The day the circus came to town

Outside great animals as tame as the trees

Angels high in starlight dancing streets

Turning their colours with indigo and gold

Dropping violet, red and emerald snow

As the circus finally changed its invisible course

A new world to be found

On the dreamy ground we walked upon

I turned to my son and said

"Was that something beautiful, amazing, wonderful, extraordinary beautiful?"

"Oh! It was OK!! But there were no clowns, no tigers, lions or bears, no candi-floss, toffee apples, no clowns."