How Many Miles to Babylon

How many miles to Babylon?

Three score and ten.

Can I get there by candle-light?

Yes, and back again.

Yet so many candles I have ignited

Leaving matches trail along my path

Hot wax dripping on my hands

Still I have yet reach my Babylon

And what is a Babylon anyway?

A fabled city filed with wonder

A city like no other

A city where I'll be home

To there my feet walks toward

To there my heart lies true

To there my dreams are anchored

To there my thoughts have fly

But what if there is no Babylon?

What if there's only ancient ruins

Meager villages and quiet hamlets

Sleepy cities and barren towns

What if I have walked so far for nothing?

Chasing shadows and bodiless voice

Pursuing mirages and foolish hopes

A fable, a fish story, a drunkard's dream

Here I stand alone in the road to nowhere

Melted wax burning my hands

Emptiness filling my heart

Thousands of questions in my head

Shall I look for Babylon

Shall I settle for shelter

Shall I shun everything

Shall I close my eyes and die

Deep in the dark where no man went

The soft light of the candle glows

A person uncertain, a heart confused

A soul longing to find home

How many miles to Babylon?

I do not know, I could not tell

I will not arrive by candle light

Even as my heels are nimble and quick

How many miles to Babylon?

Too long for me, too short for others

How many miles to Babylon?

And will I ever, ever get there?

The candle did not answer

The matches died quietly

Still no sign of Babylon

How many miles, how many miles, how many miles to Babylon?