From all over the globe,
people have gathered here
waiting for the hour to strike,
waiting to catch a glimpse of that
legendary magician
Mr. Willy Wonka.
Hold your breath
Make a wish
Count to three
Come with me and you’ll be
In a world of pure imagination
Take a look and you’ll see
Into your imagination
Reach the stars
Fly a fantasy
Dream a dream
And what you see will be
Limahl
The NeverEnding Story
We’ll begin with a spin
Traveling in the world of my creation
What we’ll see will defy explanation
No, no.
There’d be children
floating all over the place!
He looks around, around
He sees angels in the architecture
Spinning in infinity
He says Amen! and Hallelujah!
Paul Simon
You Can Call Me Al
When illusion spin her net
I’m never where I wanna be
And liberty, she pirouette
When I think that I am free
Peter Gabriel
Solsbury Hill
Or am I standing still?
Beneath the darkened sky
Or am I standing still?
With the scenery flying by
Jewel
Standing Still
Oh, you should never, never doubt
what nobody is sure about.
Of course you don’t know.
You don’t know because only I know.
If you knew and I didn’t know,
then you’d be teaching me
instead of me teaching you.
And for a student to teach his teacher
is presumptuous and rude.
Do I make myself clear?
Some things you have to believe
But others are puzzles, puzzling me
Coldplay
Speed of Sound
You can fly to the moon this way!
From now on,
we keep our feet on the ground.
An elevator can only go
up and down,
but the Wonkavator can go
sideways and slantways
and longways and backways . . .
Lost in a dream
I don’t know which way to go
Paula Abdul
Straight Up
‘Round the world and home again,
that’s the sailor’s way!
There’s no earthly way of knowing
Which direction we are going
There’s no knowing where we’re rowing
Or which way the river’s flowing
If you want to view paradise
Simply look around and view it
Anything you want to, do it
Want to change the world?
There’s nothing to it
Pressure, pushin’ down on me
Pressin’ down on you, no man ask for
Queen & David Bowie
Under Pressure
There is no life I know
To compare with pure imagination
Living there you’ll be free
If you truly wish to be
I shall be free, free
free of those voices inside me
The Smashing Pumpkins
Rocket
We are the music makers,
and we are the dreamers of dreams.
It’s magic, you know
Never believe it’s not so
Pilot
Magic
Notes & References
- The Irregulars
Roald Dahl and the British Spy Ring in Wartime Washington
By Jennet Conant
↩︎
Songs:
Limahl – The NeverEnding Story
Paul Simon – You Can Call Me Al
Peter Gabriel – Solsbury Hill
Jewel – Standing Still
Coldplay – Speed of Sound
Paula Abdul – Straight Up
Queen & David Bowie – Under Pressure
The Smashing Pumpkins – Rocket
Pilot – Magic