Face of a Stranger (Live) - Philip Quast

I sailed away

From an island

To an island across

The earth

And I worked

At adopting their style and their customs

For all I was worth

And I rose to my present

Position

And I gained some

Celebrity

Now I bask in their praise and

Conditional love

But who do they see

The face of a stranger

Who can't even say who he is anymore

Face of a stranger

A mask made for covering

Passions and pain

But lately I'm wondering what did I gain

When I see in my mirror

The face of a stranger

Come home and visit

Your dad boy

Calls my mum

From across the sea

He's not young anymore

And he's sad boy

Though he won't admit it

To me

So I fly myself back to their island

To the wheat

And the tractor wheels

And I show them my

Sonnyboy smile and I know

They can tell it conceals

The face of a stranger

No longer at home in that house

On the hill

Face of a stranger

The boy that they raised

There is gone without trace

And even the family

He's built in their place

Regard him with love but

They're loving the face

Of a stranger

I

Would be off on my own

Exploring the earth's empty ends

Then why am I lonely

Surrounded by family

And friends

They tell you no man

Is an island

But to me that's not

How it seems

I think every man

Is an island

Of secrets

And longings and dreams

An invisible ocean

Surrounds us

Those who love us reach just

The shoals

Is it any surprise it astounds us

How well

We keep playing our roles

With the face of a stranger

Who peers in bright windows from out

In the dark

The face of a stranger

And even the woman I most

Truly love

She tells me I wear

An emotional glove

But I laugh it off

With the smiling face of

A stranger

Darling

Have you seen

The children

Yes they're out

Playing pirates at sea

Ah well let me just pay this last bill then

And we

Can sit down and have tea