According to the myths and legends
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At the fringes of our memory
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Paris stole the queen of Sparta
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And carried her across the sea
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As they fled, he never dreamt
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That he held the world in his grip
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Helen, the face that launched a thousand ships
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Helen, the face that launched a thousand ships
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From Mycenae comes Agamemnon
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And the Greeks of the city-states
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Laden with their bronzen weapons
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They're waiting at the Trojan Gates
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As the arrow flies and Achilles falls
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Does she raise the wine to her lips?
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Helen, the face that launched a thousand ships
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Helen, the face that launched a thousand ships
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It's funny how the story lingers
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It's probably a myth of course
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A whisper in the ear of Homer
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Perhaps there never was a horse
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She could have turned the head of Paris
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With the gentle sway of her hips
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Helen, the face that launched a thousand ships
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Oh Cassandra, what did you know
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You who bring bad news wherever you go
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You had the gift to see the future
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From Apollo so it's said
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And he made no one believe you
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When you would not share his bed
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Oh Cassandra, what did you see
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As you walked the lonely road of your certainty
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Gazing at the ruined city
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That your warnings could not save
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Oh Cassandra, so still and so grave, Cassandra
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The Bronze Age kingdoms tumble
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The cities fade one by one
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The walls of Mycenae crumble
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The Dark Age has begun
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And the truth is lost in the ancient dust
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Yet the memory forever persists
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Of Helen, the face that launched a thousand ships
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Helen, the face that launched a thousand ships
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Helen & Cassandra
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Al Stewart |