The original melody, and the groove, emerged from my subconcious when I was demonstrating MIDI programming to someone. I liked the groove and always wanted to write a song around it but just never got the necessary inspiration. My last attempt added some guitar by Chas and gave it an "eastern" flavour. Finally, armed with a suggestion from my friend Gary Yeomans from the RMMS newsgroup who supplied me with some great lyrics (above), I finally turned it into a song.

Just down the road from Babylon © 2003 G.Yeomans =============================================== Crossing the border at sunset The desert shimmers in the afterglow The wind begins to rise The sand begins to blow Keeping the sun setting left side Cool enough now to see my breath Narrow my eyes to the sand Turning my face from death Keeping my mind in the dead zone Avoiding thoughts as to right or wrong I’m Serving my Queen and my country Just down the road from Babylon Dreams in a mirage come easy The pulsating desert ebbs and flows Images of ancient times First corn in golden rows Greeting the goddess of life and love She appears as a welcome guest Turning she smiles takes my hand Inanna takes me to her breast Watching the moon in it’s crescent As a poet writes the worlds first song And Gilgamesh grieves for Enkidu Just down the road from Babylon Seeking my own immortality So many will die in the flood I shelter from uncertainty In a cloak of flesh and blood A wise old man creates his escape He labors without a word Straightening he smiles offers his hand Utnapishtim welcomes me aboard Waking from dreams of the ancients Ghostly chariots rolling on And the worldly grieve for innocence Just down the road from Babylon