Be Careful When They Offer You The Moon

by Clive James and Pete Atkin

Be careful when they offer you the moon
It gives a cold light
It was only ever made to light the night
You can freeze your fingers handling the moon

Be careful when they offer you the moon
It's built for dead souls
It's a colourless and dusty ball of holes
You can break an ankle dancing on the moon

When you take the moon you kiss the world goodbye
For a chance to lord it over loneliness
And a quarter-million miles down the sky
They'll watch you shining more but weighing less

So be careful when they offer you the moon
It's only dream stuff
It's a Tin Pan Alley prop held up by bluff
And nobody breathes easy on the moon
Nobody breathes easy on the moon
Count to ten when they offer you the moon