The Go-Away Man

by Clive James and Pete Atkin

I've known him before wearing several faces
Under many names and in a lot of places
The go-away man
The take-it-easy-everything'll-be-OK man
And he isn't one for coming back
The campfires cold along his track
While he seeks fresh pastures and the greener fields
A spend-the-night man, a stay-a-day man
The go-away man

I've known him before wearing several faces
Under many names and in a lot of places
The heading-west man
A surface burst they didn't mention in the test-ban
And he isn't one for coming back
The early-morning quitter doesn't even ring you back
As he waits with the milk-cans for the early train
A kill-the-light man, a stay-a-day man
The go-away man

I've known him before wearing several faces
Under many names and in a lot of places
The hit-and-run man
A pack of lies held together by a suntan
And he isn't one for coming back
A doubled-handled bag on the luggage rack
As he takes it easy stretching out along the seat
A travel-light man, a stay-a-day man
The go-away man