Mott The Hoople and Ian Hunter

Rest in Peace (studio version)

(Ian Hunter)

Oh if my wheel could take another turn
and if my life replaced itself again,
I wouldn't want a single thing to change.
Oh it's been good, though it's been strange.

And if my dreams were willing to come true,
oh I would not even try to let them through.
I'm sure there's things I've missed, that others preached.
The goals they reached, they weren't for me.

Rest in peace,
even though the worries seem to mount,
don't let them count.
Rest in peace.

Throw all those smiles and paper miles away.
You make willow pattern pictures through the rain.
And swallow when your heart begins to breathe,
just like a bird, do what it please.

'Cause I ain't gonna be here all that long
and when I'm old I want to know I sung.
If there's a road ahead, I'll jump right in.
Just got to win, this is my hymn.

Rest in peace,
even though your worries seem to mount,
don't let them count.
Rest in peace.

Rest in peace.

There are a number of differences in the lyrics to the live-album version:

Rest in Peace ("Mott The Hoople Live" version)

(Ian Hunter)

Oh if my wheel could take another turn
and if my life replaced itself again,
I wouldn't want a single thing to change.
Oh it's been good, though it's been strange.

And if my dreams were willing to come true,
oh I would not even try to force them through.
I'm sure there's things I've missed, that others preached.
The goals they reached, they weren't for me.

Rest in peace,
even though the worries seem to mount,
don't let them count.
Rest in peace.

Throw all those miles and paper smiles away.
You make willow pattern pictures through the rain.
And swallow when your heart begins to breathe,
just like the birds, do what they please.

'Cause you know, we ain't gonna be here all that long
and when I go I want to know I sung.
If there's a road ahead, I'll jump right in.
Just got to win, this is my hymn.

Rest in peace,
even though your worries seem to mount,
don't let them count.
Rest in peace.

Rest in peace.

These lyrics have been determined after careful listening to the tracks in question, and are provided for educational purposes only. Due to the possibility of mis-hearing, we cannot vouch for their accuracy. Copyright remains vested in the lawful copyright holders.

Credits

Transcribed by Wim Woittiez