Stand Out of My Sun ©2026 ContempoJedi [Intro] At noon on the marble, In white hammering heat, A lamp burned in daylight In the middle of the street. Some laughed at the flame, Some laughed at the man, “Look there at the beggar With his ridiculous lamp.” [Verse 1] He slept in a jar Where the grain used to go, Woke under the sky And considered it home. Rag on his shoulders, Dust on his feet, He walked through the merchants And their perfumes and meat. He lifted the lantern Up into the glare, As if all that bright sun Still left something unclear. And when they demanded, “What fool’s game is this?” He said, “I am looking For a man in all this.” He said, “I am looking for a man.” [Pre-Chorus 1] Laugh if you like, He does not bend. Mock if you like, He does not mend. You cannot shame What shame won’t touch, And that is why He scandalized so much. [Chorus 1] Call him dog, Call him shameless, Call him filthy in the square, But the man who wanted nearly nothing Left no handle anywhere. No house, no title, No throne to own. You can rule the city, But not the man who needs none. [Verse 2] His slave named Manes One morning ran, Slipped from the household, Escaped from the man. The neighbors leaned in For the rage and the blame, For the cry of possession, For insult, for pain. He gave them a half-smile, Thin as a thread, And turned to the doorway And this is what he said: “If Manes lives well Without Diogenes, then Why should Diogenes Not live without him?” Then he shrugged, And the matter was done. [Pre-Chorus 2] Beggar, nuisance, Dog, disgrace. Every name they gave him Hung loose in place. Pride needs a witness, Shame needs a skin. What can you threaten When nothing gets in? [Chorus 2] Call him dog, Call him shameless, Call him filthy in the square, But the man who wanted nearly nothing Left no handle anywhere. No house, no title, No throne to own. You can lock the gate, But not the man in the sun. [Verse 3] On a voyage to Aegina, They took him at sea, Pirates with rope And the old commerce of men. Dragged him to Crete And they stood him for sale, A body for bidding, A philosopher chained. The buyers inspected His back and his face, Measured his value, Assigned him a place. He looked through the circle As though bored by the whole, Then pointed at Xeniades Calmly and cold: “Sell me to him. He needs a master.” The market went still For a beat, maybe two, For even in bondage He sounded more free than they do. [Chorus 3] Call him dog, Call him shameless, Laugh and put a price on bone, But the man you dragged into the market Was the one you could not own. No house, no title, No throne to own. Weigh him, price him, sell him, He is still not yours. [Bridge] Then came Alexander, Bronze in the sun, With courtiers and banners And half the world won. He stood in the daylight Where Diogenes lay, And said, “Ask what you wish, And I will make the way.” Diogenes looked up, Not rising, not stirred, As if empire itself Were a bothersome blur. And with all of the world Waiting there for the grand, He said only this, Without lifting a hand: Stand out of my sun. The courtiers snickered, Their armor all bright, But laughter grows awkward When it strikes something right. And Alexander, turning, Said low as he went: “If I were not Alexander, I would be him.” [Final Chorus] Call him dog, Call him shameless, Still he stood where kings could not. Empty hands and open daylight Stronger than the things they bought. No crown, no scepter, No chain, no throne, He kept his patch of sunlight And would not be moved from his own. Call him filthy, Call him mad, Call him less than other men, Yet the one who needed least of life Was the freest among them then. No gate, no wall, No throne to own. You can conquer the nations, But he stands in the sun. [Outro] By dusk the marble Gave back its heat, The market had emptied, the dust left the street. No banners remained, No voices, no drum Just one old man And the last of the sun. No empire could warm him, No glory could buy What fell for free From the open sky. And when all the shouting And pageantry were done, There was nothing left higher Than a man in the sun.
