High on the sacred mountain 
Up the seven thousand stairs 
In the golden light of autumn 
There was magic in the air 

Clouds surrounded the summit 
The wind blew strong and cold 
Among the silent temples 
And the writing carved in gold 
Somewhere in my instincts 
The primitive took hold... 

I stood at the top of the mountain 
And China sang to me 
In the peaceful haze of harvest time 
song of eternity -- 

If you raise your hands to heaven 
You will live a hundred years 
I stood there like a mystic 
Lost in the atmosphere 

The clouds were suddenly parted 
For a moment I could see 
The patterns of the landscape 
Reaching to the eastern sea 
I looked upon a presence 
Spanning forty centuries... 

I thought of time and distance 
The hardships of history 
I heard the hope and the hunger 
When China sang to me...