Been listening to the original 'Moon in Water' a lot recently and still curious about the source of some of the lyrics. The opening passage explicitly referencing the moon in the water is easily Googleable ("The Way of Zen" by Alan Watts) but the rest of it, I'm stumped.
EDIT: I looked harder and solved the puzzle.
As noted elsewhere, the first passage in 'Moon In Water' comes from a book called "The Way Of Zen" by Alan Watts (published 1957). The passage is as follows:
The phenomenon moon-in-the-water is likened to human experience. The water is the subject, and the moon the object. When there is no water, there is no moon-in-the-water, and likewise when there is no moon. But when the moon rises the water does not wait to receive its image, and when even the tiniest drop of water is poured out the moon does not wait to cast its reflection. For the moon does not intend to cast its reflection, and the water does not receive its image on purpose. The event is caused as much by the water as by the moon, and as the water manifests the brightness of the moon, the moon manifests the clarity of the water.
The second passage is apparently a poem or other writing by a famous monk called
Ryōkan, excerpted in a book called “Zen and Japanese Culture” by D.T. Suzuki (published 1938). I found the full quote on
this webpage and it is as follows:
The past is already past,
The future is not yet here,
The present never abides;
Things are constantly changing, with nothing on which to depend;
So many names and words confusingly self-created -- What is the use of wasting your life thus idly all day?
Do no retain your timeworn views, nor pursue your newly-fashioned imaginations;
Sincerely and wholeheartedly make inquiries and also reflect within yourself;
Inquiring and reflecting, reflecting and inquiring, until the moment comes when no further inquiries are possible;
For this is the time when you will realize that all your past has been in the wrong.
Incidentally I think the Barking version might be my favorite song of any artist in this decade. I've been listening to it for almost nine years I guess and I've never got sick of it.