Genesis - Seven Stones lyrics

I heard the old man tell his tale:

Tinker, alone within a storm
And Losing Hope he clears the leaves beneath a tree
Seven stones
Lay on the ground
Within the seventh house a friend was found

And the changes of no consequence
Will pick up the reins from nowhere

Sailors, in peril on the sea
Amongst the waves a rock looms nearer not yet seen
They see a gull
Flying by
The captain turns the boat and he asks not why

And the changes of no consequence
Will pick up the reins from nowhere

Despair that tires the world
Brings the old man laughter
The laughter of the world only grieves him, believes him
The old man's guide is chance

I heard the old man tell his tale:

Farmer, who knows not when to sow
Consults the old man clutching money in his hand
With a shrug
The old man smiled
Took the money, left the farmer wild

And the changes of no consequence
Will pick up the reins from nowhere

Despair that tires the world
Brings the old man laughter
The laughter of the world only grieves him, believes him
The old man's guide is chance