A dead bird stepped upon again, a jewel adrift at sea
A starving dog engaged in dream, a distant melody
All sorts of things here happen, beneath and over land
The ghastly screams of those in pain, a sordid saraband

These eyes of mine that notice those grim carvings on your wrists
Each line to mark your deepest woes: the ghosts within the mists
As in the quiet of the night, a thunder stirs the calm
You plant a kiss upon my cheek, I take you in my arms

Afar, afar, across the seas, as we slow-dance in silence
One hurts his love too much and casts the auguries of violence
And in some corner of the world, as I take you to bed
A bleeding woman sleeps on ground, and turns the rain to red

And red: the shirt you wear that I take off your glistening skin
It smells of laughterful despair, but most it smells of sin
The taste of gin I transfer from my foulsome mouth to yours
While somewhere near, a someone's dear ties a noose of pure remorse

And many a good folk hang tonight as many a piper pipe
While tangled up in lust and love we live this selfish night
Your mother remembers not your name, my mother would not speak mine
She only wants her grief to end, and searches for a sign

Overhead, a silver moon blends in with smoky skies
I turn my head, to see it gleam, from between your hungry thighs
The gradual rise of tides propells the winds upon the sea
They carry a familiar scent of loneliness to me

And loneliness I feel as I ****** harder into you
And wonder if my loathsome act would pass my sin to you
I think of seas and birds and moons, I think of nooses tied
And think of those with darkened hearts, who in the darkness hide

Your eyes, as languid as they are, still hint at some desire
But in them I see my two own which bind a lifeless mire
And somewhere someone else like me, but like me not so much
Wrapped up around a one like you, resents her every touch

He, too, must wonder what goes on inside and out and far
Does he look as deep into her eyes, or does he look at stars?
Perhaps some poor soul near to him is trapped in sorrow boundless
Perhaps he hears the distant cries, the music almost soundless

But fret not, love, the world goes on, and on it will still spin
The slave will always lose the game, but the master will not win
And if in futile act we make some vapid love tonight
Just pretend in all this dark there is a faint flicker of light

The dead bird no more stepped upon, the jewel's lost in the sea
The dog feasts on a rotting bone, now plays no melody
All sorts of things here happen while we dance and kiss and drink
And if I could control the seas, this awful world would sink