The Crooked, the Cradle - The Crane Wives

I can see he says what he means I can't say what he means when he says that I'll pretend, I'll pretty pretend When all I wanna see is the end of this I can see he says what he means We'll deal him sticks and stones and apologies I wish, oh, I wish it was through Scrape the skies, get up off your knees Just lift the marks to newfound kinesis I'll pretend, I'll pretty pretend When all I wanna see is the end of this I wish, I wish, I wish the cobwebs would cover me Cover me, cover me My vicious tongue cradles just one My vicious tongue cradles just one My vicious tongue cradles just one My vicious tongue cradles just one My vicious tongue cradles just one My vicious tongue cradles just one My vicious tongue cradles just one

Please don't cry For the ghost and the storm outside Will not invade this sacred shrine Nor infiltrate your mind My life down I shall lie If the bogey-man should try To play tricks on your sacred mind To tease, torment, and tantalize Wavering shadows loom A piano plays in an empty room There'll be blood on the cleaver tonight And when darkness lifts and the room is bright I'll still be by your side, for you are all that matters And I'll love you to till the day I die There never need belonging in your eyes As long as the hand that rocks the cradle is mine Ceiling shadows shimmy by And when the wardrobe towers like a beast of prey There's sadness in your beautiful eyes Oh, your untouched, unsoiled, wondrous eyes My life down I shall lie Should restless spirits try To play tricks on your sacred mind I once had a child, and it saved my life And I never even asked his name I just looked into his wondrous eyes And said, "Never, never, never again" And all too soon I did return Just like a moth to a flame So rattle my bones all over the stones I'm only a beggar-man whom nobody owns Oh, see how words as old as sin Fit me like a glove I'm here and here I'll stay Together we lie, together we pray There never need belonging in your eyes As long as the hand that rocks the cradle is mine As long as the hand that rocks the cradle is mine, mine Climb up on my knee, sonny boy Although you're only three, sonny boy You're, you're mine And your mother, she just never knew Oh, your mother As long, as long, as long I did my best for her I did my best for her As long, as long, as long as, as long I did my best for her I did my best for her Mother, mother Mo-mo-mo-mo

They say time is of the essence They say time will always tell I wasted time in constant panic As the Rome around me fell And each moment that is stolen Gives another time to breathe In a life of turning pages With the bit between my teeth From the cradle to the grave I know I won't be a slave To the mistakes that I've made With the passion and the praise And I won't go till I'm ready From the cradle to the grave They say time is a great healer They say time will not stand still But when I look outside the window I see a sky stuck to a hill And the moon looks down benignly Like it's seen it all before For a thousand generations That don't live here anymore They say time will wait for no man They say time is on my side I can never make my mind up As it all goes whizzing by

Red sky morning, lovers warning Oh I know that promise you wear, well it ain't for me Shallow river, shining within her Flood it all, drown the crops, but just please don't swallow me Settle down (settle, settle, settle) Hold your heart, be still, be still May the whole sky fall May it all come down Wasted all for the title Wasted all for the crown Keep your distance, make resistance Stay the course when you falter and don't you think of me Glowing ember, growing within her Burn it all, raze the field, but just please don't swallow me May the whole sky fall May it all come down Wasted all for the truth For the fool in her wedding gown Let her leave my sight Make her leave my mind Bring it down on my head If these sins are mine Call it down on my head For these sins are mine Settle down (settle, settle, settle) Hold your heart, be still, be still Let her go (settle, settle, settle) Hold your heart, be still, be still Lovely lady, no one's baby Keep your chains off the ground and don't you think of me

I've gotten good at leaning on metaphors I've gotten good at living on someone else's page I cut my teeth on secondhand sentiments You can't trust a single thing I say I keep my closet free of skeletons 'Cause I'm much better at digging graves But I always dig up bones in your sympathy I can't trust a single thing you say Don't look too hard, 'cause you won't like the scars he left in me I've gotten good at making up metaphors I've gotten good at stretching the truth out of shape And all these words are sweet and meaningless You can't trust a single thing I say You can't trust a single thing I say You can't trust a single thing I say (I've gotten good at leaning on metaphors) You can't trust a single thing I say (I've gotten good at making up metaphors)

Tear it down Tear it down around my head I need you To bury this beneath my bed The crows in the garden are laughing at my expense Drowning out all the lies that I might have told instead My stone My shield, my steady hand Hold your light To the darkness in my head Put your ear to my heart or set your teeth against my throat Give me something pretty to wear beneath my blood-stained clothes My darling, the devil knows my name Whoa, oh Lay me down Pour the dirt into our bed Tell the crows They can have their pound of flesh The ghosts at the window echo all our quiet prayers When they come for us, they'll come with hammers and nails My darling, the devil knows my name My name My name Get on your knees and Dig up the garden Won't you throw down that spade and Dig up the garden, darling? Get your hands dirty and Rip up the garden Won't you cut down that apple tree for me?

Tell me once again I could have been anyone, anyone else Before you made the choice for me My feet knew the path We walked in the dark, in the dark I never gave a single thought to where it might lead All those empty rooms We could have been anywhere, anywhere else Instead I made a bed with apathy My heart knew the weight Ten years worth of dust and neglect We made our peace with weariness and let it be The moon will sing a song for me I loved you like the sun Bore the shadows that you made With no light of my own I shine only with the light you gave me I shine only with the light you gave me Name your courage now We could have had anything, anything else Instead you hoarded all that's left of me Swallowing your doubt Like swords to the pit of my belly I want to feel the fire that you kept from me The moon will sing a song for me I loved you like the sun Bore the shadows that you made With no light of my own I shine only with the light you gave me I shine only with the light you gave me I shine only with the light you gave me (I could have been anyone, anyone) I shine only with the light you gave me (I could have been anyone, anyone)