The Mourning of Magic

i once knew a man

but not very well

he said do you like to pretend?

try as i might

my child had left me

and my heart, i found, had hardened

 

in the time that it took

to shoot one fatal look

saying won't you let me be?

he'd closed his eyes

said now i am blind

won't you help me to see?

will you not help me to see?

 

the daybreak of reason

the dusk of belief

the eve of desire

the dawn of deceit

the mourning of magic

as it fails to sway

the decline of the light

at the end of the day

 

i once knew a man

i knew him quite well

he said won't you speak to me of love?

he was eager to learn

but could not discern

that he'd taken quite enough

 

in the time that it took

to shoot one fatal look

saying won't you let me be?

he'd closed his eyes

said now i am blind

won't you help me to see?

will you not help me to see?

 

the daybreak of reason

the dusk of belief

the eve of desire

the dawn of deceit

the mourning of magic

as it fails to sway

the decline of the night

at the coming of day

 

the river of words
that filled our streams
stopped raging long ago
lulled by a dam
of steel beam dreams
now frozen in the snow

the tides of knowing
that seemed ever-growing
lay bare the rocky shore
they could rock me to sleep
but now I sink with the beat
of your boots on the bedroom floor
as I tally the cost
of having blindly crossed
an all-too-visible line
you told me that day
I'm wired that way
and you wouldn't stand in mine

here, my love
I wish we were
as we used to be
here I find a space too large
for dwindling poetry

water, water everywhere
flooding grey flesh pink
my cup's open wide
I hold you inside
yet not a drop to drink
we're coming on down
it'd be so easy to drown
to see how low I'd sink
in this chain of events
you could not prevent
I was the weakest link

here, my love
I wish we were
as we used to be
here I find
a space too large
for dwindling poetry

I could give it all to you
with just one glance
I'd do it for you, baby
if I had the chance
but there's no time
and it's not our place
to try and cross
this endless space

baby, the space
it seems so wide
maybe I will meet you
on the other side

if only I could learn
to slow these tides
that rise so high
when you cross my mind
but there's no time
and it's not my place
to try and cross
this boundless space

baby, the space
it seems so wide
maybe I will meet you
on the other side

I could take your pain
with just one kiss
if I thought you would ache
just a little less
but there's no time
and it's not our place
to try and cross
this precious space

baby, the space
it seems so wide
maybe I will meet you
on the other side

broken porcelain morning
she loved it so well
ivory, blue and yellow
it was till it fell
and shattered

now she's gone, gone, gone
April is gone
swept away by September's
watery song

pearlescent drops
drift down to the ground
from wispy blond locks
in a slow-motion-round
pitter-patter

now she's gone, gone, gone
April is gone
swept away by September's
watery song

the fire-filled tales
still waters could tell
so still because they're hiding
but they hide it so well
and that's what matters

now she's gone, gone, gone
April is gone
swept away by September's
watery song

 

left on your doorstep

one black winter's morn'

the darkest day of that December

by a man whose name

she's nearly happy to say

she can't quite seem to remember

she waited awhile

hoping you'd let her in

but you never saw her there

so she set her sights

on the serpentine road

with an icy, unwavering stare

 

*it's alright now, Lady

no need to feel so alone

just keep on wandering', baby

wander your way

wander your way back...

 

she had a few lovers

not few enough to mention

as the winters drifted through her

and though each offered ring

bore a promise of spring

not one meant a thing to her

and all the while

there you were

walking, like a ghost, through her dreams

all the while she knew

she would penetrate you

your end stripped away by her means

 

*(chorus)

 

she arrived on your  doorstep

one black winter's morn'

superimposed by the seasoned skies

iceblue and whitegold

and the bone-searing cold

all embedded in her eyes

steeled by the snaking road

she was not afraid

to insist

you were bleeding and shorn

with your own crown of thorns

too withered and worn

to resist

 

And Lady Disdain

weary of traveling

has finally found a home

she's finally at ease

in the cool, dark marrow

of your brittle bones

 

*(chorus)

 

the road to hell is paved with mediocrity

that's why we need to rehearse

'cause if it's good, it could always be better

and if it's bad, it could always be worse

of all the things that come to mind

when i think of you

of all the regrets that rear their heads

and believe me, there are a few

of all the stuff

taken not far enough

there's one I should've taken farther

I could've been

such a perfect nightmare

had I tried just a little bit harder

 

the framework was laid

yeah we had it made

couldn't have dreamed of having

less than we had

nothing to say

day after day

baby, it could've been so bad

sex wasn't good

but baby it could

you know, it could've been terrible

and I must confess

I could've done less

but I had to go and settle for bearable

 

anything worth doing

is worth overdoing,

or at least that's what they say

and if I'm gonna take the time

to do something, baby

I do it in a really big way

I'd rather have a full-fledged enemy

than waste time on a half-assed friend

and I'd rather go out with a bang

than come to a forgettable end

so when I saw you with her

just the other day

I was searching for

just the wrong thing to say

but then you looked at me 

so apathetically

I could've just laid down and died

and since I can't be first

I'd settle for worst

goddammit, if I'd only tried 

You crossed my mind
the other day
in this very insignificant
sort of a way
so I just thought I'd call
if only to say
that I don't miss you at all

I can't say I miss
the smoke filled abyss
of that sleazy old bar
or the scratch of your voice
or the dark, dirty growl
of your favorite guitar

I can't say I yearn
for the sweet, slow burn
of whiskey at the end of the day
for those questionable diners
objectionable one-liners
nor for wishing that you would stay

I can't say I crave
the sweet sensation
of kissing our way
through sleep deprivation
laughing away
all-too-frequent frustration
I can't say I miss that at all

And you've got a closet
full of memories
mostly of the skirt-wearing
variety
and you're used to the calls
from one of the many
just wanting to tell you
she's missing you plenty
and I don't intend
to join the likes of them
by calling and bearing my soul
no I don't aspire
to be fuel for the fire
of an ego burning out of control

I can't say I miss you at all
I can't say I miss you at all
No I can't say I miss you at all...