The Soul Cages
The boychild is locked in the fisherman's yardThere's a boodless moon where the oceans dieA shoal of nightstars hang fire in the netsAnd the chaos of cages where the crayfish lie
Where is the fisherman, where is the goat?Where is the keeper in his carrion coat?Eclipse on the moon when the dark bird fliesWhere is the child with his father's eyes?
These are the soul cages These are the soul cages
He's the king of the ninth worldThe twisted son of the fog bells tollIn each and every lobster cageA tortured human soul
These are the souls of the broken factoriesThe subject slaves of the broken crownThe dead accounting of old guilty promisesThese are the souls of the broken town
These are the soul cages These are the soul cagesThese are the soul cages These are the soul cages
"I have a wager" the brave child spokeThe fisherman laughed, though disturbed at the joke"You will drink what you drink but you must equal meAnd if the drink leaves me standingA soul shall go free"
"I have here a cask of most magical wineA vintage that blessed every ship in the lineIt's wrung from the blood of the sailors who diedYoung white bodies adrift in the tide"
"And what's in it for me, my pretty young thing?Why should I whistle, when the caged bird sings?If you lose a wager with the king of the seaYou'll spend the rest of forever in the cage with me"
These are the soul cages These are the soul cagesThese are the soul cages These are the soul cages
A body lies open in the fisherman's yardLike a side of the ship where the iceberg ripsOne less soul in the soul cagesOne last curse on the fisherman's lips
These are the soul cages These are the soul cagesThese are the soul cages These are the soul cages
He dreamed of a ship in the seaIt would carry his father and heTo a place they could never be foundTo a place far away from his townA Newcastle ship without coalsThey would sail to the island of souls