Merlin's Lament

in a castle keep, in a vault of stone
in a house at the end of the lane
and old man weeps in his door alone
and he sings out this mournful refrain:

she will not come back, she will not come back
though the mountains fall down to the sea
and the sky burns to cinders and the river runs black
she will not come back to me

no lightnin rede from his books of lore
and the staff in the corner, no fire
and the crystal ball, always bright before
is grey as the dust of desire

she will not come back, she will not come back
though he call on the powers that be
they will cipher this message in his cold zodiac
she will not come back to me

and joy my love was a dancin spring
and life was the touch of her lips
and a brook ran mad to my cave downstream
from the miracle hills of her hips

she will not come back, she will not come back
though the stars hang their tears in the trees
and tireless Orion lies spent in his tracks
she will not come back
she will not come back
she will not come back to me
she will not come back to me

© 2001 David Robert Carter (BMI), administered by Tracy Grammer Music

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