TOWER OF GOLD

There once was a man who came to a place
Where metal was mined and made.
And this fine fettled man had a fine metal plan
to make it his domain.
So he worked and he schemed and he laid down his plan
For power and he was so bold.
That after four short years he became the king
And started building his tower of gold.

By the sweating of your pelt you can make the ore melt
With the bellows and your muscle and wood.
But the tower was tall and the town gave all
Till their fires burned lower than they should.
“Hark” said the king “Wood you shall bring.
With your axes search far and wide.
Cut me a forest for my tower of gold
Nowhere a tree shall hide.”

Chorus: Our beating hearts are locked in Stone
The cold of winter cracked our bone

Knock thrice for our advice and the warmth of love
Will bless your homes.

The furnace roared as they gave up their hoard
Till none had wood to spare.
So the king looked around and he saw they had none
And said “Bring me your beds and your chairs”.
So they chopped and they hacked and the soldiers sacked
And a law was passed all around.
That fires were banned at the cost of a hand
And the cold crept out of the ground.

Babes in arms were shivering blue
And the old began to cry
With the cold of the winter months in their bones
The weak began to die.
So ten of the wisest went to the king
To ask for the fire of life.
But the soldiers dug a hole and they pushed them in
And they killed them all with a knife.

Chorus

After many long years a story spread
Of a magic stone that sings.
Beneath the stone were the bones of the wise
Striking fear in the heart of the king.
“Knock thrice for our advice” was the story in their song.
So a law was passed, mighty fast:
To knock three times was wrong.

But there came a child of innocence who’s tongue could not be tied.
She knew a word of power. That simple word was “WHY”

She knocked three times on the bone cold stone
And an answer came from within:
“Light a fire upon our rock And we’ll bring you the head of the king.

So the girl built a fire upon that stone and it split the earth in two.
A mighty gorge spread to the forge with a vengeance that was due.

The proud foundations of the tower split their last goodbye.
And the tumbling tower saw its final hour
Through the lid of a still … The lid of a dulling…
The lid of a closing royal eye.

Chorus