[Intro — close, low male voice; scraping strings] As long as I could hear it, I knew where it was. [Verse 1 — restrained; uneven percussion] The lantern swung. The catch was thin. I hauled the last wet netting in. A bellow rolled across the bank And shook the nails inside the planks. The reeds bent low against the stream; I rowed beside that moving seam. [Pre-Chorus — bowed strings tightening] I thought some wounded thing was caught. I brought the light. I should have stopped. [Refrain — low, almost reassuring] Keep moving in the reeds. Keep tearing at the shore. As long as I can hear you, I know which way to pull the oar. [Verse 2 — heavier pulse; short guitar bursts] It dragged a furrow through the green, Too low and dark to be a shape. I followed every bending stalk And watched the open water fade. Then all at once, the thrashing ceased. I let my shoulders fall in peace. [Full silence] [Spoken — barely audible] The stern went down. [Chorus — sudden crushing riff; powerful clean baritone] I prayed to hear it in the reeds— Then felt it breathing next to me. I would have given all I owned To hear it on the bank again. When the reeds stop moving, There is nowhere left to row. [Verse 3 — sparse, intimate dread] A crooked horn crossed through the light. Six heavy feet gripped either side. The boards bowed under dripping hide; My oar lay trapped beneath its thigh. Its breath was warm against my ear. The shore had never looked so near. [Bridge — voice and a single scraping string] The lantern showed one yellow eye. I watched the water rising high. I held my breath to hear it leave. [Complete silence] It held its breath along with me. [Final Chorus — enormous, desperate; jagged pauses] I prayed to hear it in the reeds— Then felt it breathing next to me. Take every net and every coin— Just put the water in between! When the reeds stop moving, There is nowhere left to row. I prayed to hear it in the reeds— There was nothing left to hear. [Hard cut] [Outro — dry spoken voice] Something shifted. I didn’t. [One deep wooden creak. End.]
