[Intro] [Verse 1] Dear Margaret, the sea has turned to glass. The men speak softly when they pass. We sailed to find what no one’s seen, A world beyond the maps we’ve drawn. The compass trembles in my hand. There’s nothing living on this land. But somewhere past the frozen blue, I swear there’s something moving through. [Chorus] There’s a man upon the ice, Where no living man should be. And another follows after, Like a shadow on the sea. There’s a man upon the ice, Far beyond the reach of home. Tell me what he’s running from. Tell me why he’s so alone. [Verse 2] We saw him through the falling snow, A giant shape against the white. He crossed the ridge and disappeared Before the coming of the night. And in the morning, drifting near, A broken sledge came into view. A man lay barely breathing there, His lips and fingers nearly blue. [Chorus] There’s a man upon the ice, Where no living man should be. And another follows after, Like a shadow on the sea. There’s a man upon the ice, Far beyond the reach of home. Tell me what he’s running from. Tell me why he’s so alone. [Instrumental] [Verse 3] We carried him beneath the deck. He woke and asked which way we’d sailed. He wouldn’t rest until he knew If we had seen the giant’s trail. I told him of my northern dream, The things that I was born to find. He looked at me a long, long while, As though he’d seen inside my mind. [Bridge] He said the things we chase can turn. The brightest fire still can burn. And I could see beneath his skin The cost of somewhere he had been. I asked him how he’d come so far, Alone beneath these frozen stars. He closed his eyes against the light. The ship moved gently in the night. [Final Chorus] There’s a man upon the ice, Where no living man should be. And another follows after, Like a shadow on the sea. There’s a man upon the ice, And the miles are closing in. One is running from his maker. One is running from his sin. [Outro] I once believed that I could conquer death. I was young. [End]
