The Man Who Sold His Shadow

[Intro — plucked bass, crooked piano, heel tapping on wood] A little piece of darkness For a little piece of gold. Going once. Going twice. Don't be sentimental. It's only what you cast When the sun gets bold. [Verse 1] He had a hole in his pocket, A hole in his shoe, A hole in the middle Where his dreams fell through. He had a face like a question, A back like a bend, And a shadow that followed Like a poor relation. Then a man in a coat With a silver-toothed grin Said, "I know what you're worth. Let me show you what's in it. You can keep your reflection. You can keep your name. Just sign on the line And step out of your shame." [Pre-Chorus] Well, a shadow weighs nothing. A shadow eats air. You don't take it to market. You don't comb its hair. And if it doesn't buy supper, If it doesn't pay rent— Well, what good is a thing You never knew you had spent? [Chorus] He sold his shadow For a pocketful of sun. Said, "A man's got to lose something If he's going to become someone." He sold his shadow. Didn't even watch it go. Now he's standing in the sunshine With nowhere left to throw His soul. [Verse 2] He bought himself a jacket, Bought a drink for the room, Bought a bed with clean sheets And a vase with a bloom. Bought a watch that kept time Like time owed him a debt. Bought a photograph Of a life he hadn't lived yet. And the people all noticed How he seemed to shine. How the light hit his shoulders At a quarter past nine. But the children stopped laughing When he passed in the street. Dogs growled at his footsteps. The dust wouldn't settle at his feet. [Pre-Chorus] At noon, he stood tall. At dusk, he stood strange. He could purchase a kingdom But couldn't buy shade. And the more that he owned, The less he could stand The sight of the world Leaving darkness where he ran. [Chorus] He sold his shadow For a pocketful of sun. Said, "A man's got to lose something If he's going to become someone." He sold his shadow. Didn't even watch it go. Now he's standing in the sunshine With nowhere left to throw His soul. [Instrumental — bass runs crooked, piano hammers a three-note phrase, guitar scrapes like shoes on pavement] [Verse 3] He went back to the stranger With his hat in his hands. "I've got money," he said. "I've got houses and land. I've got people who love me— Or the things I provide. I've got everything a man needs To stand on the right side." The stranger smiled gently. "Now, that is the trick. You sold me your shadow. You thought it was a nick In the hem of your trousers, A stain on the floor. But you can't buy back a thing You don't know you're poor for." [Bridge — drums drop to a slow, uneven pulse] He stood in the doorway. He stood in the rain. He stood in the churchyard And called out his name. Nothing behind him. Nothing below. No dark little witness To tell him where to go. He tried to remember The shape he once made. A boy in the summer. A man in the shade. A hand reaching forward. A face turned away. A life with a darkness That belonged to the day. [Build — bass and guitar begin circling faster] He begged for a shadow. He offered his gold. He offered his future. He offered his soul. The stranger said, "Friend, You already sold The one thing you had That you never could hold." [Final Chorus — frantic, ragged, almost celebratory] He sold his shadow For a pocketful of sun! Now the light follows everywhere And he can't outrun a one— He sold his shadow! Hear the whole town say: "Look at that rich man Who's got no place to lay His soul!" He sold his shadow! What a bargain! What a steal! Now he's got all the money And nothing left that's real! [Outro — everything stops except the heel tapping] A little piece of darkness For a little piece of gold. Going once. Going twice. The sun goes down. And he goes home Alone. [One dry footstep] [Silence]