Verse I Hear the tale of the orchard pale, Where the mist weaves a silver veil, Where the apples hang like drops of blood, And the roots are steeped in the ancient mud. Once in twenty years, they say, When the moon is dim and the sky is grey, A shadow walks through the garden gate, And the mortal souls lie still and wait. Chorus O, the orchard keeps its toll, For the demon takes his due. He will grant your deepest soul, But the price is paid in you. By the gilded bough and the crimson fruit, The silent earth, the fallen root, He comes to claim, he comes to call, The orchard's toll is paid by all. Verse II He has walked through a thousand years, Fed on mortal hopes and fears, With the horns of jet and the eyes of flame, And the world has never known his name. He will whisper soft and low, "Give me what you cherish so, And I swear upon the night, I will grant your heart's delight." Chorus O, the orchard keeps its toll, For the demon takes his due. He will grant your deepest soul, But the price is paid in you. By the gilded bough and the crimson fruit, The silent earth, the fallen root, He comes to claim, he comes to call, The orchard's toll is paid by all. Bridge (тише, почти шёпотом, хор теней) And the wise men say, "Beware the hand That offers gifts from the shadow-land. For the price is steep and the debt is deep, And the orchard's secrets never sleep." Verse III But the tale has turned, the wheel is spun, A new age breaks beneath the sun. For the demon walks through the garden gate, And he meets a soul that does not wait. Not for gold, not for grace, Not for power, not for place. Just a youth with empty hands, Who does not fear, who understands. Final Chorus (торжественно, с хором) O, the orchard keeps its toll, But the trap is set for one. For the demon pays the whole, When the mortal wish is none. By the gilded bough and the crimson fruit, The silent earth, the fallen root, The hunter now becomes the thrall, And the orchard claims them all. Outro (затихая, шёпот) ...And the orchard claims them all... ...The orchard's toll...
