[Intro: Sardinian tenore male lead, low hum of tenore voices, heavy half-time drums] One, two, three, I sing them in The way a balente counts his kin [Verse 1: Sardinian tenore male lead, low and steady over heavy half-time drums] Up on the plateau where the cork oaks lean and creak I count the flock at sundown, every night of every week Two hundred six, I know them by the bell and by the bleat The lame ewe and the black one and the ram with mended feet But somebody's been takin' one a week since early May Cut wire in the cistus, tire tracks down by the way The police down in the village say just count 'em and stay calm So I count 'em and I sing it like a balente sings a psalm [Hook: Sardinian tenore male lead, full drums, tenore voices behind him] One over, friend, the count came back one high Two hundred six went out at dawn and seven wander by I'm not missin' one tonight, I've got one more than mine It's one over, and soon it's over, one at a time [Verse 2: Sardinian tenore male lead, harder, booming kick] I wasn't short this evenin', I was over by a head Seven where the six should be, a fleece that's too well fed He crawled in with the herd at dusk and figured I'd come up short Figured I'd go runnin' down the hill to file the same report But a shepherd knows a sheep by how it settles where it stands And this one's kneelin' crooked on a pair of human hands So I don't run, I don't shout, I don't even raise the lamp I just start the count from one again and walk it through the camp [Bridge: Sardinian tenore male lead, bassu on the extra number, the guttural bass voice enters only on two hundred seven] Two hundred four, the lame ewe by the gate Two hundred five, the black one, she can wait Two hundred six, the ram with mended feet Two hundred seven, friend, and now we meet [Verse 3: Sardinian tenore male lead, full band, the bassu under every line] By the time the mornin' star came up he hadn't moved a hair Kneelin' in the wool all night with my numbers in the air I said friend, the flock gets up at dawn, I count 'em through the gate And whatever doesn't walk on four is gonna have to wait Two hundred six went through the gate, I watched the last one pass And there was one left in the pen, just a fleece upon the grass He ran barefoot down the mountain, left his boots beside the wall Now the village says my count comes out exactly, after all [Hook: Sardinian tenore male lead, full drums, tenore voices behind him] One over, friend, the count came back one high Two hundred six went out at dawn and seven wander by I'm not missin' one tonight, I've got one more than mine It's one over, and soon it's over, one at a time [End]
