[Intro] (Acoustic guitar and a slow, weeping cello) [Verse 1] The gray light filters through the mullioned pane Upon the linen and the coffee stain I pull the thread to find the erratic grain And watch the harbor roil My husband is a man of laws and books With jagged teeth and calculating looks He hangs the petty thieves upon their hooks And puts the kettle on to boil [Verse 2] He keeps me like a bird inside a cage A decorative object for his rage He says that I simply haven’t come of age To understand the world But while he sits and drinks his turpentine And argues with the vicar over wine I am pulling at the fabric of the line Until the tapestry’s unfurled [Chorus] And oh, the water rises in the spring A heavy heart is such a buoyant thing I’ll stitch a little weight inside your wing Before the winter comes So sleep, my love, and let the ocean keep The secrets that you buried in the deep While the widow walks her vigil on the steep And the distant thunder drums [Instrumental Interlude] (Accordion solo, mournful waltz timing) [Verse 3] I found him slumbering upon the chaise In a heavy, gin-soaked, stupor-haze I took the measure of his waistcoat stays And opened up the seam I filled his pockets full of river stones And leaden shot to weigh upon his bones He grumbled in specific monotones But never woke from out his dream [Bridge] (Tempo speeds up, manic strumming) I dragged him down across the promenade Beneath the screeching of a escapade Of seagulls in a starving fusillade That circled overhead! The pier was slick with algae and with ice I didn't have the heart to kiss him twice One push would have to arguably suffice To make the water act as bed! [Verse 4] (Tempo slows, calm and eerie) The splash was swallowed by the rolling tide It felt oddly warm to be a widow-bride I stood and watched the ripples subside And smoothed my apron down Now the Magistrate is ruling over fish He grants the lamprey every little wish And I am eating from a china dish The richest woman in the town [Chorus] And oh, the water rises in the spring A heavy heart is such a buoyant thing I stitched a little weight inside his wing Before the winter came So sleep, my love, and let the ocean keep The secrets that you buried in the deep While the widow walks her vigil on the steep And no one speaks your name [Outro] (Accordion fading out) Stitch by stitch Row by row Down you go Down you go [End]
