[Intro] [Fingerpicked guitar; low drone; one distant bell] There’s a light beyond the hollow Where the old road leaves the pines [Verse 1] I heard the church bell strike the hour The moon was thin and white Then came a flame across the marsh That beckoned from the night I called to ask who carried it The dark gave no reply The little light moved on ahead And drew me from the path [Chorus] Carry the lantern low Carry it through the rain Follow the light where the lost ones go And you may not come back again [Verse 2] It led me past the leaning stones Past roots that gripped the ground The flame went dancing through the mist Though no one walked around At last I saw my window glow Beyond the crooked gate A candle burning in my room Though I had left it dark [Chorus] Carry the lantern low Carry it through the rain Follow the light where the lost ones go And you may not come back again [Bridge] [Drums fall away; guitar and drone remain] The flame bent toward the headstone The wind came cold and slow My name was on the headstone The date carved just below [Final Chorus] [Full band enters; heavy, deliberate pulse] Carry the lantern low Carry it through the rain Follow the light where the lost ones go And you may not come back again [Outro] [Band drops out; one voice over the drone] Carry the lantern low [Drone stops]
