[Verse 1] Down by the peat-black road, I left my boots in the mud. A chapel bell rang thin and slow, Through the rain on the scrubby wood. Your lamp was lit till late, And the kettle hissed in the pan. You said, “Come in from the cold, my son, There’s room for a weary man.” [Pre-Chorus] But your eyes were ash and stone, Like you’d buried a secret deep. You heard my name in the thunder roll, And you would not let it sleep. [Chorus] For all the bones taste the same to father Rohan (For all the bones taste the same) For all the bones taste the same to father Rohan (He knows your name) He counts them soft in the dark He lays them side by side For all the bones taste the same to father Rohan When the long road’s come and died [Verse 2] There was turf on your sleeves that night, And rain in your copper hair. You spoke of lads from the quarry road, How the winter found them there. You held my hand like a match, Then you looked to the picture frame. A woman in a faded shawl And a child with your own hard face. [Pre-Chorus] And I felt the floor give way, Like a stone in the riverbed. You said the dead don’t ask for much, Just a place for the faithful dead. [Chorus] For all the bones taste the same to father Rohan (For all the bones taste the same) For all the bones taste the same to father Rohan (He knows your name) He counts them soft in the dark He lays them side by side For all the bones taste the same to father Rohan When the long road’s come and died [Bridge] So bless the cracked white cup, And the ash on the sill by dawn. Bless the hands that buried truth And the mouth that kept it on. If mercy has a river, Let it carry the old hurt home. But I saw the lamp in your window shake When you thought you were there alone. [Final Chorus] For all the bones taste the same to father Rohan (For all the bones taste the same) For all the bones taste the same to father Rohan (He knows your name) He counts them soft in the dark He lays them side by side For all the bones taste the same to father Rohan And the river takes the lie
