[Intro: grand piano, then the gated drums] Figure eight, follow through, pull it tight and check it twice Twenty feet of rope between us on the ice [Verse 1: Him] Four in the morning at high camp, wind like a train You checked my knot the way you checked my ring that day We tied one knot in a little church in May Now we tie another where the air is thin and gray Headlamps on the ridge, and the stars are close enough to hit You said, you lead, I'll follow, and I'll catch you if you slip I laughed, you're half my size, and I'm a mountain of a man You said, it ain't the climber's size, it's the size of the plan [Chorus: trading lines] Tied in, tied in, baby, don't look down Twenty feet of rope, and the both of us bound If you fall, I fall, that's the deal we made Tied in, tied in, all the way [Verse 2: Her] I watch your boots in front of me and count them as we climb Every time you plant a boot, I plant the axe in time Ridge like a knife edge with the clouds on either side You're singing that old wedding song to keep your fear inside Every twenty steps I sink the axe and lean on the shaft Every twenty steps you turn and flash that grin and laugh Rope between us humming like a guitar string drawn tight Sun coming up on the summit, and the summit's in sight [Chorus: trading lines] Tied in, tied in, baby, don't look down Twenty feet of rope, and the both of us bound If you fall, I fall, that's the deal we made Tied in, tied in, all the way [Verse 3: Him] I don't remember the cornice going out from my feet Just the sky where the snow was, and the rope biting me Woke up hanging on the face with nothing underneath You flat on the ice above, the axe dug to the teeth Four minutes, you held two hundred pounds with your arms and your hips Inch by inch you pulled me up, with my name on your lips Now we're on the summit, and my hands are raw and red And you're laughing through the tears, and you said what you said [Bridge: Her, piano and strings] I said I'd catch you if you slipped You said I was half your size Turns out the size of the knot Was the size of the vow, all this time [Final Chorus: both voices finally sing the same line together on the last two lines] Tied in, tied in, baby, don't look down Twenty feet of rope, and the both of us bound You fell, I held, that's the deal we made We tied it twice, we tied it twice Once in a church and once on the ice [Outro: drums, piano and one long guitar line] Figure eight, follow through, pull it tight and check it twice Every knot I ever tied, I tied with you for life [End]
