Chk-chk! Sun spits sparks upon my hide! Hot dust, gut-rust, nowhere left to hide! Popcorn popping, rotten straw is steaming, Kids all screaming as my old bones creak in rhythm. Rusty unicycle squeaks and sways, Round and round I grind my fur away. Ringmaster reeks of cheap cologne and gin, Cracks his whip and calls that discipline! Sugar cube! Copper coin! Feed me scraps and wonder why I'm torn! Dance, old bear! Dance without a care! But every grin is just another snare. Iron biting, grinding at my feet, Brass band sweet while my heart skips beat. Smile so wide till your jawbone cracks— But mountain blood keeps calling me back! Hey! Hey! Hear the caged one cry! Tiny cage beneath enormous sky! Hey! Hey! Laugh while passing by! This old bear ain't born to live and die In chains! No way! Op-sa, hey! Moon hangs crooked over patchwork tents, I've been counting all the years I've spent. Sawdust dreams and bones that long to roam, Every road I dream says: come along! Laughing crowd, you think you see a clown? You see a mountain that they hammered down! You see a king tied down with circus rope, Still breathing fire, Still choking on hope. Every night same rotten prison tune, Every dawn arrives a day too soon. But hear me now— No cage was ever built That could imprison A bear full of ghosts. Chk... Chk... Chk... Ringmaster snores inside his trailer. Mouth open. Belly up. King of nothing. On the table— A bottle. Dark glass. Plum. Sweet rot. Wild fire. I sniff. I grin. And gods— I drink. Burning rivers flood my veins with flame! I don't know my name— I love the change! Ancient thunder pounding in my chest, Every wound I carried comes to rest. Forests older than my grief and rage Wake up growling underneath my cage! Grandfathers of claw and fang and fur Whisper: "Boy... remember who you were." My heart goes— Dun! My fists go— Dun! The chain goes— Dun-Dun-Dun! Steel groans. Bolts strain. Thunderheads gather. I spit plum fire in the pouring rain. The mountains rise beneath my skin. The stars lean close. I breathe them in. Throw back my head— And... Roar! Snap! Hey! Hey! Op-sa! Hey! Hey! Op-sa! I smash the cage! I tear the bars! I run straight through a thousand stars! Kick down lanterns! Steal the wheel! Tonight I learn how freedom feels! Rusty unicycle—kingly throne! Laughing like a fool who's coming home! Trumpet tucked beneath my mighty paw, Blasting notes with tooth and claw! Lions laughing! Horses dance! Elephants in drunken trance! Goats go flying! Monkeys swing! Everybody liberated! Op-sa! No more chains! Hey! No more lies! Hey! No more dancing just to stay alive! Op-sa! Raise your voice! Op-sa! Tonight the beasts have made their choice! Run! Run! Run to the mountains! Roar! Roar! Shake all foundations! Hey! Hey! Louder! Hey! Hey! Higher! Op-sa! Spin the wheel of fire! Trumpets scream and drums collide! Freedom pouring from inside! Through the night we charge as one— The bear! The band! The moon! The run! Hey! Hey! Op-sa! Hey! Hey! Op-sa! Drink the moonlight! Spit the sorrow! Dance tonight— Steal tomorrow! Hey! Hey! Op-sa! The tent burns red behind my back. I do not hate. I do not lack. The ashes dance like wedding guests, Drunk and spinning in their Sunday best. The chains are gone. Let rust eat every link. May flowers grow Where once I couldn't think. The night keeps singing on and on— Old brass melodies That never die, Only wander. Morning breaks on pine and stone, At last the wild can call me home. No crowd to cheer. No whip to fear. No cage. No master. Nobody near. Just mountain wind And plum tree bloom, A lonely trumpet In the afternoon. I play for scars. I play for ghosts. I play for all I lost and loved the most. The song is sad For what has been. The song is free For what begins. And somewhere far Where tents once burned, An old bear's roar Still rides the wind— Soft... Proud... Unchained... The trumpet sighs. The mountains answer— Op-sa.
