Psalms

[Intro] (Whispered choir under a single bell) Dust to dust, page to flame Call the faithful, speak the name [Verse 1] I found a psalm in the blackened nave Bound in ash from an empty grave Every line was a serpent’s tongue Every prayer from the gallows sung Candles bent in a fevered trance Icons swayed as if dared to dance And the saints in their frames looked down When I kissed the hem of the hollow crown [Pre-Chorus] Hear the choir crawl through the rafters Hear the tongue of the fire speak after All your trembling, all your shame Sound the verse and invoke the name [Chorus] Sing me a psalm for the broken throne Raise your hands though you die alone From the dust to the sacred frown We are blessed by the hollow crown Give me chapter and curse and creed Holy venom for those in need In the dark where the bells resound We are bound to the hollow crown [Verse 2] On the seventh page there was no light Only gold and a mouth sewn tight There were psalms for the sick and lame And psalms that blistered the righteous name Then the organ roared like a beast in chains And the pews all shook with a lover’s pain I was marked by the wax and sound By the cold, cruel shine of the hollow crown [Pre-Chorus] Let the altar crack in the moonlight Let the choir drag us through midnight All your penitence, all your doubt Turn it in and let it out [Chorus] Sing me a psalm for the broken throne Raise your hands though you die alone From the dust to the sacred frown We are blessed by the hollow crown Give me chapter and curse and creed Holy venom for those in need In the dark where the bells resound We are bound to the hollow crown [Keytar Breakdown] (Drums keep a driving 4-on-the-floor pulse underneath syncopated guitar chugs; keytar takes a flamboyant, melodic minor lead) (Instrumental cue): (4 bars: Dm - Bb - F - C Keytar lead starts lyrical, then escalates into fast arpeggios Guitar answers with harmonized line Choir “ahh” pads re-enter behind final run) (Chant under solo): Psalm of ember, psalm of bone Read the word in undertone Gold and fever, blood and sound Kneel before the hollow crown [Breakdown] (Half-time. Heavy toms. Organ stabs. Vocal becomes commanding, ritualistic.) Leader: Who writes the psalm? Choir: We write the psalm! Leader: Who wears the crown? Choir: We wear the crown! Leader: Who drinks the dread? Choir: We drink the dread! Leader: Who wakes the dead? Choir: We wake the dead! (All): Page by page and wound by wound Let the sacred lie be hewn Brick by brick and vow by vow We become the altar now [Final Chorus] Sing me a psalm for the broken throne Raise your hands though you die alone From the dust to the sacred frown We are blessed by the hollow crown Give me chapter and curse and creed Holy venom for those in need When the last brass bell has drowned We remain with the hollow crown [Outro] (Choir + organ, slowing slightly) Dust to dust, flame to flame Read the psalm and speak the name