The Hanging Heart

Only love and false gods live for today

And burn down their own sons before the fade away

The beaten light is crawling now sunk in howling disease

That sad gold stone of the dust crawling from us on its knees

The moon and sun will bust and rust and turn to blood and dust

Yes I've seen it in my mind's eye

But they'll never burn and blind and crust

Like the tears of rage within your eyes

Early in the morning while the snow still fell

Upon our love's grave, babe, and you and I are quite dreaming

And the slippery moon was the only one to shed a tear

While we finished the services

And buried a little madness on this earth down

Sister, weigh your heart

There really ain't enough gold and blood to get that far around

It you ever hang it from the trees for the wolves and stinging bees

I'd hack it down and gather it in my arms with me

Our wild tears embalmed the black sky

Until its guts burst and fell like loaded dice

On our fixed game that plays and plays like murder in the night

And sometime late in the cedars and pines

Your life ran from you with the wind on fire

And you took the arms of a lonely death

Early in the morning while the snow still fell

Upon our love's grave, babe, and you and I are quite dreaming

And the slippery moon was the only one to shed a tear

While we finished the services

And buried a little madness on this earth down

Sister, you laid your trouble down

I gathered all your heart that I could hold

The rest of it is gone in the animals and earth

It was best to let it crawl out of your skin,

And run