Ballad of the Inferno

And in the journey of my life
I got lost in the darkest wood
The way straightforward long since lost
The path behind so obvious
And at this crossroads I sat down
Cos I was lost and tired
I put my head into my hands
And tried to close my eyes

I heard the noises in the wood
Turn into human voices
I felt myself before this time
Of compromise and choice
And as I sat I seemed to dream
Or if not dream, then be there
And all my middle years left
And vanished into air

And I flew with them back in time
The light was all around me
I felt the brightness take the strain
Of all the chains that bound me
And I saw all my friends who died
And myself dead but breathing
Death, he walked at my right hand
And taught me how to sing

I said "Please show me now your face"
He handed me a mirror
I threw it on the cold wood floor
Could not make it shatter
And I collapsed upon the ground
To sick and tired of life to plead
The way behind had long since gone
Nothing lay ahead

A woman's face looked down on me
Her features lost in sunlight
I had to cover up my eyes
So used were they to night
And I heard her laugh and say
"Young Man, I think you're dying"
She gave me water, made me drink
And then she took me in

And so I laid me down to sleep
And I woke just where she'd found me
She'd built a house of my dead dreams
Built it all around me
Smiling there, she looked and said
"Open your eyes and look around"
And so I listened as she sang
Amazed at what I found