The Riverside

The raising of the anchor
The rocking of the chair
The seven scarves and broken masts
And ashes in the air
Naked in the half light
With half a sense of pride
Tangled in the reeds and the riverside

I stood upon the restless deck
It was rolling with the flood
The sea stretched out before the bow
It had the hue of blood
Oil thick under water
And shame high on the tide
They say the cure is somewhere
Near the riverside

And when you listen hard enough
You can hear that water roar
Outside the open back door
Above the fields of innocence
Beneath the plains of ignorance
Inside the hollow walls

I stood against the fenceline
And watched like all the rest
Shock in the right places
And silence their request
They say that we're all healing
But the wound's still open wide
Buckled up and bandaged
By the riverside

And when you listen hard enough
You can hear that water roar
Outside the open back door
Above the fields if innocence
Beneath the plains of ignorance
Inside the hollow walls

And patience is a virtue
And patience is a curse
And ships collide, the piper paid
And fills his swollen purse
But there are those who won't be played
Or taken on that ride
Voices raised, the dawn of change
The riverside

And when you listen hard enough
You can hear that water roar
Outside the open back door
Above the fields of innocence
Beneath the plains of ignorance
Inside the hollow walls