Lyrics

Little boy, parted from his mother
Called to serve in the springtime of his years
Pulled from home for the honor of another
It’s his duty, no more time for tears

He hears the songs that tell the legend
Of those whose houses led the fight
Tales of fallen men in battle
Stories of an Autumn Knight
Stories of an Autumn Knight

Growing boy, made stronger through his training
Serves his lord in the summer of his years
At his side tending horse and sword and armor
Earns his name by conquering his fears

He sings the songs that tell the legend
Of those whose houses led the fight
Tales of victory in battle
Soon to be an Autumn Knight
Soon to be an Autumn Knight

Full grown man, standing on the hillside
Bears a sword in the Autumn of his years
Sees his men as they face the threat of battle
Mounts his horse as the time for conflict nears

Now the songs tell of his legend
How his honor and his house have led the fight
Embellished tales of strength in battle
For he is now an Autumn Knight
For he is now an Autumn Knight

Lonely grave dug shallow in the field
Rimed with frost in the Winter of the Year
No mourning cry or stone to mark his grave
Nothing moves, there’s none to shed a tear

No more songs will tell his legend
How his honor and his house have led the fight
There’s no scribe to set the story
Of the fallen Autumn Knight
Just another Autumn Knight

So listen well the songs of legend

Of those whose houses led the fight

Take care to heed the note of warning

In stories of the Autumn Knight

In stories of the Autumn Knight

In stories of the Autumn Knight

In stories of the Autumn Knight 

And oh, lay me down in the middle of the road

And oh, there’ll be nothing left to find of me but bones

I don’t know how long it’s been since I picked up my feet

To go alone and leave my home behind

To bid farewell my sisters and put on my winter coat

And head up north to wander in the pines

And oh, lay me down in the middle of the road

And oh, there’ll be nothing left to find of me but bones

I wouldn’t be the first one and I sure won’t be the last

To drift four hundred miles from shore to shore

Three hundred of us dot the hills with many more to find

But I don’t think I want to wander any more

And oh, lay me down in the middle of the road

And oh, there’ll be nothing left to find of me but bones

I am only borrowing this heavy flesh and bone

I am sitting down and I will be right here

And I’ll be still and silent, waiting patient underground

Where you won’t find me for eleven thousand years

And oh, lay me down in the middle of the road

And oh, there’ll be nothing left to find of me but bones

And oh, lay me down in the middle of the road

And oh, there’ll be nothing left to find of me but bones

Bring me a steed who can carry me away

I said bring me a steed who can carry me away

For the sun’s rising quick and today is the day

That I’m bringing my love back to me

Find me a ship set to cut through the sea

I said find me a ship set to cut through the sea

For my love told me she’d agree to come back with me

On the day that I land on her shore

There’s no power ‘cross the world that can come between our love

No whipping flames of hell, no grace from above

Your beautiful face is all I’ll be dreaming of

‘Til the day you return back to me

Fetch me a carriage to carry home my love

I said fetch me a carriage for to carry home my love

For my dear is as fair as the coo of a dove

And it’s a long way to get her back home

Pick me an herb for my love isn’t well

I said pick me an herb for my love isn’t well

I know not of her condition nor just how ill she fell

On that long and that terrible road

There’s no power ‘cross the world that can come between our love

No whipping flames of hell, no grace from above

Your beautiful face is all I’ll be dreaming of

‘Til the day you return back to me

Get me a bed for my true love to lie in

Now get me a bed for my true love to lie in

For I promised her peace, love and comfort to die in

And I can’t say she’ll live through the night

Bring me a steed who can carry me away

I said bring me a steed who can carry me away

For the sun’s rising quick and today is the day

That I meet with my love once again

La la la la la la la la la la

La la la la la la la la la la

La la la la la la la la la la

La la la la la la la

Listen, I’ve got a tale to tell 

Of how I came to be

On a cold dark night long ago

On a ship rolling at sea

Whoa oh, whoa oh, whoa oh

Whoa oh, whoa oh, whoa oh

The ship steamed on through a winter storm

The waves above the sky

She swims aboard and pulls us down

Where it’s darker than the night

As I slip below and colors fade

A stronger hand grabs mine

I’m pulled into a burning sun

So bright that I am blind

I washed ashore on an empty beach

With a dead man by my side

I climbed into Eden’s cove

As he’s swallowed by the tide

Whoa oh, whoa oh, whoa oh

Whoa oh, whoa oh, whoa oh

I’ve built a life of sticks and stones

Of fires and of trees

The wind my friend, the sand my home

The birds my family

Soaring on the zephyr winds

I’ve never felt so free

It’s been 20 years, I’m Robinson

And I’m glad that you found me

Whoa oh, whoa oh, whoa oh

Whoa oh, whoa oh, whoa oh

It’s been 20 years, I’m Robinson

And I’m glad you’re here with me

Oh the walls have tumbled over

And the roof is caving in

There’s a rumble in the distance

Thunder carried on the wind

The tide is rising up the shoreline

Evening’s fallen with a crash

There’s enough light left to see by

As the timbers burn to ash

So give the dancer’s benediction

Take a bow and take my hand

Dance with me in resignation

Count it out to the turn again

Sing to me and I’ll keep rhythm

Here beside your weary heart

We’ll stay until they turn the lights out

And we’ll keep dancing in the dark

There’s no bright illumination

From the lighthouse on the shore

Will you watch the road behind us

Let me lean my back to yours

Will you walk the road before us

With no light to show the way

And will you catch me when I stumble

Searching for the break of day

So give the dancer’s benediction

Take a bow and take my hand

Dance with me in resignation

Count it out to the turn again

Sing to me and I’ll keep rhythm

Here beside your weary heart

We’ll stay until they turn the lights out

And we’ll keep dancing in the dark

Throw your worries by the wayside

Drop the fear you held before

Put down the heavy woe you carry

It won’t serve you any more

There’s nothing left here to remember

Not a bit of world to see

But I will strike out in the darkness

If you’ll brave that road with me

So give the dancer’s benediction

Take a bow and take my hand

Dance with me in resignation

Count it out to the turn again

Sing to me and I’ll keep rhythm

Here beside your weary heart

We’ll stay until they turn the lights out

And we’ll keep dancing in the dark

We’ll keep dancing in the dark

As I peer into the sky

I can feel it looking back

Darkness rolling into blue

Lofty clouds all fade to black

I can see it, I can feel

Thunder rumbling through the earth

All the warning signs are flashing

All that I can here is

Oh

Everything is safe and warm

Here in the eye of the storm

I don’t know why I’m still standing

Senses telling me to run

Something’s pulling me in closer

As the storm blocks out the sun

I can see it, lightning flashing

Thunder crashing through the air

My mind’s screaming I’m in danger

All my heart can hear is

Oh

All I’ve wanted comes to form

Here in the eye of the storm

Everything will disappear

As long as I keep standing here

If I move, the whipping winds will lash my skin

I’m well aware that if I stay

That soon I will be swept away

Along with every godforsaken sin

There’s no more pain

I’ve been reborn

Drenched in the rain

Here comes the storm

Everything I loved in shambles

Broken homes and broken hearts

I could see destruction coming

And I knew it from the start

Cold and shaking, body aching

There’s no shelter I can take

I’ll rebuild my life from pieces

Left behind within its wake

All that I had ever wanted

Was to try and start again

I got everything I asked for

Torn to pieces in the end

I can see it, rain and lightning

Cutting eastward towards the sea

Now that everything is over

All that I can hear is

Oh

There is nothing left to mourn

From the eye of the storm

She’s called the Motor City and she’s built of glass and steel

And when the markets fell it slowed the rolling of her wheel

In the spring of thirty-two Will Foster made the call

That Henry Ford would answer to the men who broke his fall

It began with only workmen ‘till the others came along

Up to the city limit came a crowd four thousand strong

Asking wage and care for workers but they paid the price instead

On the Fort Street Bridge where they were met with water, gas and lead

Stand upright and stand together

Know your worth and know your way

Fight for both your bread and roses

Hold that line ‘til the break of day

And on that frigid Monday in the bitter cold and snow

Our Williams, York and Leny, Bussell and deBlasio

Were all shot down and now they’re found in Woodmere side by side

And you’d do well to remember why they marched and how they died

Stand upright and stand together

Know your worth and know your way

Fight for both your bread and roses

Hold that line ‘til the break of day

We don’t need another Fort Street, not one more of us should fall

No more the drudge and idler, we must answer to the call

Hearts starve as well as bodies and they beat for more than bread

It serves us fine to keep in mind the day the Rouge ran red

Stand upright and stand together

Know your worth and know your way

Fight for both your bread and roses

Hold that line ‘til the break of day

Stand upright and stand together

Know your worth and know your way

Fight for both your bread and roses

Hold that line ‘til the break of day

Is it there in the sky the sun does rise

And the dew of the morning does shine

Is it there on the road I’ll find my home

Is it now that I must say goodbye

These times have healed this heart of mine

But memories they’re destined to be

Even though I must forge this winding road

I’ll see you again in your dreams

We have shared in this room a thousand words

And I’d wish for a million more

But the clarion call of a long-lost voice

Is pulling me back to the shore

So here I bid my fond farewell

Though it pulls me apart at the seams

Even though I must go, I know for sure

I’ll see you again in your dreams

This path is mine to wander

I’ll face it on my own

I won’t be gone forever

And you’ll never be alone

So offer me your blessing

And I’ll give mine to thee

I promise that I’ll dream of you

Whenever you dream of me

As the sun does rise and dew does shine

And the road wanders on all the same

I would ask that you all would raise a glass

Whenever you think of my name

Although we may feel worlds away

I’m closer to you than it seems

For I don’t know where, I don’t know when

But I’ll see you again in your dreams

The fire is flickering warm in the hearth

Outside the storm flurries and grows

Be careful now, children, we tell them again

For the flames burn as hot as they glow

But the old ones they see the storm gathering stronger

Swift dark at the end of the day

They shiver for they know the bitterest taste

Of the cold that the flames keep at bay

And deep in the forests the fair folk were watching

Our cities and industries grow

They heard the Wild Hunt blow the horns of the winter wind

And left us to fate long ago

It all ends in snow

We’re clocking out early, the foreman he calls

Getting home may be tough in this weather

So they all text their children and husbands and wives

To say prayers that they’ll soon be together

Swiftly they make for their cars and their buses

The smokestacks still churning behind them

Exhaust lost to sight in the fast-swirling flurries

The merciless blizzard to blind them

And all of the linemen, machinists and builders

Right up to the shrewd CEO

Know each might be found by morn stiff and icebound

‘Neath a nimbus of circling crows

It all ends in snow

They’ve called every nation together to see

If there’s anything left to be done

Now that magic has left us and nature is failing

Soon winter will block out the sun

They spin pretty words as the temperature falls

Shake hands, but their hands they are shaking

No wind will be stayed by their promises made

And no ice will melt at their breaking

Some say the world ends in fire and falling stars

Volcanoes erupting will glow

With a fiery virtuous host up above

Fighting blistering beasts down below

But we know

Deep in our hearts we all know

It all ends in snow

Have you ever heard the sound of the river rushing by

The feeling of the gentle breeze sailing through the grass nearby

The sun is shining with a face I’d forgotten that I’d missed

The dew drips off my shoulders and I join the morning mist

Take a minute here to think about

And a minute here to see

That you and I are part of the same September tree

When seasons change leaves rearrange

We’ll fall into the river and drift around the bend

We’re told, when we’re young, of the monsters in the dark

And now we’ve grown and never learned to speak

But who the hell said you were monsters and we should be afraid

On brightest day the sun shines and you’ll live here in my shade

Take a minute here to think about

And a minute here to see

That you and I are part of the same September tree

When seasons change leaves rearrange

We’ll fall into the river and drift around the bend

Yeah, we’ll fall into the river and drift around the bend

I think that we would never see

A song so lovely as a tree

These songs are wrote by fools like me

But trees occur so naturally

And from its leaves we’re taught to see

A discord in our melody

But discord creates harmony

And we deserve our harmony

We deserve our harmony

We deserve harmony

On brightest day the sun shines and you’ll live in my shade

On darkest day we are still together

And when the sun rises dew will still drip off my shoulders

And the breeze will carry both of us together on our way

Take a minute here to think about

And a minute here to see

That you and I are part of the same September tree

When seasons change leaves rearrange

We’ll fall into the river and drift around the bend

Yeah, we’ll fall into the river and drift around the bend

We’ll fall into the river and drift around the bend

Let’s fall into the river and drift around the bend

Well my father once told me when I was young

You’re born, then you work, then you die

He spent all his days in sweet misery

Without ever telling me why

Keep food on the table, sleep only when able

Take care of your kids and your wife

If that’s all there is from our first to our last

By god, what’s the meaning of life?

‘Cause oh, there must be more

Than coming home broken and sore

I’ll spend the rest of my days trying to find

The meaning of life

Well I’ve wandered the earth for twenty-five years

I’ve seen all your faces pass by

Some smiling with joy, some stricken with grief

Some waiting around just to die

And pint after pint, all the people I’ve met

Telling stories of grief and of strife

Well I swear I won’t step on my father’s grave

‘Til I find the meaning of life

‘Cause oh, there must be more

Than coming home broken and sore

I’ll spend the rest of my days trying to find

The meaning of life

After all of these years through the smiles and jeers

I’ll admit that the answer is tame

It seems that we’re here for the stories and beer

‘Cause we’re all bound for hell just the same

I can’t wait to tell my old man what I learned

It wasn’t all suffering and strife

Making memories with friends ‘til our narrative ends

I guess that’s the meaning of life

‘Cause oh, there must be more

Than coming home broken and sore

I’ll spend the rest of my days trying to find

The meaning of life

The meaning of life

Welcome, welcome! Come one and all

Come see the sights like you have never seen before

It only takes a thought to get you through the door…

In the darkness we appear from the shadows of the night

Across your field of dreams you can see our flickering lights

The music draws you towards us, so come and see the show

And all the wondrous pleasures you never thought you’d know

The price is but a memory of something long forgot

Perhaps a wisp of some idea or other random thought

Don’t worry, you’ll be so entranced this thought you will not miss

You will never realize fate often has a twist

We’ve got jugglers and acrobats, smugglers and thieves

Illusionists, contortionists, and acts you won’t believe

Fortune tellers, lion tamers, wonders close at hand

You will never want to leave the circus–

Midnight circus of the damned

Inside this tent perhaps you’ll find a maze of mirrors bright

Lit by glowing candles to show your way this night

Reflections staring back at you of lives you might have led

Showing dreams and nightmares for every step you tread

We’ve got jugglers and acrobats, smugglers and thieves

Illusionists, contortionists, and acts you won’t believe

Fortune tellers, lion tamers, wonders close at hand

You won’t even try to leave the circus–

Midnight circus of the damned

Come and find your fortune, the cards may tell your fate

I always draw the eight of swords, but it won’t carry weight

This is but a lark indeed, or is it something strange?

But you’ll be too distracted to ever feel the change…

We’ve got jugglers and acrobats, smugglers and thieves

Illusionists, contortionists, and acts you won’t believe

Fortune tellers, lion tamers, wonders close at hand

You don’t have the will to leave the circus–

We’ve got jugglers and acrobats, smugglers and thieves

Illusionists, contortionists, and acts you won’t believe

Fortune tellers, lion tamers, wonders close at hand

You won’t ever want to leave the circus–

We’ve got jugglers and acrobats, smugglers and thieves

Illusionists, contortionists, and acts you won’t believe

Fortune tellers, lion tamers, wonders close at hand

You are now a part of–

You can never leave the midnight circus–

Midnight circus of the damned

I’m sailing away

Bound for adventure

Fair winds are calling my name

I’m sailing away

Don’t know where I’m going

But I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again

When I was just a young man

Starting on my own

They said that I should settle down

Find a place to call my home

There’s a world outside that’s waiting

Hear the calling of the bell

Bound for unseen places

And the stories they can tell

I’m sailing away

Bound for adventure

Fair winds are calling my name

I’m sailing away

Don’t know where I’m going

But I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again

Now that I’m an older man

With miles beneath my boots

I find myself returning

To the place I have my roots

Home can be your harbor

Against the ocean’s swell

Until it’s time to soar again

Seeking stories I can tell

Yeah I’m sailing away

Bound for adventure

Fair winds are calling my name

I’m sailing away

I don’t know where I’m going

But I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again

When I’m tired and weary

And decades line my face

Many miles behind me

Age slowing my pace

Still I’ll have my memories

Of faces known so well

The sea was ever kind to me

And I’ve stories left to tell

So now I’m sailing away

Bound for adventure

Fair winds are calling my name

I’m sailing away

Don’t know where I’m going

But I’ll tell you all about it when I see you again

Yeah I’m sailing away

Bound for adventure

Fair winds are calling my name

I’m sailing away

Don’t know where I’m going

But I’ll tell you all about it

I’ll tell you all about

Let me tell you all about it, whoa

When I see you again

I can hear the passing trains from here

Headed to the crossroads, whistling in the night

Coming through from somewhere far behind

The things they carry hidden out of mind and out of sight

When the rain clears up I’m leaving

Just gotta wait out this storm warning

I’ll follow close behind it, no more waiting

Got a fresh tattoo and I’m moving on in the morning

And I can see those faces rolling by

On their way to places I know I may never see

These days I don’t wonder any more

Whether those are places that I was meant to be

When the rain clears up I’m leaving

Just gotta wait out this storm warning

I’ll follow close behind it, no more waiting

Got a fresh tattoo and I’m moving on in the morning

I think it’s time I picked it up again

Enough time in one town will make you settle in position

Like all your gears have rusted into place

It’s time to shake the dust off and begin a new transition

So make whatever change you need to make

Cut your hair or build yourself a brand new reputation

I hope it brings the joy you’re looking for

We’ll meet again, but now I’m off to my next destination

When the rain clears up I’m leaving

Just gotta wait out this storm warning

I’ll follow close behind it, no more waiting

Got a fresh tattoo and I’m moving on in the morning

When the rain clears up I’m leaving

Just gotta wait out this storm warning

I’ll follow close behind it, no more waiting

Got a fresh tattoo and I’m moving on in the morning

Got a fresh tattoo and I’m moving on in the morning

Got a fresh tattoo and I’m moving on in the morning

The little mermaid

The little mermaid

The little mermaid

Watching the seafoam on the waves

There was a little mermaid, she had a gilded tail

She rode on a leviathan more grand than any whale

One day she sought an alchemist of devious command

To turn her into human-kin and walk upon the land

She smiled at the mermaid and took away her fins

Replaced it all with biotech of gears and wire and skin

The mermaid hid it ‘neath her gown and never did she sway

She danced at balls with princes though her feet felt burnt and frayed

The little mermaid

The little mermaid

The little mermaid

Watching the seafoam on the waves

And then she saw an air balloon, the sight did make her scheme

She went back to the alchemist to get a pair of wings

Her wings were sewn of silver and welded to her bones

She grinned and bore the pain of it to soar above the stones

The little mermaid

The little mermaid

The little mermaid

Watching the seafoam on the waves

A captain had a spyglass and there went both her eyes

Replaced with telescopic lenses, quite the mermaid’s prize

Her hair she gave the alchemist for tentacles so strong

Her tongue she traded off to her for a flute of purest song

There was a little mermaid…

The little mermaid

The little mermaid

The little mermaid

Watching the seafoam on the waves

One day the mermaid sat upon a rock all on her own

She had too much of metal to return to her sea home

Her friends on land were nowhere to be found, and what is more

Her prince no longer knew her, she was so changed from before

And to this day she dwells upon the rocks above the sea

For no one now remembers what the harpy used to be

The little mermaid

The little mermaid

The little mermaid

Watching the seafoam on the waves

What do you do with a drunken sailor?

We don’t care, since we sailed away

If we make it back to port we’ll drink another day

If we can’t find salvation in a bottle or a dram

To hell with the drunken sailor, we’ll do the best we can

The captain calls his men to task, on a voyage we are bound

So put your mark upon the list and have another round

We’re cutthroats and we’re brigands, we’re men the world forgot

But for another pint of ale we’ll sign without a thought

We’re sailing from the port, the wind within our sails

And from the docks and from the shore you’ll hear the women wail

“Don’t you go!” they cry, we see them in our dreams

But the awful crack and the murky brack and the sound of sailors’ screams

We’re sailing for our fortune, hope within our eyes

At the edge of desperation we’ll ignore the captain’s lies

What do you do with a drunken sailor?

We don’t care, since we sailed away

If we make it back to port we’ll drink another day

If we can’t find salvation in a bottle or a dram

To hell with the drunken sailor, we’ll do the best we can

Now we’re twenty leagues at sea trapped in the ocean’s swell

Will we make it back to port or find our souls in hell?

The ship she creaks and shudders, tossed by Neptune’s wave

With a lurch she rolls onto her side, sends us to our watery grave

We’re sailing for our fortune, hope within our eyes

At the edge of desperation we’ll ignore the captain’s lies

What do you do with a drunken sailor?

We don’t care, since we sailed away

If we make it back to port we’ll drink another day

If we can’t find salvation in a bottle or a dram

To hell with the drunken sailor, we’ll do the best we can

As we slip beneath the waves men howl and curse and pray

Begging our forgotten gods to live another day

But the sea cannot be swayed, she claims her victims well

So if you want to drink with us we’ll see you down in hell

We’re sailing for our fortune, hope within our eyes

At the edge of desperation we’ll ignore the captain’s lies

What do you do with a drunken sailor?

We don’t care, since we sailed away

If we make it back to port we’ll drink another day

If we can’t find salvation in a bottle or a dram

To hell with the drunken sailor, we’ll do the best we can

What do you do with a drunken sailor?

We don’t care, since we sailed away

If we make it back to port we’ll drink another day

If we can’t find salvation in a bottle or a dram

To hell with the drunken sailor, we’ll do the best we can

What do you do with a drunken sailor?

We don’t care, since we sailed away

If we make it back to port we’ll drink another day

What do you do with a drunken sailor? Our tale has reached its end–

You’ll find our souls down in hell, so have a drink for us my friend