Edge of Thorns

An offering of reasons
We put them all in play
A covering of treasons
That one by one we let slip away

A solitary dancer
So lost upon her stage

I have seen you on the edge of dawn
Felt you there before you were born
Balanced your dreams upon the edge of thorns
But I don’t think about you anymore

A study made of winter
Of summers long ago
And dreams that use to glitter
Safely now hidden under snow

And so we end this chapter
And let the stage lights fade

I have seen you on the edge of dawn
Felt you there before you were born
Balanced your dreams upon the edge of thorns
But I don’t think about you anymore

Among the images of dear departed
Here with memories so closely guarded
There’s an old man standing all alone

As he waits among the unforgiven
Here among the souls no longer living
Lost in chains of sin still unatoned

He carves his stone

Well a man’s got to do what a man must do
But I’ll never give my soul to you
No fallen angel’s prophecy
Will ever take hold of the man you see

So here I stand all alone
With chisel in hand I work my stone
And leave a message for all to see
I’ve lived a life of insanity

And carve that stone

And on that final night
You know I dream of you
And in a flash of light
I carved that stone right through
Yeah I carved that stone right through

Squirmin’ like a live wire
Vaporizing red line
Gonna take her down
Yeah I’m really gonna make her motor run, oh yeah

No brakes can’t stop
In a ditch to the top
Just another junkie
Looking for a rush

Lights out
Runnin’ with the devil
Shouldn’t gamble with your soul
Lights out
Never on the level
And you know you got to roll, you’re gonna roll

Look (yeah look)
Yeah she really makes your blood cook
Got you in a corner
Where you’re doing things you never have done, oh no

You (yeah you)
Yeah she’s got you like a big fool
Keeps you in a collar
Till it’s time to watch you run

Lights out
Runnin’ with the devil
Shouldn’t gamble with your soul, yeah
Lights out
Never on the level
And you know you’re gonna roll
You know you’re gonna roll

Summer was the season
When he took a ride
Women were the reason
And they say whiskey was the slide
Living on the action
Till it took him down
Crawled into his bottle
Oh...and let us watch him drown
In Skraggy's tomb
Yeah Skraggy's tomb
Sometimes in the evening
Before the moon goes down
Before the dark is leaving
I could swear
Swear I see him
Hanging round
So I watch the shadows
And I stop and think
And wade into the shallows
And I have another drink
From Skraggy's tomb
Welcome to
He was a loaded man going down
Always out there screaming at the moon
And every night he'd load another round
From Skraggy's tomb
There are certain things we can't explain
We all have our attractions
But then that boy he was insane
Skraggy made his life
Made his life a crime of passion
Talkin' bout
Skraggy's tomb
Yeah
From Skraggy's tomb

I really want to know
What you had in store
I couldn’t really tell
Maybe just as well
I came here with a dream
And I just had to see
If my dream would soar
I knocked on every door

His whole life was written
Written there inside
The new weekly bible
His modern T.V. Guide
Every night he stares back at the screen, yeah

A man only sees want he wants to see
When he’s in his mind
Where he is that he wants to be
Living in a world where he’s safe from reality
Won’t you take a chance on this night
And follow me
Won’t you follow me (repeat)

Don’t need no super heros
Don’t need no movie stars
Don’t need no politicians
In big black shiny cars
Don’t need no preacher
Whose church is my T.V.

A man only sees what he wants to see
When he’s in his mind
Where he is what he wants to be
Living in a world where he’s safe from reality
Won’t you take a chance on this night child
And follow me
Won’t you follow me (repeat)

Once was a broken hero
The kind that we all know
The kind that hides inside us
For we never show
The kind we say that could never be me

His whole life was written
Written there inside
The new weekly bible
His modern T.V. Guide
Stare back at the screen, yeah yeah

A man only sees want he wants to see

And so I sit here in the dark
You made the rules I played the part
I never rushed or pushed my fate
When time was tight I knew to wait
And circumstance
So well disguised
Within a gathering of lies
And in the dark I lie awake
So I can watch you drive your stake

What's that you said to me
The moment dies
Degrees of sanity
All alone
Lost unknown
And whispered in our sighs

And in the dark it all unwinds
I pray for change
The kiss of time
And in my thoughts
I sit and dwell
The labyrinth's there
I know it well

What's that you said to me
The moment dies
Degrees of sanity
All alone
Lost unknown
And whispered in our sighs

And all the things you never heard
While in my mind I search for words
But time was lost
The curtain fell
I take my bows and wish you well
What's that you said to me
The moment dies
Degrees of sanity
All alone
Lost unknown
And whispered in our sighs

I haven't thought about you for awhile
It seemed so far away
I keep your picture hidden in a file
Of favorite one act plays
Like pieces of myself
Cut off in desperation
As offerings to thee
I keep them on a shelf
They're good for conversation
Over a cup of tea, yeah, cup of tea

I put it all down in a letter once
A letter I don't send
It made me feel much better at the time
I thought it'd help me mend

The pieces of myself
Cut off in desperation
As offerings to thee, yeah
I keep them on a shelf
They're good for conversation
Over a cup of tea, yeah, cup of tea

Someone
Got themselves a letter
In the mail the other day
It's already worn and tattered
And I guess
It gives away
All the things we keep inside
All the things that really matter
The face puts on it's best disguise
And all is well
Until the heart
Betrays
She knows
As she reads her letter
That things were bound to stray
Winds blow
She pulls her coat tighter
And the letter flies away

With all the things she keeps inside
All the things that really matter
The face puts on it's best disguise
And all is well
Until the heart betrays

Lord bring on the night
Wrap it all around me
Let it hold me tight
Soak up all that I bleed

Lord bring on the night
Wrap it all around me
Let it hold me tight
Soak up all that I bleed

And I'll fly away
Yeah I'll fly away
Yeah I'll fly away
Watch me

Lord bring on the night
Wrap it all around me
Let it hold me tight
Soak up all that I bleed, yeah yeah

I bleed

In this city of raw emotion
What's this message you bring to me
In my world of blind devotion
You were there
But I could never see

Damien
Is your heart harder
What's inside your head
Is the dark your father
Have all your years been bled

From my world I have watched and wondered
Safely here behind these walls
And your tears could they mean nothing
If from this distance
No one sees them fall

Damien
Is your heart harder
What's inside your head
Is the dark your father
Have all your years are bled

Sometimes late at night
When I'm there in bed
I lie there wondering
Where do you lay your head
And do you say your prayers anymore?
And do you say your prayers?

Damien
Is your heart harder
Do you still feel pain
Does the night go farther
When you're sleeping in the rain

In the dark I have heard a calling
Broken wings that beg to fly
Is there time or is it too late
Is the cut flower no longer alive

Damien
Is your heart harder
Do you still feel pain
Does the night go farther
When you're sleeping in the rain
Damien, Damien, yeah yeah Damien, oh, Damien

And a cool, cool rain comes down
On a world burned by the sun
And the moon arises like a child
And the moment is undone
And the stars never say what they see
As the moon flirts with shadows it makes
Through the fallen trees
Some would wait for the morning light
But I fall asleep 'til I'm safe
In the arms of night

Yeah

Let the darkness roll in
Let it wipe the light away
In the distance
Always calling
Morpheus he beckons play
Still the morning is preordained
But I believe light is the source of all our pain
It reveals the smallest sin
But dark covers all and will always take you
Armed and gunning
I'll be running
Always just before the day
In the distance
Day is dawning
But I'm already miles away, miles away

In the night there's wonder
Always there for you to see
In the light of morning
Visions fade
And dreams can flee
With the darkness the night forgives
Covers our scars and lets
The lost souls live
And the morning's a distant fear
But if we move fast they'll never find us

Armed and gunning
I'll be running
Through a world that's in decay
Let them thunder, stare and wonder
Cause I'm already miles away, miles away, yeah
Oooh miles away

I've been running
Armed and gunning
Always just before the day
In the distance
Day is dawning
But I'm already miles away
Miles away yeah yeah yeah yeah
Miles miles away
Miles away yeah
Miles miles away, oooh yeah
Away, away, away

And the rain comes down

Hey there you
Way out there in the distance
Can you hear me
Are you there

I know it's late
So please forgive my persistence
But I'm hanging
Do you care

So lay back
Call off the attack
Cause if you look deep
Dreams are nothing that I lack
And all I seek
A final chance to speak
And I would let the whole thing keep
If I could just sleep

Hey there you
Way out there could you show me
Just a signal
Or a sign
That after all
All these years that you've known me
And I'm not just killing time

So lay back
Call off the attack
Cause if you look deep
Dreams are nothing that I lack
And all I seek
A final chance to speak
But I would let the whole thing keep
If I could just sleep

As I lay there late at night
Building castles in the air
Out of alibis and all those little lies
And then I look inside
And pray that I don't care

I don't care
I don't care
Hey there you way out there in the distance