Tracks in the tall toadflax where he crawled,
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Past Dodge Summit toward Athabasca falls,
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Practicing his Avocets and Gnatcatcher calls
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Walrus trudged along
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While low in a lodgepole branch nearby
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Barnyard Owl watched with an amorous eye
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[OWL:]
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a¢æ©«What unprecedented gift does this afternoon provide?a¢æ?
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a¢æ©«I've flown across the sea where the soldierfish swam,
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I've slept inside the shoe of the world's tallest man,
|
I saw Charlotte Corday with the knife in her hand;
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It was nothing new
|
I've perched on Steele, Dakota's sandhill crane
|
I flew among the Paiutes before the Mormon rain,
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I was in Virginia City for the stringing up of Clubfoot Lane
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But I've never seen anything like you.a¢æ?
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All untied, by and by!
|
But I'd pour the matrimony wine
|
All untied, by and by!
|
so if you're ever so inclineda¢æ|a¢æ?
|
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[WALRUS:]
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a¢æ©«What from the air now calls to water on the land?
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What from my seclusion does this charlatan demand?
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What to do now with my best-laid eremetic plans?
|
I've been to the Arfaks where the Sicklebills fly,
|
seen Tangier's acrobatics nine stories high
|
I was there at Appomattox back in '65 when the General arrived
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But I've never been in this room before!
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[aside] All untied, by and by!
|
that same old dream's trapped in my mind
|
I'm bound in ropes and on the firing line
|
well, I wake up disappointed every time
|
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[to OWL:] If the weather ever withers up your vine
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Jacob knows a ladder you can climb
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If that old thorn is still buried in your side,
|
Jacob knows a ladder you can climba¢æ|a¢æ?
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[OWL:]
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a¢æ©«Well, if your pacific rivers all run dry
|
their clouds will fill my loud, corrupted sky
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And if the pleasures of your heavens (should) ever end
|
That very ladder just as well descends!a¢æ?
|
|
-----------------
|
Nine Stories
|
| Mewithoutyou (Me Without You) |
