Meadowlark

(album: Live In Concert With The Sydney Symphony Orchestra - 2020)

When I was a girl, I had a favorite story
Of a meadowlark who lived where the rivers wind
Her voice could match the angels in its glory
But she was blind, the lark was blind

An old king came and took her to his palace
Where the walls were burnished bronze and golden braid
And he fed her fruit and nuts from an ivory chalice
And he prayed:

Sing for me, my meadowlark
Sing for me of the silver morning
Set me free, my meadowlark
And I'll buy you a previous jewel
And cloth of brocade and cruel
And I'll love you for life
If you will sing for me

Then one day as the lark sang by the water
The god of the sun heard her in his flight
And her singing moved him so, he came and brought her
The gift of sight, he gave her sight

And she opened her eyes to the shimmer and the splendor
Of this beautiful young god, so proud and strong
And he called to the lark in a voice both rough and tender:
Come along

Fly with me, my meadowlark
Fly with me on the silver morning
Past the sea where the dolphins bark
We will dance on the coral beaches
Make a feast of the plums and peaches
Just as far as your vision reaches
Fly with me

But the meadowlark said no
For the old king loved her so
She couldn't bear to wound his pride
So the sun god flew away
And when the king came down that day
He found his meadowlark had died
Every time I heard that part I cried

And now I stand here, starry-eyed and stormy
Oh, just when I thought my heart was finally numb
A beautiful young man appears before me
Singing, "Come, oh won't you come?"

And what can I do if finally for the first time
The one I'm burning for returns the glow
If love has come at last it's picked the worst time
Still I know I've got to go

Fly away, meadowlark
Fly away in the silver morning
If I stay, I'll grow to curse the dark
So it's off where the days won't bind me
I know, I leave wounds behind me
But I won't let tomorrow find me
Back this way

Before my past once again
Can blind me, fly away
And we won't wait to say goodbye
My beautiful young man and I