You Have Never Lived Because You Have Never Died

(album: Wooden Heart - 2010)

I saw 13 black crows, they're black as 3 AM
And as big as vultures' eyes
With wings hanging to their sides like laundry on the line
They were standing in a circle letting their tongues dry
They're coming for me like thieves or ghosts
St-Stealing songs, and whispering poems to themselves
Abou-about nonsense and existence

I don't want to die

I saw 4 black eagles
With horns growing towards the ground
Like-like columns or anchors reaching towards the bottom
Their feathers are folded
Like hands of a man resting in his coffin
Bending over each other rattling my bones
Drumming out the answers in ways I will need one day
Their hooves are giving me growing pains
I sleep like a tornado

I saw 18 black hawks with beaks full of teeth
Roaring like a pack of wolves in perfect V
With hoods over their eyes
To cover up what they've seen
Secrets bouncing off the insides of their lips meant for me
They landed on my life like spears
Ears tucked back like arrow feathers
Wings spread wide like-like storm clouds over Kansas
Hailing on me, teaching me their dances
They gave me armor

And We will never die
We will never die
I don't want to die
We will never die
We will never die
But we don't-we don't want to try
I don't want to die
I won't let you die
We will never die
We won't even try
But if we-if we never die, then we never really live

I saw 9 black owls, they were quiet as death
They had-they had talons
Like-like antlers growing from their hearts
And they were tearing me apart
Each bird was tagged like cattle with one word
And they burned them in to my mind, they read
You have never lived because you have never died