The Boy

(album: Keep A Private Room Behind The Shop - 2011)

The boy sits in a field tall grass above his head
And he's thinking of the path that his ancestors did tread
And as he's dreaming of the future a mist does descend
And he wonders if this is the beginning or this is the end

And out of the mist a tall creature does appear
His eyes wide and friendly, his face full of years
He says “we're going on a journey in my hot air balloon
And the time is now so we must get going soon”

They flew over the houses and the streets they use to know
Over trains going fast and people going slow
There were snow on the mountains and boats on the sea
And there were lovers in the forest carving their names into a tree

The boys says “where are we going, where are we going to
I'm scared of the future and I'm mildly scared of you
The creature looked down and said “don't be scared of the unknown”
We're going to a place in which I have grown

With a sudden gush of wind the balloon fell from the sky
And the boy shut his eyes and hoped he wouldn't die
The creature was calm, he had done this before
So he landed the hot air balloon and he opened the door

The boy walked out and he couldn't believe his eyes
There was a flock of sheep floating through the skies
Followed by a magic carpet on which their shepherd did fly
And the boy wondered what was going on

So he walked through this land with the creature by his side
To his left was a painter, painting the tides
And to his right a pack of wolves did cry
To the rise and fall of the moon

They entered the forest and the trees they hung low
Everything was dark and nothing there did grow
Apart from a single yellow rose that the boy put in his hair

Out of the forest, the snow it did fall
The creature held an umbrella high above
The boy then out the of snow appeared an empty platform
And they waited patiently for a train

From far in the distance a train did arrive
With a thousand polar bears passengers inside
The creature said to the boy “are you ready for the ride”
And the boy said ”yes I think I am”

So they sped through the hills and over mountains they did go
Over old wooden bridges withered from the cold
And the boy stared out of the window and smiled at all he could see

They traveled through the desert to the setting sun
Over streams and rivers to where it all begun
And through the wind and the rain until the days were done
They rode through the land

All of a sudden, the train it did stop
The creature said to the boy “this is where we both get off”
And all the polar bears climbed to the top of the train
To wave their goodbyes

The pair, now alone, walked through a featureless land
No blade of grass, no grain of sand
And on the horizon a great sea did stand
And creature said “ this is where I must go”

At the water's edge, nothing more was said
The boy looked at the creature, not a single tear was shed
And the creature laid his hand upon the boy's head
And gave him a wink of his eye

The creature turned around and walked slowly to the sea
To go to a place where forever he would be
And with one great leap he leapt into sea
And in the blink of an eye he was gone

The boy stood still, alone now on the shore
He stared into the distance and hoped there would be more
And the yellow rose it fell to the floor
And drifted away on the wind