The Dear Hunter

he lake beyond the tree
The child waits, alone is he

The flame is gone, the fire remains
The flame is gone, the fire remains
The flame is gone, the fire remains
The flame is gone, the fire remains

The flame is gone, the fire remains
The flame is gone, the fire remains

2. The Lake South
Instrumental

3. City Escape
Please, what happened to the flame?
(It burned down the sides)
With a fondness for cooking history
Revealing thoughts of Ms. Terri

In the heat of the night
A woman wealthy of a parous plight erased a harlot's life

(With the moon at her back, unaware of what could be)

Plagued by practical and a mercenary lust, they tear at her skin
(Oh, the trouble began, but it never ended)
Clawing at her throat with a smell of desperate and a lack of regret
(Oh, the trouble began, but it never ended)

Free, pardoned by the flame
(That burned down the sides)
Her feet began to bleed between the seams
But she persisted to the streets

In the heat of the night
The river rendered the chance she surely needs to stay alive
[Refrain]
Plagued by practical and a mercenary lust they tear at her skin
(Oh, the trouble began, but it never ended)
Clawing at her throat with a smell of desperate and a lack of regret
(Oh, the trouble began, but it never ended)

Oh, but her breath escapes her
Oh, but the pulse remains
Oh, but her breath escapes her
Oh, but her pulse remains

Places, People, the stage is set
Places, People, the stage is set

Plagued by practical and a mercenary lust they tear at her skin
(Oh, the trouble began, but it never ended)
Clawing at her throat with a smell of desperate and a lack of regret
(Oh, the trouble began, but it never ended)

Plagued by practical and a mercenary lust they tear at her skin
(Oh, the trouble began, but it never ended)
Clawing at her throat with a smell of desperate and a lack of regret
(Oh, the trouble began, but it never ended)

4. The Inquiry of Ms. Terri

A home removed, a life resumed right here
The Priest and the rosary
The book and the bond between he and me has long since broken
A boy who's grown, too short to see
A tale unfolds, too tall to be
A life once lived behind closed doors, the irony of the pensive whore

Touch, taste, feel it ripping me down
A reprise, two times, the Dime, burn it to the ground
Ohhhh, on the ground

The inquiry of Ms. Terri
The expiry of misery
The table turns the sun long
The river bed, and he's alone
The object of affection
Conflicted by convictions of indecency, sorority
Corrupted by impropriety
The cavalier, she hopes of him
In dissonance with experience
A boy who grows, with knife in hand
To fend for her, becomes a man
But she plays fake affection, and carefully lacks objection
To her gentleman caller's twisted desires

Touch, taste, feel it ripping me down
A reprise, two times, the dime, burn it to the ground

We dance around the room
My love, I'll carry you
And I'll teach you how to treat
That Leading lady that you'll meet
We dance around the truth
My dear, I lie for you
But when I lie down
I'm simply lying to them too

5. 1878
We've got a way we got away and survived
Stunned by the shock and fearing what's behind

Everything you thought you'd live and die for
Every reason leading you to hear all of the sounds
That trickle past your introspective ear
An attempt to discover what's behind

Branches twisting reaching for the sky
Hands extending reaching for the...

Fell in another hole
(For the night, for the knife)
Loss of control
(For the night, for the knife)
I'm in another hole
(For the night, for the knife)
Bleed myself dry
(Save my life, save my life)

The river
The lake...

Fell in another hole
(For the night, for the knife)
Loss of control
(For the night, for the knife)
Hands conflicting clearly point their way
Stunned by the sign and fearing what it says

Everything you thought you'd live and die for
Every reason leading you to hear all of the sounds
That trickle past your introspective ear
An attempt to discover what's...

Fell in another hole
(For the night, for the knife)
Loss of control
(For the night, for the knife)
I'm in another hole
(For the night, for the knife)
Bleed myself dry
(Save my life, save my life)

The river
The lake...

Fell in another hole
(For the night, for the knife)
Loss of control
(For the night, for the knife)
I'm in another hole
(For the night, for the knife)
Bleed myself dry
(Save my life, save my life)
The river
The lake...

Fell in another hole
(For the night, for the knife)
Loss of control
(For the night, for the knife)

6. The Pimp and the Priest

(Take me to the river
Take me to the river)

The pimp and the priest pounce on quickened cats' feet
For the freshest young blood, innocence for the feast
The book will then brew what the sinful commit
While the pimp and priest prey quietly where the precious sinners sit

Confess, oh, confess
In the chapel or brothel where we suffocate stress
We've got the time if you've got the scratch
(Conquer your sins while she screams on her back)

Faster, save me
How the sins remain hostage
Harder, I can't breathe

Now the priest and the pimp are already equipped
With an enigmatic frontage posts "we welcome walk-ins"
So we corner our pace and make quick for the door
To be prodded and passed from the bed to the floor

Confess, oh, confess
In the chapel or brothel where we suffocate stress
We've got the time if you've got the scratch
(Conquer your sins while she screams on her back)

Take me to the river
Take me to the river

Faster, save me
How the sins remain hostage
Harder, I can't breathe

Sing softly, sing 'em to the lake
Sing softly, bring 'em to the lake
Sing softly, sing 'em to the lake
Sing softly, bring 'em to the lake
Sing softly, sing 'em to the lake
Sing softly, bring 'em to the lake
Sing softly, sing 'em to the lake
Sing softly, bring 'em to the lake

Sing softly, sing 'em to the lake
Sing softly, bring 'em to the lake
Sing softly, sing 'em to the lake
Sing softly, bring 'em to the lake
Sing softly, sing 'em to the lake
Sing softly, bring 'em to the lake
Sing softly, sing 'em to the lake
Sing softly, bring 'em to the lake
Sing softly, sing 'em to the lake
Sing softly, bring 'em to the lake
Sing softly, sing 'em to the lake
Sing softly, bring 'em to the lake
Sing softly, sing 'em to the lake
Sing softly, bring 'em to the lake
Sing softly, sing 'em to the lake
Sing softly, bring 'em to the lake

Faster, save me (Take me to the river)
How the sins remain hostage
Harder, I can't breathe (Take me to the river)
Faster, save me (Take me to the river)
How the sins remain hostage
Harder, I can't breathe (Take me to the river)

Sing softly, sing 'em to the lake
Sing softly, bring 'em to the lake
Sing softly, sing 'em to the lake
Sing softly, bring 'em to the lake
Sing softly, sing 'em to the lake
Sing softly, bring 'em to the lake
Sing softly, sing 'em to the lake
Sing softly, bring 'em to the lake

7. His Hands Matched His Tongue

A long walk home, riddled with regret
Uncommonly comfortable, but still I believe
That in time I think I'll see just what's been weighing down on me
An unearthly void collapsed, exposing what was trapped
To release this serendipitous design

The smell of smoke, the evening sky was bruised
Belated conversations saturate anticipation for the answers that simply won't come

But not I, I won't ask
Forget my place amongst the grass
The leaves and the trees remember me
And in my naïveté it might be seen
The pail has leaks and even if
You put all your water into it
You end up with nothing left to drink
The well has gone dry and I with it

Oh, someday she'll be gone (x4)

(We'll still have a song to sing)

Sing softly, bring me to the lake
Sing softly, sing me to the lake

8. The River North
Instrumental