Kingfisher
by Joanna Newsom
Transcribed by PoorMatty 
(I got it from http://www.atforumz.com/showthread.php?t=314190)

             
Whose is the h

             
and that I wil

  
l hold
             
Whose is the f

          
ace I will see
             
Whose is the n

         
ame that I wil

l call
             
When I Am call

          
ed to meet the

e

       

             
In this life w

          
ho did you lov

e
             
Beneath the dr

        
ifting ashes
             
Beneath the sh

             
eeting banks o

  
f air
             
That barrenly 

          
pour our ratio

ns

       

             
When I could s

             
peak it was to

  
o late
             
Didn't you hea

      
r me calling
             
Didn't you see

             
 my heart leap

 
 like a
             
Pup in the con

        
stant barley

       

             
In this life w

            
here did you c


rouch
             
When the sky h

            
ad set to boil

ing
             
Burning within

          
 seen from wit

hout
             
In your gut wa

             
s a serpent co


iling

            
And for the sa

           
ke of that pit

 of snakes
             
For whom did y

              
ou allay your 


shyness
            
And spend on y

              
our mercy and 


madness and gr

ace
             
In a day benea

              
th the bending

  
 cypress

           
It was not on 

            
principle, sho

             
w, pro-heart, 

             
that you have 

    
got gall
         
A miracle: I c

             
an bear A lot 

            
but not that p

all
            
I can bear a l

             
ot but not tha

             
t pall, kingfi

              
sher sound the

  
 alarm
            
Say, "Sweet li

              
ttle darling, 


now come to my

 arms"
             
Tell me all ab

              
out the love y

            
ou left on the

 
 farm"

            
He was a kind 

             
and hurried ma

             
n, with a heav

            
y lip and a st

eady hand
           
But he loved m

              
e just like a 

             
little child, 

             
a little child

             
 loves a littl

  
e lamb

             
Thrown to the 

             
ground by some

      
thing down the

re
             
Bitten by the 

              
bad air while 

          
the clouds tic

k
             
Trying to read

        
 all the signs
             
Preparing for 

             
when the bombs

 
 hit

       

             
Hung from the 

      
under-belly of
             
The earth whil

             
e the stars sk

   
id away below
            
Gormless and b

            
rakeless, grav

         
el-loose falli

ng
           
silent as gave

         
ls in the snow

           
La la la, la l

             
a la la, la la

              
 la la la la l

      
a, la, la

           
I lay back and

 
 spit in my ch

aw
             
wrapped in the

            
 long arm of t

   
he law
           
Who has seen i

  
t all
            
I can bear a l

             
ot but not tha

  
t pall
            
I can bear a l

             
ot but not tha

             
t pall, Kingfi

              
sher, cast you

  
r fly
            
Oh, lord it ha

      
ppens without 

even trying
             
When I sling a

              
 low look from

            
 my shuttering


 eye

             
Blows rain upo

             
n the one you 


loved
             
And though you

             
 were only spa


rring
             
There's blood 

             
in the eye unl

        
ace the glove
             
Say honey, I a

       
m not sorry

       

             
Stand here and

             
 name the one 

    
you loved
             
Beneath the dr

        
ifting ashes
            
And in naming 

     
rise above
             
Time as it, fl

          
ashing, passes

          
Oooh Oooh Oooh

 
 Oooh
          
Oooh Oooh Oooh

 
 Oooh
           
We came by the

             
 boatload and 

        
were immobiliz

ed
           
Worshipping vo

             
lcanoes, chart

        
ing the loping

 skies
           
The tides of t

              
he earth left 

            
us bound and c

alcified, and 

made us
           
Obstinate as o

             
bsidian, unmov

    
ing save our e

yes
           
Just mooning a

             
nd blinking, f

          
rom faces mark

ed with coal
           
Ash cooling an

             
d shrinking, c

              
racks loud as 


thunder rollin

g, I swear
           
I know you, yo

             
u know me, whe

           
re have we met

 before, tell 

me true
           
To whose autho

             
rity do you co

 
nsign your sou

l?

            
I had a dream 

             
you came to me

             
, said, "You s

              
hall not do me

      
 harm anymore"
            
And with your 

              
knife you evic

             
ted my life fr

             
om its little 

              
lighthouse on 

         
the seashore
            
And I saw that

             
 my blood had 

             
no bound, spre

              
ading in a cir

            
cle like an at

om bomb
            
Soaking and fe

             
lling everythi

              
ng in its path

             
, and welling 

              
in my heart li

         
ke a bird-bath
            
It is too shor

             
t the day we a

             
re born we com

              
mence with our

 
 dying
            
Trying to serv

             
e with the hea

              
rt of a child,

             
 Kingfisher, l

             
ie with the li


on