When I was a girl
I had a favourite story
of the 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
priceless jewel
And cloth of brocade and crewel
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 splendour
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