The Warbler's Lamp

[Intro]
[Verse]
Salt on the glass
Gnomes in the grass
They watch the sky
While I pass by
Those ceramic grins
Hide tiny sins
In the garden bed
Where the moss has spread
[Pre-Chorus]
The typewriter clicks
Counting the tricks
Of the yellow flock
By the ticking clock
[Chorus]
(Falsetto)
The light sweeps wide
With the evening tide
A code for wings
The warbler sings
I count them one
Beneath the sun
But the gnomes win
With a porcelain grin
[Post-Chorus]
High in the tower
The golden hour
High in the tower
The golden hour
[Verse]
Patterns from the past
Dough that will last
Art deco lace
A sourdough face
Embossed on the crust
In the flour dust
A gift for the small
By the garden wall
[Pre-Chorus]
The typewriter clicks
Counting the tricks
Of the yellow flock
By the ticking clock
[Chorus]
(Falsetto)
The light sweeps wide
With the evening tide
A code for wings
The warbler sings
I count them one
Beneath the sun
But the gnomes win
With a porcelain grin
[Bridge]
(Spoken Riddle)
Lens but no eye
Cap but no sky
If the bird lands
On the cold hands
Who holds the key
Them or me?
[Interlude]
[Verse]
I adjust the beam
In a waking dream
The warbler knows
Where the current flows
They land on stone
Near the garden throne
Of the king in red
With the pointed head
[Verse]
The path splits now
Under the cedar bough
Should we share the meal
Or let them steal?
Choose the way it ends
Between rivals or friends
[Ending A: The Shared Picnic]
We break the bread
With nothing unsaid
Picnic on the cliff
In the salty sniff
The gnomes and me
Watching the sea
[Ending B: The Great Theft]
The scope is gone
Before the dawn
Footprints in the dew
Leaving me no clue
They took the lens
From their human friends
[Outro]