The Gilded Grain

[Intro]
[Verse]
The lantern room is still and deep
The ghosts of sailors go to sleep
The brass is turning mossy green
The quietest life I've ever seen
Since they took the silver wick
And the clock forgot to tick
[Verse]
I peel the damp and gray away
To find a much more vibrant day
A pattern from a hundred years
To calm my aging, salty fears
I mix the water and the flour
In the center of the tower
[Pre-Chorus]
Warm dough on the heavy brush
In the evening's velvet hush
Fermenting on the cold wet stone
I am never quite alone
[Chorus]
Restoring every golden leaf
A momentary, sweet relief
When the floral vines align
With the stars that brightly shine
Orion in the paper lace
Mapping out this lonely space
The sourdough holds the wall
Until the summer shadows fall
[Verse]
Miller watches from the pier
With his glass and heavy gear
I tilt the giant mirror's face
To help him find a hiding place
For the petrel and the tern
Lessons that we both must learn
[Breakdown]
(Spoken)
"Under the crust, a secret lies.
Look for the light in the garden's eyes.
What is broken can still be whole.
If you feed the fire in your soul."
[Bridge]
The nyckelharpa starts to moan
The dulcimer is on its own
A wine glass rings a high D
Across the dark and heavy sea
[Chorus]
Restoring every golden leaf
A momentary, sweet relief
When the floral vines align
With the stars that brightly shine
Orion in the paper lace
Mapping out this lonely space
The sourdough holds the wall
Until the summer shadows fall
[Verse]
The gnomes are stacked upon the porch
Without a candle or a torch
But underneath my sourdough bread
They leave a little note instead
A riddle written in the clay
To help me through the coming day
[Ending A]
I'll wrap a loaf in linen white
And walk into the fading light
Miller, come and take a seat
The crust is warm and bittersweet
We'll watch the birds together now
Underneath the willow bough
[Ending B]
The chipped gnomes march in a row
To where the ancient embers glow
With clay hands and a paper spark
We chase away the heavy dark
The lighthouse beam begins to spin
Let the morning light come in
[Outro]