October Song

I'll sing you this October song,
For there is no song before it.
The words and tune are none of my own,
For my joys and sorrows bore it.

Beside the sea of brambly briars
In the still of evening
The birds fly out behind the sun
And with them I'll be leaving.

The fallen leaves that chill the ground,
They know the art of dying,
And leap with joy their dead gold hearts
In the scarlet shadows lying.

When hunger calls my footsteps home
The morning follows after
I swim the seas within my mind
And the pine trees laugh green laughter.

I used to search for happiness
And I used to follow pleasure
But I found a door behind my mind
And that's the greatest treasure.

For rulers like to lay down laws,
And rebels like to break them,
And poor priests like to walk in chains
And god likes to forsake them.

I met a man whose name was time
He said I must be going
But just how long ago that was
I have no way of knowing.

Sometimes I long to murder time,
Sometimes when my hearts aching,
But mostly I just stroll along,
The path that he is taking.