The Eagle
©1987 Andrew Calhoun, recorded on Walk Me to the War.
I met an old man on the road
He was 32 years old
Stuck to the ears of time
Blasted by brandywine
He said, "Listen to me.
Once, I was young, like you.
Brothers and sister too
But an eagle flew east of the sun
Plucked them up one by one
Cold talons and cruel beak
Descending to prey on the weak
Stole them away"
"I had a wife," the man cried
"She wept and she slept by my side
She bore three babes to light
Kept them all warm in the night"
He said, "Listen to me.
Once I was happy, like you
Watched as my children grew
But an eagle flew east of the sun
Plucked them up one by one
Cold talons and cruel beak
Descending to prey on the weak
Stole them away"
"We who remain," the man said,
Remember the ones who fled
Far in that sudden storm
Keep the memory warm
He said, "Listen to me. The eagle is coming for you
The eagle will take me too
But we with our eyes to the ground
Weigh that proud eagle down
The spirit shall flee the shell
Each name will ring out like a bell
And the eagle shall fall."