When the Old Drums Wake
White breath on the window
No footprints by the door
The hills keep their counsel
And the cold asks for more
You hear that wood complain
Before the latch gives way
A black line through the snow
Where no one walked today
Keep your hand beneath your coat
Keep your name behind your teeth
There are old roads under ice
And they lead beneath your feet
Don't turn when the ravens rise
Don't call what you can't see
The dark has a patient heart
And it remembers me
North wind, shut the gate Iron
sky, seal our fate Low ground,
let it shake When the old
drums wake North wind,
take the flame Leave no mark
and leave no name Cold blood,
wide awake When the old drums
wake
You said the night was empty
I watched the tree line bend
A pale hand crossed the moon
Then vanished 'round the bend
The floorboards count the distance
The kettle starts to sing
Some doors are built for shelter
Some doors are built for kings
Don't turn when the ravens rise
Don't call what you can't see
The dark has a patient heart
And it remembers me
North wind, shut the gate Iron
sky, seal our fate Low ground,
let it shake When the old
drums wake North wind,
take the flame Leave no mark
and leave no name Cold blood,
wide awake When the old drums
wake
Under the frozen river
Something is counting slow
You feel it through the timber
You know before you know
North wind, shut the gate Iron
sky, seal our fate Low ground,
let it shake When the old
drums wake North wind,
take the flame Leave no mark
and leave no name Cold blood,
wide awake When the old
wake White breath on the window
No footprints by the door
The hills keep their counsel
And the cold asks for more