We were hustling down a path, and not far behind us
The hell patrol were fishing out their fellows
To my surprise my poet guide said let’s stop and discuss
The shape of the bellows
that stoke the great fire
And the characteristic reds and yellows
Of the clay that line the sullen mire
And several other things of similar import
While our former guardians back there reacquire
Their fallen comrades from their hapless port
Give them a chance to get back on our trail
Just some facts and figures to fill out your report
When you return from this travail
up to the lands above
Where you must carry on the search for your grail
I said man you’re crazy, those fiends are gonna throw down the glove
when they see the way we’ve slipped away
I know we’re on divine duty sheltered by divine love
That doesn’t mean we should invite foul play
At the hands of that slimy mob
Let’s live to chat hell another day
And anyway why this sudden urge to natter and nob
We’ve had plenty of better chances
than here pinned between those who steal and those who rob
He said to put it plain your tale advances
too quickly from its guided track
You’ve gotten ahead of yourself, you’re missing subtle nuances
So I have to stop and hold this tack
Of pointless exposition for a little more
consider it an interlude in hell, a minor setback
And anyway you could use a breather before
You get along to the final pit
There’s lots of evil and nastiness in store
Ahead so for now let’s make the best of it
We’ve a few moments to linger, and talk while we sit.
This song is part of a series loosely based on Dante's Inferno. You can read an essay about this series here. You can read a more general explanation of the origin of these lyrics here
No comments:
Post a Comment