I’ve heard the wind
Once whispered softly
Through ancient trees of yore
But all now left
Of that life’s vow
Is bathed in inane gore

And I thought,
“Who was I,
To question weathered lands?”
But then I heard
A hoarse reply
From the chimes inside my hands

And I found myself in bedlam
Where I laid down and cried
Bloody birds and broken wings
And 19 ways to die

I’ve heard the earth
As fertile land
Gave birth and sprang with life
But now the soil
Has turned to dust
As portraits drawn with strife

And I thought,
“Who was I,
To question bloodied dunes?”
But then I saw
A slight return
Of the land’s forgotten tunes

And I wondered lost and tired
Through wastelands far and wide
Bloody earth and broken vows
And 19 ways to die

I’ve heard the seas
Were pure in wrath
Were wondrous in might
Until man came
And dulled their blade
With dominance in sight

And I thought,
“Who was I,
To question taméd waves?”
But then I felt
A whispered roar
Of man’s resting slaves

And many made the miracle
Of turning water into wine
Bloody drunk and broken glass
And 19 ways to die

They said, when all of life is over
And nature wears away
I’ll ask, “what will I do?”
And here is what they’ll say:

“You’ll lose yourself in sorrow
And sob and weep and cry
Giving in to sinful wiles
And murmuring woeful sighs
Pain will follow unto you
And from you they will arise
Bloody lives and broken souls
And 19 ways to die”