Ben Bulben (For My Father)

The ripples in the water settle to a gentle hum So delicately retreating from the center of violence No longer do the bursts of lifeblood lift off Leaping from the surface in quantum defiance Something just came over me and now I feel at home Found a way of living buried in Kerry deep in a catacomb Now up the west coast Father, son, and holy ghost Lingering, I'm caught somewhere between dusk and dawn Stranded on the shore of the ocean of my mind Metaphor and allegory riddle me a dream And the scene plays a baffling, theatrical design Every morning, I awaken to the memory of the mountain Consecrated ink on canvas, past and future, one horizon Ben Bulben an invitation to complete the rite of passage I need not disturb the waters, for I have arrived I've been saved Branches on the family tree will keep me safe Landing in the hands of love, the arms of hope and grace I am not finding an outlet Gotta keep climbing the mountain The irony of being part of something overgrown is The higher you climb, the world seems so much bigger and foreign You're alive now, so pay close attention "It's a magical world, Hobbes, ol' buddy... let's go exploring!" Every morning, reawaken to the memory of the mountain Colors vivid as a painting, harmonized in perfect silence Ben Bulben, the Sabbath, and the sacred land of generation I need not rewrite the annals, I can start anew Gotta keep climbing the mountain Starlight, star bright, only guide I need tonight Illuminate the way to the beginning from the end Heroes go to Sovngarde and join the ranks of Ancestors and forces too preeminent to comprehend Summit scaler, you are not a fraud or failure Reconcile your past mistakes, get up, and make amends Part of you is waiting for the rest of you So pull it all together, resurrect, and try again And if you trip and stumble, catch a different pace Carry on and finish up the race The view is beautiful, so stop and take a glance You may not get a second chance Adalyn, the life you're living's just beginning Overcome all obstacles, for this is not the end You are worth the trials of your hell on earth Something new awaits you, and it's just around the bend And if you start to feel you'll never make it out Calm your mind and cast away all doubt You are more powerful than you could ever know And you don't have to be alone Each fall is not an error It's just the next step And you are not your failures So take the next breath Every morning, reawaken to the canvas of the mountain Ave sacred ink of scripture Once you know, there's no forgetting Ben Bulben, a mighty fortress in the wake of ancient spirits Just another obstacle ahead of me to climb Yet another nameless wonder left to rediscover And a mountain left to climb A mountain left to climb Gotta keep climbing the mountain Just another obstacle ahead of me to climb Yet another nameless wonder left to rediscover And a mountain left to climb A mountain left to climb Gotta keep climbing the mountain Father, you have given sight Blind by nature and design You have given me my breath Love more powerful than powerful Father, you have given sight Blind by nature and design You have given me my breath Love more powerful than death