The Lake (Vocal version)

[Sung verse]

I walk accompanied by ghosts

I walk accompanied by ghosts

My father with his time and eyes

His voice life-size

He says "Follow me,"

Follow me

And I come sliding

Where I've been hiding

With the heart of a child

Meet me by the lake

Meet me by the lake

I'll be there

I'll be there

[Spoken section]

We lived by a lake.

And in the winter it froze.

We skated everywhere.

One evening I was coming home from the movies,

and I was pushing my little brothers – Craig and Phil – in a stroller.

I had decided to take them over to the island,

to look at the moon that was just coming up.

But as we got close to the island – the ice broke.

And the stroller sank into the dark water.

And my first thought was:

"Mom's gonna kill me!"

And I remember the knitted balls on their hats,

as they disappeared under the black water.

So I ripped off my jacket and jumped into the freezing water

and dove down and got Craig –

and pulled him up and threw him on the ice.

Then I dove down again but I couldn't find the stroller.

It'd slipped down the muddy bank, further down under the ice.

Then I dove in again.

And I finally found the stroller, and Phil was strapped in,

and I ripped the strap off

and pulled him out and pushed him up onto the ice.

Then I ran home.

One twin under each arm.

Frozen and screaming.

I ran in the door and I told my mother what had happened.

And she stood there and said:

"What a wonderful swimmer you are.

And I didn't know you were such a good diver."

And when I think of her now I realize –

that was the moment I had been trying to remember

"Tell the animals," she said.

"Tell all the animals."

"Is it a pilgrimage? Towards what?"