Isle of the Broken Tree
[I. Castaway (Instrumental)]

[II. Meadow of Shades]

Twilight and whispers
Silver grass as I stand
A sky of stars, steals my breath
A frozen warmth my soul demands

You were there behind me
And softly in my ear
"You are not alone
We're already here
You are really here"

All across the meadow
Wandering aimlessly
The souls of man, mist and ghosts
Drift as lifeless breeze

Do all life's longings
Come to this
Emptiness beneath the sky
Oh where on Earth am I
[III. My Father's Friend]

A frigid wind, a haunting voice
Like death itself, as if he'd made a choice
Now turn it bade, before me stood
A lonely shade

I knew a man named Gabel Malore
He over-taxed the rich
And ignored the poor
He spent it on whores
And vanished in shame
Never to be seen again
Is that your name

He looked at me as if I weren't heard
As silent as this crepuscular world
With empty eyes, he turned from me
And walked to face a barren tree

What stranger words have I to say
That even nightmares seem to turn away
I spew a curse into the sky
But every word was swallowed by half-light

Had I forestalled
For every specter seemed to heed my call
They gathered near, in vast array
As if I had something more to say
Why then my flesh took on that pale
As I struck dumb and horrified
And I denied, No
I am far too young
To die

I pled to him who'd turned his face
What way off this God-forsaken place
He raised his hand to a glade
As if some hope for me lie that way

[IV. Hall of Visions]

I entered through the door into a hall
Of pictures that lined each wall
But what moving visions cast in frame
The swords, the knives, the gall
Am I lost of mind, what witchery
I see my shipmates, there be me

How we followed tales as long and tall
No efforts too large or small
For the colonies we lied in wait
To bring us the pieces of eight
But for all this blood and treachery
I surely did not set out to sea
Certainly this isn't all me
You could say it's really not my fault
Boys are boys and men are men
You could say that it's my ancestors' fault
Am I not a Viking Haraldson

"Hey man, look what your life's about
Hey, look how the world's cut you out"
I was forced to cut myself back in
"Hey man, take a look at your soul
Hey man, time to pay the toll"
Hey look at these scars, look at where I've been
I had to cut myself back in

Is this all of my life
Is this all I have done
Aye, what about my wife
Aye, what about my son

"Well we met her on that island town
That we had burned down for pay
In our monologue did we even ask her name
Before we went and had our own way, did we
Bishop made of us an honest man
And we settled in that land
How long did it take before the Golden Itch
Drove us back into the sea again"

Is that really me
Can it really be
Am I to pay
It's the only way I've known
But myself enshrined in my disgrace
Drew me closer
To tell me the way

Now that I see it
Can I receive it
How shall I ever bear my soul

[V. My Own Worst Enemy]

I stumbled to the path
The heaviness of words
"Thy hope I see"
Through framed filigree
The message that I heard
"Go to the tree"

Oh, is there another way

I sensed a presence near
Along that solemn lea
A shade presumed
But as accustomed here
It looked so much like me
So I resumed

"As you walk along, I think you should know
Did I mention there are two ways to go?"

"If there is no right, there is no wrong
And all of life's just a song"

Amidst confusion now
My doppelganger sighed
"Be not dismayed
By all means keep the path
You know what hither lies
But if I may say…"

"Well, Gunnar is here, and your father's friend
The meadow is Peace and isn't Ease your end?"

"If there is a right, there is a wrong
And stay on the path that you're on"

"But if there is no right (Don't give it up)
There is no wrong (Don't lay it down)
What is a king without a crown?"

Oh, is there another way?
Oh, maybe I should stay?

What of my black heart in the hall of windows
Did I not hear the cry of the widows
Why lay a banquet with my breath so shallow
Why bid me rest, have I tomorrow

I am You and You are me
Keep away from the Tree
We are You and You are We
Come now stay thee here with Me

[VI. The Tree and the Door]
In which the sailor finds the way home

The teeth and terror
My friend you're hairier
You are the horror
I see, you are my soul

The vision I fear
Man in the mirror
Nothing is clearer
The path I was set
Now I must carry on

The message I hold
Was the truth I was
Told that for true love
To thrive in order
To live I must certainly die

At the tree I pay the price
For my blood it is the key
So I slay upon its thorns
The beast that lived inside me

In the shifting light beyond
At the ledge I see the door
That I leap into, in hopes to reach
That all familiar shore
To home