From the recording Twelve Children (CD-quality WAV)
I wrote the opening strains of this song standing on the *very* elevated subway station at Smith and Ninth street in Brooklyn NY. I think I may have been living with friends in Midwood, or perhaps we were in Park Slope by then. I was on the platform after work one day, worn, tired, lonely, and very much defeated. So, it was probably Midwood, in 1994. But, I was struck by a magnificent sunset - remarkable light writing beauty across a raw, urban environment - and was reminded to fight through my weariness. Kate Snow leaned in on the vocal lines for this number, for which I'm immensely grateful.
Lyrics
Poised on the Bridge, I’m on top of the sky
Top of the morning, here’s sun in your eye
Spreading my wings, and I’m ready to fly
And the sky is on fire
Day fade to night, and you’re walking alone
The meat of your thought is just flesh on the bone
Every blink of the eye one step closer to home
And the sky is on fire
Sarah, She’s so far now
It’s a half a million miles to the sea
Sarah, she's so far now
I have gone to grey
The ocean wash away
Sarah’s through with me
When raising your chin is like raising the dead
The storm blowing in is just fog in your head
Think then, my friend, to the evening ahead
And the sky on fire