Odes to Joy

Tarot · Track 53 · middle

Four of Swords

RWS: a knight lying in stone effigy on his tomb with hands pressed in prayer, three swords hung on the wall above and one carved beneath him, a stained-glass window in the corner. Keywords: rest, retreat, recovery, sleep chosen as a strategy.

No audio yet — generation pending.

Lyrics

[Intro]

[Verse 1]
I align my spine on the mattress of stone,
I fold my two hands to a temple of bone.
I mandate the quiet, I cancel the flight,
I sever the argument out of the mind.
The ceiling is plaster, the posture is rigid,
I step from the battle, deliberate, hidden.

[Chorus]
Three iron swords pointing down from the wall,
Three clever insults I will not resolve.
And one underneath me, in case they should call.
I am staging a truce in the hollow of space,
I am carving an effigy out of my shape.
The body is resting.
But the mind is a blade, and the blade is awake.

[Verse 2]
A triangle patch from the stained-glass pane
Hits the scuff on the baseboard, a luminous haze.
It is 6:05 in the amber reflection,
I pull in the perimeter, checking defenses.
My muscles are locked in a tactical freeze,
I am rationing oxygen, stopping the bleed.

[Bridge]
Calculate the angle of the shadow on the brick,

Tell the nervous system it is time to flip the switch.
Shut the heavy visor, let the iron armor cool,
I am nobody's target, I'm removing the fuse.
Perfectly motionless, perfectly still,
Rest is a weapon of absolute will.
The circuit is broken, the panic is cut,
The mouth is sewn beautifully shut.

[Chorus]
Three iron swords pointing down from the wall,
Three clever insults I will not resolve.
And one underneath me, in case they should call.
I am staging a truce in the hollow of space,
I am carving an effigy out of my shape.
The body is resting.
But the mind is a blade, and the blade is awake.

[Outro]
Just lie in the chapel of a second-floor room.
A temporary tomb.
Hands pressed together.
Wait for the weather to break.
One sword underneath.
I am so very good at this.
I am resting.

Awake.
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