What I Was Afraid Of · Track 30 · middle
Dane axe
Dane axe — Viking two-handed axe. Register: ancient. This song is sung BY this weapon, in first person, about the one thing IT was afraid of. Find the fear that is true of this specific object, not a generic one.
No audio yet — generation pending.
Lyrics
[Intro] I am not for the forest. I am not for the pine. [Verse 1] Four feet of pale ash, slick with your sweat. Forged thin at the horn, I am lighter than I look. Just thirty-eight ounces of iron and edge, But to hold me, you gave up the cover you took. I am not a tool for a cautious advance. I am the end of the waiting. I am the dance. [Chorus] But I need both your hands. I demand the whole man. You drop the painted linden wood, you step from the line. I make you a giant, but I make you so blind. I am the swing and the arc and the yield, But I am terrified for the man with no shield. [Verse 2] When the distance closes, your body and mine Become a single machine of muscle and heft. Your mind throws the shoulder, crossing the line, And completely forgets the bare skin on your left. We shatter the mail, we open the row, But I leave your heart naked to the archers below. [Chorus] I need both your hands. I demand the whole man. You drop the painted linden wood, you step from the line. I make you a giant, but I make you so blind. I am the swing and the arc and the yield, But I am terrified for the man with no shield. [Bridge] I can cut down the rider. I can split through the horse. But I cannot parry the sky when it rains. You traded your safety for the length of my force, And now I am heavy with what we attained. [Outro] The field is growing quiet. Your grip is going slack. I did exactly what I was made to do. You gave me both your hands. I just needed too much of you.