by NoahLange
published on
Long time ago, might have been a year, might’ve been ten years, somebody told me a story.
It starts with the devil, ends with the devil, but in the middle, there's a wealthy man.
But he's a shy man, an ugly man, with a sad heart and a sad disposition.
Now this man, he turns twenty-five, well, he turns twenty-five and he gets a visit...
Well now, says the devil, you have such a lovely home
I do declare, it is a shame that you are lonely
Your fields, so rich with bounty — well, my coffer's running thin
Let's make a deal — you're in luck, I'm feeling kindly
the devil makes his offer, as the man he stares, enthralled
fifty years of happiness, like none he could recall
and he says to the devil, oh devil, take it all
he claps his hands and soon the man, he's feeling drowsy
Now the lives of the happy, every one, they are the same
but each unique, are lives of the unhappy
So fifty years winters later, the man wakes up alarmed
he knows the end is near and nearing quickly
he runs outside in panic, barefooted in the snow
the river gurgles quietly, choked with winter's icy floes
and he casts himself off of a bridge, to the waters, cold, below
and the water streams into his lungs, unkindly
But a beggar saw him falling, and dragged him to the shore
He awakens on the ground, his lungs still burning
He drags himself to standing, and stumbles up the road
He soon arrives at home, clothes cold and dripping
he steps into the foyer, greets his wife there with a smile
and locks the bedroom door and drinks rat poison from a vial
and he lies down on his back and wonders was it all worthwhile
throws up as the poison burns, unharming
Cold and stained and angry, he winds his sheets into a rope
Ties it to a beam and hears his wife a-knocking
He says he'll be out quickly, tells her not to be alarmed
Ties the other round his neck, so tight and choking
he stands up on a chair as the world begins to spin
he kicks it to the floor and then the rafter buckles in
he prays to God then for his soul, for suicide's a sin
The sheets tear and he falls to earth, a-crashing
He awakens and his wife, well, she holds him in her arms
And he sees his love again; his eyes are blurry
He tells her of the devil, of the deal so quickly made
And she kisses him on lips, still blue and shivering
I'll be at your side, come what may, until the end
not powers from the devil or powers from heaven itself could rend
not even death itself, dear husband, counselor and friend
there is nothing in the world can come between us
He wakes up to a crashing, and his wife is dead and gone
The rafter broke and fell down from the ceiling
He stumbles out a-crying, and to his knees, he quickly falls
And feels a finger on his shoulder, tapping
The devil shakes his head and smiling, he declares
After fifty years I thought you would be more prepared...
A shame you gave it all away for what was really never there.
And the devil leaves, walks up the road, a-winding
