The Lake (Vocal Version)

[Sung verse]

I walk accompanied by ghosts

I walk accompanied by ghosts

My father with his time and eyes

His voice life-size

He says "Follow me,"

Follow me

And I come sliding

Where I've been hiding

With the heart of a child

Meet me by the lake

Meet me by the lake

I'll be there

I'll be there

[Spoken section]

We lived by a lake. And in the winter it froze. We skated everywhere. One evening I was coming home from the movies, and I pushing my little brothers – Craig and Phil – in a stroller. I had decided to take them over to the island, to look at the moon that was just coming up. But as we got close to the island – the ice broke. And the stroller sank into the dark water. And my first thought was: "Mom's gonna kill me!" And I remember the knitted balls on their hats, as they disappeared under the black water. So I ripped off my jacket and jumped into the freezing water and dove down and got Craig – and pulled him up and threw him on the ice. Then I dove down again but I couldn't find the stroller. It'd slipped down the muddy bank, further down under the ice. Then I dove in again. And I finally found the stroller, and Phil was strapped in, and I ripped the strap off and pulled him out and pushed him up onto the ice. Then I ran home. One twin under each arm. Frozen and screaming. I ran in the door and I told my mother what had happened. And she stood there and said: "What a wonderful swimmer you are. And I didn't know you were such a good diver." And when I think of her now I realize – that was the moment I had been trying to remember

"Tell the animals," she said. "Tell all the animals."

"Is it a pilgrimage? Towards what?"