It was a cold night and the snow lay 'round
I pulled my coat tight against the falling down
And the sun was all, and the sun was all down
And the sun was all, and the sun was all down
I am a poor man, I have not wealth nor fame
I have my two hands and a house to my name
And the winter's so, the winter's so long
And the winter's so, the winter's so long
And all the stars were crashing 'round
As I laid eyes on what I'd found
It was a white crane, it was a helpless thing
Upon a red stain with an arrow in its wing
And it called and cried, it called and cried so
And it called and cried, it called and cried so
And all the stars were crashing 'round
As I laid eyes on what I'd found
My crane wife, my crane wife
My crane wife, my crane wife
Now I helped her and I dressed her wounds
And how I held her beneath the rising moon
And she stood to fly, she stood to fly away
And she stood to fly, she stood to fly away
And all the stars were crashing 'round
As I laid eyes on what I'd found
My crane wife, my crane wife
My crane wife, my crane wife
My crane wife
Arrived at my door in the moonlight
All star bright and tongue-tied
I took her in
We were married
And bells rang sweet for our wedding
And our bedding was ready
When we fell in
Sound the keening bell and see it's painted red
Soft as fontanelle, the feathers in the thread
And all I ever meant to do
Was to keep you
My crane wife
My crane wife
My crane wife
We were poorly
Our fortunes fading hourly
And how she loved me
She could bring it back
But I was greedy
I was vain and I forced her to weaving
On a cold loom in a closed room
Down the hall
Sound the keening bell and see it's painted red
Soft as fontanelle, the feathers in the thread
And all I ever meant to do
Was to keep you
My crane wife
My crane wife
My crane wife
There's a bend in the wind and it rakes at my heart
There is blood in the thread and it rakes at my heart
It rakes at my heart
My crane wife
READ MORE ABOUT THE DECEMBERISTS