Pacing The Cage

sunset is an angel weeping
holding out a bloody sword
no matter how i squint, i cannot
make out what it's pointing toward
sometimes you feel like you've lived too long
days drip slowly on the page
you catch yourself pacing the cage

i've proven who i am so many times
the magnetic strip's worn thin
and each time i was someone else
and everyone was taken in
powers chatter in high places
stir up eddies in the dust of rage
set me to pacing the cage

i never knew what you all wanted
so i gave you everything
all that i could pillage
all the spells that i could sing
it's as if the thing were written
in the constitution of the age
sooner or later, you'll wind up pacing the cage

sometimes the best map will not guide you
and you can't see what's 'round the bend
sometimes the road leads through dark places
sometimes the darkness is your friend
today these eyes scan bleached-out land
for the coming of the outbound stage
...pacing the cage