Two Tongues

Can you tell us the place where
The Elders chew the sky soft
The place where love is like
A perfect knee-quilled arrow
Flown from bows of pure willow
And under the thundering roll of ghost buffalo
Oh, can't you hear the world's heart breaking

For, it's a test of courage
To kiss the snake-tongued people
The fork-tongued people
And yes, it is a test of courage
To kiss the snake-tongued people
The fork-tongued people

'Cause it's like two tongues, at one time
Like two tongues, at one time
It's like two tongues, at one time
Like two tongues, at one time
It's like two tongues, at one time
Like two tongues, at one time
Like bitter spirits and sweet wine
'Cause it's like two tongues, at one time
At one time

So, pour all of your souls like magma into the caverns
Pour all of your souls like magma into the caverns
Pour 'em all for the hauntings, the hauntings, the hauntings
And pour 'em all for the hauntings, the hauntings, the hauntings
And pour 'em all for the hauntings
And cool down for the hauntings
And harden for the hauntings
And now granite-soul
You're a hunter, hunter hunting
Children of the wild plains
And now granite-soul you're a hunter
Your hunter hunting children of the wild plains

And if my great-great-great-great-great-great-grandma
Could find them she would put all of their poisoned
All of their poisoned, poisoned teeth in her medicine bag
In her medicine bag
She'd make a graph of our death-beat pulse, murmur quiet
Pulse, murmur quiet
Like hiding pheasants in tall grass

Now there's faces in the rocks
And they're coming on strong
Faces in the rocks with medicine tongues
Faces in the rocks feels like a million to one
Woman and man in the moon with a cradle-board son
Oh, braided 'round close to all warmth is gone
Gone

So, here, take these blankets
Here, take these blankets
Here, take these blankets
They're woven from the hair of the dead

The hair from your sisters
Hair from your brothers
Hair from your lovers
Hair from the beavers
Hair from the otters
The hair from your mothers
Hair from your fathers
Hair from your lovers
Hair from the beavers
Hair from the otters

And we, we saw through you
Like a candle through a buffalo's eye
And we, we stood by you
Like a mama bear shot with her cubs at her side
And we, we saw through you
Like a candle through a buffalo's eye