It was a cold night And the snow lay around 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 haven't wealth nor fame I have my two hands And a house to my name And the winter's so And the winter's so long And the winter's so And the winter's so long
And all the stars were crashing around As I laid eyes on what I'd found
It was a white crane It was a helpless thing On a red stain With an arrow its wing And it called and cried And it called and cried so And it called and cried And it called and cried so
And all the stars were crashing around As I laid eyes on what I'd found My crane wife, my crane wife My crane wife, my crane wife
And how I helped her And how I dressed her wounds And how I held her Beneath the rising moon And she stood to fly And she stood to fly away And she stood to fly She stood to fly away
And all the stars were crashing around As I laid eyes on what I'd found My crane wife, my crane wife My crane wife, my crane wife
Part II
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 To see it's painted red Soft as fontanel The feathers in the thread When 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 vowed 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, with down wove
Sound the keening bell To see it's painted red Soft as fontanel The feathers in the thread And all I ever meant to do was to keep you 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