Bone of Song Josh Ritter

Just where it now lies, I can no longer say
I found it on a cold and November day
In the roots of a sycamore tree where it had hid so long
In a box made out of myrtle lay the bone of song

The bone of song was a jawbone old and bruised
And worn out in the service of the muse
And along its sides and teeth were written words
I ran my palm along them and I heard

Lucky are you who finds me in the wilderness
I am the only unquiet ghost that does not seek rest

The words on the bone of song were close and small
And though their tongues were dead, I found I knew them all
In the hieroglyphs of quills and quatrain lines
Osiris, the fall of Troy, Auld Lang Syne
Kathleen Mauvoreen, Magnificat, Your Cheatin’ Heart
The chords of a covenant king singing for the Ark

Then I saw on a white space that was left
A blessing written older than the rest
And it said leave me here, I care not for wealth or fame
I’ll remember your song, but I’ll forget your name

The words that I sang blew off like the leaves in the wind
And perched like birds in the branches
Before landing on the bone again
Again