Who Will Guard the Dog?
There’s a house on a hill
And there’s a broken will
There’s a fire in the hearth
And there’s a chill
There’s a wishing well that’s dry
And a fullness overflowing
There’s a state of grace
And a cloud of unknowing
And the house is barred and shuttered
And overgrown with thorns
And the sound of the ghosts of unborn children
Playing on summer lawns
And the dog is still in chains
Though there’s nothing left to guard
She’s gnawed through the bone of her being alone
And barks at an empty yard
And the moon howls out to the darkness
But the darkness comprehends it not
Blesséd is the man and woman
Who can synchronise what they’ve got!
Who will make it better?
Who will make it right?
And who will explain to the howling moon
The mysterious ways of the night?
Who will lay the fire?
And who will cut the log?
And who will guard the dog?
Who will guard the dog?
We all try to hide our pain
But it drives us more insane
And we try to hide our sin
But it seeps out through the pores in the skin
To cut through a cloak of sin
You’ll need a sword of deepest sorrow
And your emptiness today
Is the fulfilment of tomorrow
And a sorrow that is born
Of holy desire
Strips you to the bone
And washes you with fire
Oh I keep tidying the kitchen
Life’s an endless chore
Keep picking up bits from the carpet
That weren’t there before
And I’m so afraid of the vastness
But I fear being taken in
There’s no-one I’m expecting
But I keep getting ready for him
I am an outcast
Separated from my soul
I’m cut up into pieces
Dying to be whole
Oh I keep thinking without feeling
Like I’m walking on the ceiling
I keep blaming instead of grieving
And staying when I should be
Staying when I should be
Staying when I should be leaving it all
I want Him to cut off my sin
I want Him to gather me in
Beneath His tender axe to be torn
To separate the real me from the worn!
Who will make it better?
Who will make it right?
And who will explain to the howling moon
The mysterious ways of the night?
Who will lay the fire?
Who will cut the log?
And who will guard the dog?
Who will guard the dog?
© Felicity Buirski 1990