Young boy sits on a cedar plank
Where the muddy river water sank
He holds a gear in a steady hand
Watching water hit the salty sand
Wind the spring and watch the brass wheel spin
Wait for where the evening tides begin
Copper teeth and heavy iron weight
Counting down the hour on the gate
Moss is hanging from a cypress knee
Darker than the deep and open sea
He polishes a lens of clouded glass
Waiting for the heavy heat to pass
Wind the spring and watch the brass wheel spin
Wait for where the evening tides begin
Copper teeth and heavy iron weight
Counting down the hour on the gate
Gators slide through the thick green slime
Keeping pace with the rhythm of the chime
He tightens bolts with a rusted key
Learning how the hidden levers be
The sun drops low like a golden coin
Where the creek and the muddy river join
He doesn't blink and he doesn't sway
Counting out the minutes of the day
Oil drips slow on a blackened cloth
White as any winter forest moth
He tracks the moon in a silver frame
Calling every ticking second's name
Wind the spring and watch the brass wheel spin
Wait for where the evening tides begin
Copper teeth and heavy iron weight
Counting down the hour on the gate
The porch is old and the wood is grey
Worn down by the salt and salty spray
The apprentice smiles at the steady beat
Walking on his own two tired feet
Wind the spring and watch the brass wheel spin
Wait for where the evening tides begin
Copper teeth and heavy iron weight
Counting down the hour on the gate
Just a gear and a heavy spring. Tick-tock.
Tick-tock.
