The Fiery River
by @dr_griff
Liner Notes
#stephenking #filk
Another Stephen King filk. This one's about the short story "Everything's Eventual" in the collection of the same name. And yes, SPOILER ALERT. (Read the story, it's excellent work!) The title comes from how our narrator describes the feeling when he's in a creative fugue - "like a river of fire running through my head."
Lyrics
(Capo 3)
V1
A G A G
Any fool can whistle past the graveyard
A G A G
Any fool can look the other way
A G A G
Any fool can whistle past the graveyard
A G A G
I was a fool, but now I’m going to pay
Anyone can hate someone forever
Anyone can wish them dead and still
Anyone can say their hate in anger
But I’m the only one whose hate can kill
Chorus 1
F G A
Why do I try to make excuses?
F G A
Why do I pretend they forced my hand?
F G A
Every letter sent another murder
F G A
Mostly, I do it ‘cause I can.
V2
They played me like a violin, they told me
There’s hardly anyone who has my skill
They stuffed me full of flattery, and sold me
Quite a bill of goods that I must fill
How many have I murdered for them? Dozens?
Hundreds? If I’m honest, that’s the truth
And I can’t stop or they will know I’ve guessed it
And I’ll no longer be a willing youth
Chorus 1
V3
And now I know what I’ve been doing for them
And now I know what I cannot ignore
But I am going to send just one last letter
To kill the man who put me in this war
I’m going to pull the sankofites and fouders
And mims into a pattern which I’ll send
I even know the word to make it special
Excalibur will lead him to his end
Chorus 2
This doesn’t take away from all my killings
This doesn’t make amends for what I’ve done
The fiery river running through my head now
Can never, ever more be let to run
Chorus 1
Outtro:
Mostly, I did it ‘cause I can.
Mostly, I did it ‘cause I can.
I will never, ever do it again.
(End chords: A F G A)