Rite of Passage by Three Weird Sisters Lyrics
Chant the age-old rite of passage:
Send the boy king through the maze
Blur his thinking, silent masters
Set his senses all ablaze
Bring the torches, oh, my brothers
Bring the watchers, sound the horns
Bring the young men who can hear us
Summon them the maze of thorns
Out of time and out of magic
Out of dark antiquity
Out of mind and out of body
Bring the chosen ones to me
Call the towers, call the chanters
Call the women with their hands
Call the mystics, call the seers
Change the boy's eyes to the man's
Weave the mysteries together
Weave the branches harsh and dry
Weave the garlands for the girls
Draw the line of the inner eye
Feed him flesh to blur his senses
Feed him grain to ground his feet
Feed him wine to dull his thinking
Take him where the chosen meet
Give the boy the tools of warfare
Give the boy the tools of land
Give the boy the tools of seeing
Draw him closer, take his hand
Lead him to the waiting woman
Lead his hand toward her breast
Lead his lips to taste her sweetness:
First the ordeal, then the rest
Now the women gather round him
Now they offer soft advice
Now they tease him now they touch him
Hands that stroke, eyes that entice
Speak the words of invocation
Speak the truth for which he's born
Speak the mystery unbroken:
Push the boy into the thorn
Bright the torches, ever brighter
Bright the silent masters' eyes
Bright the path that stretches forward:
White smoke clouds the midnight skies
Half erect, the boy steps forward
Half-asleep and half awake--
Half a heartbeat, and there's darkness:
Which pathway, which turn to take?
Outside, now the drumming's distant
Outside of the maze of thorns
Outside's fading: inside, he stands
Naked as the day he was born
In the maze, the corners scratch him
In the maze, the thorn pricks deep
In the maze, the thunder threatens
To wake a mystery from its sleep
Hours pass, the boy is restless
Hours pass, the boy sees fire
Hours pass, the boy sees visions
Life, death, purpose, and desire
Now he sleeps the sleep of dreamers
Now he lives inside his dreams
Now the line of all his lives blurs:
Into the sum of what he seems
Worlds away, a child cries softly
Worlds away, the women know
Worlds away, the watchers resting
In the maze, we awaken slow
Masters, lead us through the thorns
Masters, lift our worldly haze
Masters, give us all we need
To find our purpose in the maze
We are walking into sunlight
We are outside of our dream
We are all that holds this quest, and
We are more than what we seem
In the sunlight, see the lion
In the shadow, see the bear
In the forest sings the sparrow
Inches from the gray wolf's lair
When the end comes, all is silent
When the end comes, all is still
When the end comes, everything is
The boy, the king, the heart, the will
We are all the voices singing
We are all the elements
We are all the forests ringing:
We are what we represent
Send the boy king through the maze
Blur his thinking, silent masters
Set his senses all ablaze
Bring the torches, oh, my brothers
Bring the watchers, sound the horns
Bring the young men who can hear us
Summon them the maze of thorns
Out of time and out of magic
Out of dark antiquity
Out of mind and out of body
Bring the chosen ones to me
Call the towers, call the chanters
Call the women with their hands
Call the mystics, call the seers
Change the boy's eyes to the man's
Weave the mysteries together
Weave the branches harsh and dry
Weave the garlands for the girls
Draw the line of the inner eye
Feed him flesh to blur his senses
Feed him grain to ground his feet
Feed him wine to dull his thinking
Take him where the chosen meet
Give the boy the tools of warfare
Give the boy the tools of land
Give the boy the tools of seeing
Draw him closer, take his hand
Lead him to the waiting woman
Lead his hand toward her breast
Lead his lips to taste her sweetness:
First the ordeal, then the rest
Now the women gather round him
Now they offer soft advice
Now they tease him now they touch him
Hands that stroke, eyes that entice
Speak the words of invocation
Speak the truth for which he's born
Speak the mystery unbroken:
Push the boy into the thorn
Bright the torches, ever brighter
Bright the silent masters' eyes
Bright the path that stretches forward:
White smoke clouds the midnight skies
Half erect, the boy steps forward
Half-asleep and half awake--
Half a heartbeat, and there's darkness:
Which pathway, which turn to take?
Outside, now the drumming's distant
Outside of the maze of thorns
Outside's fading: inside, he stands
Naked as the day he was born
In the maze, the corners scratch him
In the maze, the thorn pricks deep
In the maze, the thunder threatens
To wake a mystery from its sleep
Hours pass, the boy is restless
Hours pass, the boy sees fire
Hours pass, the boy sees visions
Life, death, purpose, and desire
Now he sleeps the sleep of dreamers
Now he lives inside his dreams
Now the line of all his lives blurs:
Into the sum of what he seems
Worlds away, a child cries softly
Worlds away, the women know
Worlds away, the watchers resting
In the maze, we awaken slow
Masters, lead us through the thorns
Masters, lift our worldly haze
Masters, give us all we need
To find our purpose in the maze
We are walking into sunlight
We are outside of our dream
We are all that holds this quest, and
We are more than what we seem
In the sunlight, see the lion
In the shadow, see the bear
In the forest sings the sparrow
Inches from the gray wolf's lair
When the end comes, all is silent
When the end comes, all is still
When the end comes, everything is
The boy, the king, the heart, the will
We are all the voices singing
We are all the elements
We are all the forests ringing:
We are what we represent