*Crane Wife 1* It was a cold night And the snow lay around I pulled my coat tight Against the falling down And the sun was all And the sun was all down And the sun was all And the sun was all down I am a poor man I haven't wealth nor fame I have my two hands And a house to my name And the winter's so And the winter's so long And the winter's so And the winter's so long And all the stars were crashing 'round As I laid eyes on what I'd found It was a white crane It was a helpless thing Upon a red stain With an arrow its wing And it called and cried And it called and cried so And it called and cried And it called and cried so And all the stars were crashing 'round As I laid eyes on what I'd found My crane wife, my crane wife My crane wife, my crane wife Now I helped her And I dressed her wounds And how I held her Beneath the rising moon And she stood to fly And she stood to fly away And she stood to fly She stood to fly away And all the stars were crashing 'round As I laid eyes on what I'd found My crane wife, my crane wife My crane wife, my crane wife Da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da Da da da da da da da da da da da da da da da *Crane Wife 2* My crane wife arrived at my door in the moonlight All star-bright and tongue tied I took her in We were married and bells rang sweet for our wedding And our bedding was ready when we fell in Sound the keening bell and see it's painted red Soft as fontanel, the feathers in the thread When all I ever meant to do was to keep you My crane wife, my crane wife, my crane wife We were poorly, our fortunes fading hourly And how she vowed me she could bring it back But I was greedy I was vain and I forced her to weaving On cold loom in closed room with down wove Sound the keening bell and see it's painted red Soft as fontanel, the feathers in the thread When all I ever meant to do was to keep you My crane wife, my crane wife, my crane wife There's a bend in the wind and it rakes at my heart There is blood in the thread and it rakes at my heart Rakes at my heart, heart, heart, heart, heart Heart, heart, heart, heart, heart, heart, heart, heart My crane wife *Crane Wife 3* ( )x2 And under the boughs unbound All clothed in a snowy shroud She had no heart so hardened All under the boughs unbound ( )x2 Each feather it fell from skin Till threadbare she grew thin How where my eyes so blinded Each feather it fell from skin And I will hang my head hang my head low And I will hang my head hang my head low ( )x2 The gray sky looked bitter stained A rain cloud and crane on wing All out beyond horizons oh A gray sky a bitter stain (And I will hang my head hang my head low)x7 ( )x4 ( )x2 And under the boughs unbound All clothed in a snowy shroud She had no heart so hardened All under the boughs unbound ( )x2 Each feather it fell from skin Till threadbare she grew thin How where my eyes so blinded Each feather it fell from skin And I will hang my head hang my head low And I will hang my head hang my head low ( )x2 The gray sky looked bitter stained A rain cloud and crane on wing All out beyond horizons oh A gray sky a bitter stain (And I will hang my head hang my head low)x6 ( )x4