The Primrose And The Knife Poem by jim hogg

Whilst onward flows the River Cart
And forward flees time's silent dart
The loves and hopes o' men abide
As constant as the throbbing tide
Oor tenure here is fleeting tho'
Brief as the swirlin' flake o' snow
An' dreams, oh dreams, they carry us
Beyond the stars, then bury us

The future's sweet talk turns tae snash
A moment precious, then we're ash
We walk a tightrope through this life
Between the primrose and the knife
Between the eagle and the louse
Between the vixen and the yowes
We're in the wind, we're in the wave
Bright as sunlight, dark as the cave

An' from the dust and from the sky
We carve our truth, we shape the lie
An' weave ourselves some kind o' sense
Beyond the gates of innocence
And noo I'm neither bold nor blind
I'm stuck here on the path that's lined
We dared the music way back when
And I jigged all the wrong steps then

I left you standing on the shore
But now it's clear, the ceilidh's o'er
Yet there's a certain sweetness in
The thought that we might meet again
Tae sit an laugh at might have beens
When we were special in oor teens
Or maybe yince I'll catch your eye
An' yin o' us will chance a "hi".

Whilst onward flows the River Cart
And forward flees time's silent dart
The loves and hopes o' men abide
As constant as the throbbing tide
Oor tenure here is fleeting tho'
Brief as the swirlin' flake o' snow
An' dreams, oh dreams, they carry us
Beyond the stars, then bury us

(chorus)
I've worn the holy cross of love
I've drawn the killing arrow back
I've seen the eagle flee the dove
And paradise rise out of ash