Before the Fall

Pride I was convinced had lost its grip upon us all

And August had the insolence to come before the fall

I was casting off my idles til there was nothing left but me

With all the songs of summer sawing in the tall catalpa trees

All the rigor of a ragdoll, we're poets at our worst

Thieves at our best ain't we all

My devil in white linen how she took me by surprise

She was long and lean and lovely with a twinkle in her thighs

Just knowing we had hands and she had me to put them on

Was all we needed to keep going through the cold light of the dawn

With fists full of assurance and a belly full of wine

We had stolen from the altar in an altered state of mind

We shamed the congregation while the clever kids all laughed

They said we ran around half naked but they never said which half

All the rigor of a ragdoll, we're poets at our worst

Thieves at our best ain't we all