Well a prayer for rain or an end to pain
Is a difficult prayer to sell
As the pretty West Virginia girls know it all too well
I guess you could blame the crosseyed saints
For tearing a town in two
For a shape from the fires of Hell just passin' through

Well three little sisters did no wrong
They were gathering moss in the house of dawn
With the prettiest voices raised in song
When the day turned black as night
Then the devil appeared in the form of a deer
With its antlers painted red
And circlin' round was the Devilblack Hound
And this is what he said:

אני משחתת של עולמות.
באתי לכאן רעב ולובש על צווארי.
אל תנסה לקרוא לי בשם, כי אין לי שם.
אל תנסה לעצור אותי, כי באתי לסיים את כולך.

"What kinda language is that?" said the girl with the slackjaw
And the chickenbonechina doll
And the thing reared up on its two hind legs
(it was seven children tall)
So they split for the trees and they scraped their knees
And heard the blood in their temples pound
Under the deafening sound of the Devilblack Hound
As it hunted each one down

Crying out for providence
The youngest fell behind
Shining teeth and innocence,
Well, they intwined

"Sister dear, I love you so
And I swear I'll never let you go
And if skyward bound, our souls may float
Right back from where they came..."

But one hand from the other was released
And the middleborn one found herself in the jaws of the beast
The only trace of her that he left behind
Was her chickenbonechina doll
And the smell of the blood that runs within us all

And the snow came down
On the girl and the beast
And the stillness between them now
She said, "I know what you do, and I know who you are.
Yeah, I heard you were born from the distance between the stars.
You're the damnable sea, you're the needle in all of our hearts.
You're the Terminal King, and your armies will cut us apart."

"For death you were born, for love you shall die.
Every page of your rotting refrain come aflame in the light.
Your kingdoms'll burn, your languages lost in an ocean of silver sound.
You'll crawl to your vessel intact (perhaps)
but the rats will be gnawing on your crown!"

In her throat her breath was caught and tied into a lover's knot
In her throat her breath was caught and tied into a lover's knot
In her throat her breath was caught and tied into a lover's knot
In her throat her breath was caught and tied into a lover's knot

Three little sisters on their own
They were gathering moss in a field of stone
With the ice of the morning on their bones
And the silence, how she hung
So kids, be careful, kids, be free
And rule your kingdoms fearlessly
For winter with your enemies has come