Unquarried Bone

[Verse 1]
(A cappella) Bovis waits at the foot of the stairs again,
(A cappella) Where the lino's worn through to the floorboards.
(Guitar enters) It’s half-past seven, the Derbyshire mizzle sticks to the glass,
He gathers his legs like a handful of mismatched chords.

[Chorus]
It's a two-beat rhythm for a four-beat climb,
Just the pressure of wanting, eroding the time.

[Verse 2]
I can hear his claws scrabble, a dry-stone sound,
The first step's a mountain, he's losing the ground.
And I'm holding my breath by the kettle's pale steam,
Caught in the chalk-dust of a recurring dream.

[Chorus]
It's a two-beat rhythm for a four-beat climb,
Just the pressure of wanting, eroding the time.

[Bridge]
I go to the landing, whisper down low,
"It's alright, old lad, there's nowhere to go."
But his pride is a strata that just won't compress.

[Chorus]
It's a two-beat rhythm for a four-beat climb,
Just the pressure of wanting, eroding the time.

[Outro]
His tail gives a thump from the bottom of the stairs.