Thus I Wrote

Fears grow in the dark
Buried and out of sight
But they will shrivel
When brought into the light

Fears are part of us
To make us more effective
If we let them drain us
They’ll make us more defective

Fears may be demons
To possess our minds
But love will cast them out
To leave clarity behind

Well, you’re my friend…
And can you see…
But do you…do you know me
Do you know the thoughts I’ve got.
Do you know I have a love
For everyone I know
And I have a lust for life
I want to to live and not let go
But there are times I feel alone
And something rises up inside
It eats at my heart
And it darkens my mind

And then a dark demon
Stalks my dreams
And then a dark demon
Stalks my dreams
I need a love
To save me
From this dark demon…

Well come, now take my hand
And together let’s make a stand
I’ll be your port
In the storm
And when it’s cold
You’ll keep you warm
I hope we find peace
And love lights up our lives
And shines forever
Our saviour inside

From this dark demon
That stalks our dreams
From this dark demon
That stalks our dreams
We need a love
To save us
From this dark demon…

This is based on an earlier poem I wrote of the same name but more recently inspired by the song “I See a Darkness” by Will Oldham…the Johnny Cash cover version especially. I like the metaphor of the dark demon and of love casting out the demons as Christ did in the bible. He used love to banish fear. I have no particular allegiance to religion but the stories form a powerful backdrop to our culture and resonate with me. I see them as useful and powerful metaphors.

Well, I depend
On you, my friend
Many times, we’ve stayed up drinking
Many times, we’ve shared our thoughts
But do you really know me
Do you know the thoughts I’ve got

Do you know I have a love
For everyone I know
I have a lust for life
To live and not let go
But sometimes I feel alone
Something rises up inside
It eats at my heart
And it darkens my mind

A dark demon
Stalks my dreams
(A dark demon
Stalks my dreams)
I need a love
To save me
From this dark demon…

Come, now take my hand
Together let’s make a stand
I’ll be your port
In the storm
When it’s cold
I’ll keep you warm
I hope we find peace
And love lights up our lives
And shines forever
Our saviour inside

(From…)This dark demon
Stalking our dreams
(This dark demon
Stalking our dreams)
We need a love
To save us
From this dark demon…

This is based on an earlier poem I wrote of the same name but more recently inspired by the song “I See a Darkness” by Will Oldham. The Johnny Cash cover version especially. I like the metaphor of the dark demon and of love casting out the demons as Christ did in the bible. He used love to banish fear. I have no particular allegiance to religion but the stories form a powerful backdrop to our culture and resonate with me. I see them as useful and powerful metaphors.

There’s a dark demon stalking your dreams
It’s shapeless, formless and you don’t know what it means
It hides in trees when you go near
It hisses loudly when you try to hear

There’s a dark demon stalking your dreams
Driven by its own ancient schemes
It pushed our fathers to run or fight
It pushed our mothers round the fire at night

There’s a dark demon stalking your dreams
If it controls you now, you will never be free
It appears asleep in the mid-day light
But will eat your heart out in the dark of the night

When you’re cold I’ll keep you warm
I’ll be your port in the storm
When you’re cold I’ll keep you warm
I’ll be your port in the storm

There’s a dark demon stalking your dreams
A sword of light can make it disappear
Wielded by a knight it will transform
The dark demon to an angel re-born

It grows in the dark, so open up your heart
It grows in the dark, so open up your heart
It grows in the dark, so open up your heart
And let the light in

There’s a dark demon stalking my dreams
It’s shapeless, formless and I don’t know what it means
It hides in trees when I go near
It rustles the leaves when I try to hear

There’s a dark demon stalking my dreams
It follows it’s own ancient schemes
Sometimes an angel, all sweetness and light
Then eating your heart, in the dark of night

There’s a dark demon stalking my dreams
As ancient as man, passed down in genes
It pushed the cavemen to run or fight
It pushed the cavemen round the fire at night

There’s a dark demon stalking my dreams
Like a black cloud, moving slowly over scenes
As the abyss approaches and now it’s near
The dark demon’s name becomes clear

There’s a dark demon stalking my dreams
The sword of light can make it disappear
When wielded by a knight, to transform
The dark demon to an angel re-born