ASHES TO ASHES

All through the port
Past Chinatown's gate
Thieves and grifters
Were forced to wait

Each seeking passage
On the riverboat south
Gold filled their purses
Lies filled their mouths

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust

You dreamed in the lamplight
By the waterfront pier
Transit guaranteed
By handlers far from here

Papers in order
Identity assumed
A raft to convey you
Moored beneath the moon

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust

Smoking in her stateroom
Far below deck
Rosa Coldfield barely
Kept herself in check

She scrawled your face
On a mirror so cold
She called your name
In a voice so bold

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust

Your dreams were unhindered
Desires unbound
You lingered for an hour
With the treasure you'd found

You steeled yourself for travel
Unpacked your blade
Your mind always on
All the money you’d made

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust

Miss Coldfield spoke freely
With no sense of tact
And foolish disregard
For the force at her back

The docks of New Orleans
Teemed with traffic that day
But no-one seemed to notice
As they carried her away

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust

Caracas blazed before you
With the rising sun
Her strangers would forgive you
Everything you'd done

In the street you threw a coin
Into a beggar’s cup
You looked down
He looked up

Ashes to ashes, dust to dust