It was late at night on the open road, speeding like a man on the run

A lifetime spent preparing for the journey.

He is closer now and the search is on, reading from a map in the mind:

Yes there's that ragged hill and there's a boat on the river.



And when the rain came down, he heard a wild dog howl

There were voices in the night

(Don't do it!)

Voices out of sight

(Don't do it!)

Too many men have failed before, whatever you do;





Don't pay the ferryman!

Don't even fix a price!

Don't pay the ferryman

Until he gets you to the other side.





In the rolling mist, then he gets on board, now there'll be no turning back

Beware that hooded old man at the rudder.

And then the lightning flashed and the thunder roared,

and people calling out his name,

And dancing bones that jabbered-and-a-moaned on the water.





And then the ferryman said There is trouble ahead,

So you must pay me now.

(Don't do it!)

You must pay me now.

(Don't do it!)

And still that voice came from beyond, whatever you do;





Don't pay the ferryman!

Don't even fix a price!

Don't pay the ferryman

Until he gets you to the other side.





The elusive words in the background of this song are from Shakespeare's The Tempest (Thanks to Brian for tracking that one

down.) The quote goes as follows:





We were dead of sleep,

And--how we know not--all clapp'd under hatches;

Where but even now with strange and several noises

Of roaring, shrieking, howling, jingling chains,

And more diversity of sounds, all horrible,

We were awaked; straightway, at liberty;

Where we, in all her trim, freshly beheld

Our royal, good and