Once upon a time in a kingdom ill-defined   A dark-eyed prince sat sideways on his throne   And he cast aside the thoughts of his princess long and lost   And decided he’d live principally alone   So he built himself a castle made of stumbling blocks and bricks   And he filled the mote with crocodile tears and other tricks   But he forgot to build the doorway, he forgot to build the gate   So he had to build a catapult just to knock the wall away      And he’d venture out at night, bejeweled and erudite   And he’d ride from town to town and farm to farm   And he’d laugh at all the sheep and at the company they keep   And he’d burn down all the churches and the barns   Until he’d find a proper damsel, then he’d play the proper prince   And he’d lead her home with apples and a promise on a stick   Til she’d fall upon the pillow, then he’d fall upon the dawn   And he’d close his eyes to hers and then just dream that she was gone      So he swore upon the crown that he’d melt desire down   And he boarded up his windows and his eyes   But he still could hear the sound of the rain upon the ground   And he still could feel his face against the sky   And how the birds and how the bees, they each took turns upon their knees   And how the “Take me if you dare to” turned to “Thank you if you please”   And how the nectar in the flowers and how the flowers on the vine   They’d turn his blood from fever into honey-juice and wine      And he knew that it was true, in the crumbs that nature threw   And that ever-after always ends the tale   And that somewhere in disguise there was a girl with lantern eyes   Who could fill the darkest shadows with detail   So he’d build another tower just to tear another down   And he’d lay a trail of candles from his castle into town   But if you go there please be careful, and if you leave there please be quick   Cause he’ll rob your eyes of color and your bones to make more bricks