Patrick Wolf - The Tinderbox

The song is based on the fairy tale 'The Tinderbox' by Hans Christian Andersen

Left right left right
And left right left right

Weary from the wars
I stumble into fortune
Strike a deal with a witch
And cut off her head

With pockets full of gold boy
I journey into town
Trade my scuffed boots
For bribes and burberry

Became the talk of the town
Though the heart remained mute
As I fed the poor
With the king's cutlery

Locked in towers behind walls
Comes some divination
And true love was promised to me

On a black dog
Black burning eyes
Come and carry you here
To my room

Dark to one spark
And I have your heart
But as quick as you come
Always gone so soon soon soon
Gone so soon soon soon
Gone so soon soon soon
Always gone so soon

And now I live alone
In this dirty old attic
And my friends have no strength
To climb up the stairs

So in the dark I spark
This old box of tinder
And your love is ferried to here

On a black dog
Turning eyes
Come and carry you here
To my room

Dark to one spark
And I have your heart
But as quick as you come
You're always gone so soon soon soon
Gone so soon soon soon
Gone so soon soon soon
Always gone so soon
So soon

Why does no flame ere last for long?
Oh no
No spark brights dark for long
Oh no

But no thousand kisses
Or no judas kicking in to stop me
From trying to start the fire

Start the fire
Start the fire, fire, fire, fire,

Fire, fire, fire
Deep down only