| 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. |
| «We were dead of sleep, |
| And all clapped under hatches; |
| Where, with strange and several noises |
| Of roaring, shrieking, howling, jingling chains, |
| And more diversity of sounds, all horrible, |
| We were awaked; straightaway at liberty; |
| Where we, in all her trim, freshly beheld |
| Our royal, good, and gallant ship |