Cannibal's Hymn lyrics

You have a heart and I have a key

Lie back and let me unlock you

Those heathens you hang with down by the sea

All they want to do is defrock you

I know a river, where we can dream

It will swell up, burst it's banks,

babe, and rock you

But if you're gonna dine with them cannibals

Sooner or later, darling, you're gonna get eaten

But I'm glad you've come around

here with your animals

And your heart that is bruised but unbeaten

And beating like a drum

I will sit like a bird on a fence

Sing you songs with a happy ending

Swoop down and tell you that it don't make sense

To attack the very thing you're defending

Didn't I just buy that dress for you?

That pink paper pinafore that you keep mending

Well, if you're gonna dine with the cannibals

Sooner or later, darling, you're gonna get eaten

But I'm glad you've come around

here with your animals

And your heart that is banging and beating

And banging like a gong

I can see that they've hurt you, dear

Here is some moonlight to cloak us

And I will never desert you here

Unpetaled among the crocus

Allow me, my love, to allay your fear

As I swim, in and out of focus

But if you're gonna dine with the cannibals

Sooner or later, darling, you're gonna get eaten

But I'm glad you've come around

here with your animals

And your heart that is bruised but bleating

And bleeding like a lamb

Banging like a gong

Beating like a drum

• Artist:Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
• Album:Abattoir Blues/The Lyre of Orpheus (2004)