Clockwork Assassin
lyrics and melody by Catherine Faber 2014
mp3 and pdf sheet music
Dm F Am
First came a spider, in iron and brass
Dm Bb Gm C
With claws of bright silver and fangs of green glass
F C Bb C
My maid brought it down--she's a quick-witted girl
F C Bb C
That's one vase of roses I won't see unfurl;
F Bb C F
The clockwork arachnid convulsed in a curl.
F Dm Am
I opened its case and unraveled my fear
C Em Bb
Each spring and each lever, each tiny brass gear
F Dm Am
The bright little jewels that lay at its heart
Bb F C F
Till all of its secrets I'd puzzled apart.
Gm Dm C Bb
It's not a solution, at least it's a start.
The clockwork assassin's next minion was bold
A serpent enameled in purple and gold
My maid thought it venomed, but smashed with a pot,
It proved, on dissection, a supple garrote.
And quite a distraction, diverting my thought.
The clockwork assassin's next gift was a bat
The maid took one look then she let in the cat
Who pounced on it cruelly, its silk wings to tear
I feared it was past my poor skills to repair.
It lay on my workbench so frail and so fair.
Dm Bb C D
Strangely I feel I am coming to know
D G C
The manners and methods, the mind of my foe
D G C D
For each clockwork question, new answers occur
D C D A
The parts grow more focussed as other things blur
G E D G Gm
My maid doesn't like it, but who cares for her?
With all of the parts of these wonderful things
The hollow glass fangs and the fine silken wings
The ratcheting loop with the catch at its end
I've fashioned a gift for my teacher, my friend--
Girl--come here--I've a package to send.
