Down the River

 © 2025

Sadness slow-danced a melody
with the shadows of my past
who sighed and sang a lullaby
of a spell that once was cast
of soft moonbeams
and dawning dreams
silver swans on sparkling streams
guiding me further into
where diamonds gleam
in the Kingdom of Shadows
where King Hades rules far Underground

Drifting through on the River Styx
the landscape is a sorrowful mix
bare trees and withered roses
and just before the tunnel closes
Chiron turns to me
and asks his fee
a gold coin to ferry Souls across
back to where they first got lost
to look in the Mirror at all they knew but forgot
and another coin if he must wait
and take me back to the thundering gate
leading out into the ghostly realms
through the ruins of Tinsel Town
down the valley where nightmares sell
and folk are lost in Earthly Hell

But what the price if I should ascend
if the pains been enough and the journey could end?
he said the mirror would show
and I would know
a new path would appear
which I could take without fear
but still he would wait near by
in this Kingdom of Shadows
where the broken come to die

Tucked away in my silver purse
I found a key to the very first curse
and I stared in horror as the Mirror doesn’t lie
and watched the tragedy of ages
pass slowly by

I knelt down then
to the web of fate
which spun its spell
and there in hell I prayed
weaving my ancient bones into the net of time
until at last I heard a ghostly chime
and knew I had to return to this story of mine
and leave the Kingdom of Shadows
where King Hades rules underground.

Copyright statement:  Lyrics © 2025 Christine Jordaan. I am the original author and creative director of each song. The music and vocals were generated using AI tools licensed under a paid subscription, which grants me full ownership and commercial rights to the final tracks. While I do not claim authorship of the instrumental or vocal algorithms, I retain copyright over all lyrics and the completed works as my creative output. All rights reserved.