First Summer After

After all the days of waiting
We were suddenly released
We filled our pockets with good fortune
And headed out east
There were rumours on the highways
There were shadows of the war
It was the first summer after
And the last summer before

We bought flowers for the wedding
From the market in the square
We turned up dressed like pirates
Just happy to be there
Among the ghosts of empire
And the legends of the wall
It was the first summer after
And the last summer before

So we listened to the road, we listened to the wind
We listened to the bells, we listened to the trees

There were ripples on the water and ripples in the sheets
And ripples in our hearts and ripples in the heat

When the madman stole the keys
In the dark dead of the night
Our luck we couldn't believe
Like a strange shift of the light
It's the kindness of other people
We have built our lives upon
It was the first summer after
And the last summer before

There were ripples in the water and ripples in the sheets
And ripples in our hearts and ripples in the heat

And now the people talk in riddles and drift to silence

And all the colours they were turning
And the land was at rest
And the harvest moon was waning
As we headed back west
The dust rising in the fields
Until we couldn't see at all
It was the first summer after
And the last summer before