The Handsome Family - Glow Worm

Up the snowy spires Where the air is thick as glass Once a year the cold mist clears You can see inside the earth High in that crystal palace I've built a sailing ship Mastered wheel of polished brass Sails of gold and silk I pyte the engine steam I set for long citations I consulted dusty maps Said careful, care the glaciers Never in, we're never in Hearing through my scope I sail deep into the hollows Deep inside the earth I travelled a boiling river Through streams of mercury Under these volcanoes And the roots of ancient trees Underneath stalactites I lit phosphorous lamps Sparks snapped into the air And coiled up the mist I watched enormous birds Diving through the slate As I stood upon the ground In my oil skin cap and cape At last, my anchor caught And echoed through the stone As I climbed and old broke ladder Pile through the globe And up above I saw it A glow worm's little light And I reached out and caught it In the center of the night Tightly in my fist I held that glowing worm Deep down in the hollows I held the center of the world