The door it opened slowly,
my father he came in,
I was nine years old
And he stood so tall above me,
his blue eyes they were shining
and his voice was very cold
He said, "I've had a vision
and you know I'm strong and holy,
I must do what I've been told"
So he started up the mountain,
I was running, he was walking,
and his axe was made of gold

Well, the trees they got much smaller,
the lake a lady's mirror,
we stopped to drink some wine
Then he threw the bottle over
Broke a minute later
and he put his hand on mine
Thought I saw an eagle
but it might have been a vulture,
I never could decide
Then my father built an altar,
he looked once behind his shoulder,
he knew I would not hide

You who build these altars now
to sacrifice these children,
you must not do it anymore
A scheme is not a vision
and you never have been tempted
by a demon or a god
You who stand above them now,
your hatchets blunt and bloody,
you were not there before,
when I lay upon a mountain
and my father's hand was trembling
with the beauty of the word

And if you call me brother now,
forgive me if I inquire,
"Just according to whose plan?"
When it all comes down to dust
I will kill you if I must,
I will help you if I can
When it all comes down to dust
I will help you if I must,
I will kill you if I can
And mercy on our uniform,
man of peace or man of war,
the peacock spreads his fan