Phish - Colonel Forbin's Ascent lyrics

Colonel Forbin stared up at the mountain
And wiped away the beads of sweat
That glistened on his brow
His tired feet were buried in the quagmire
And his bloodshot eyes saw all
That lay between him
And fulfillment of his vow
And he felt his fingers wrap
Around a knotted root
And pulled his body upwards
To a sea green mossy boulder
And he dragged his weary carcass
(or "shit-ass") up the mountain
And he climbed so slowly
He climbed so slowly ahead ahead

Suddenly he heard the crack of thunder
And the rocks began to crumble overhead
And tumble down the mountain to the
Dismal swamp that lay beneath
The jagged cliffs
Through which his path had led
And the earth began to quake beneath his feet
And the mighty mountain changed
Before his eyes and he stood amidst a sea of
Dust and rocks and stones
Cascading down the mountain
And a thousand birds were headed
For the sky oh
The sacred creed will be yours
And if you wait until tomorrow
The sacred creed will be yours to devour
Yours to seize and to obey obey

When the dust had cleared
The colonel lifted up his head
And was driven to his knees by
A blazing beam of light
And he saw the silhouette
That stood before him
And he bowed in reverence
Trembling in the shadow of
The mighty legend's form
Icculus the prophet stood before his eyes
Looking down on Colonel Forbin
Where he shuddered in the
Puddles and the muck
And he quietly addressed him
And he spoke so slowly he spoke so slowly
Ahead he said

Colonel Forbin I know why you've come here
And I'll help you in your quest to
Gain the knowledge that you lack
I'll call upon my faithful
Friend the mockingbird
To fly and seize the helping book
And bring it to your shack
The tree of knowledge in your soul will grow
And the Helping Friendly Book
Will plant the seed but, I warn you that all
Knowledge seeming innocent and pure
Becomes a deadly weapon in
The hands of avarice and greed

The sacred creed will be yours
And if you wait until tomorrow
The sacred creed will be yours to devour
Yours to seize and to obey and to obey

Famous Mockingbird swooped down out of
The sky and landed on
Icculus's shoulder, and Icculus whispered
Into the bird's ear
And it flew off toward Wilson's
Castle in the valley below