Once they sang beside the river
Maidens bright with songs of springtime
Grief and pride would steal their gladness
And leave them changed, with feathered wing
Now they haunt the rocky shoreline
Calling to those who sail the sea
With a voice that none could resist
Nor, once drawn near, could ever flee
Who wrote the tale of the sirens’ sin
And cast the women as the snare
The sailor steered his ship to ruin
Yet they alone were made to bear
The blame in every telling told
By brothers of men lost at sea
The sailor sails the seven seas
With fair women left in waiting
Foul days make for salty seamen
As they sail ships from port to port
A tale of posthumous revenge
Of broken souls that drift to sea
To rest upon the rocky shores
Calling out to the likes of thee
Who wrote the tale of the sirens’ sin
And cast the women as the snare
The sailor steered his ship to ruin
Yet they alone were made to bear
The blame in every telling told
By brothers of men lost at sea
Every tale we pass along
Is a choice we make each time
So tell it true, and tell it whole
And let the singers’ song be heard