The Curse
Josh Ritter Lyrics

He opens his eyes, falls in love at first sight
After awakening from thousands of years of slumber, he is entranced by the girl he sees before him.

With the girl in the doorway
He sees the girl standing before him, framed by the doorway.

What beautiful lines, how full of life
He marvels at the girl's beauty, which seems to glow with vitality.

After thousands of years what a face to wake up to
He reflects on how long he has been asleep, and how astounding it is to see such a beautiful face upon awakening.

He holds back a sigh as she touches his arm
He feels a deep connection to the girl as soon as she touches him, but tries to contain his emotions.

She dusts off the bed where till now he's been sleeping
She cleans the bed where he has been lying dormant for so many years.

Under miles of stone, the dried fig of his heart
He has been asleep for so long that his heart has dried up and stopped beating.

Under scarab and bone starts back to its beating
Thanks to the girl's touch and care, his heart begins to beat again.

She carries him home in a beautiful boat
She takes him to her home in a lovely boat as she nurses him back to health.

He watches the sea from a porthole in stowage
As they sail, he observes the ocean through a small window in the boat.

He can hear all she says as she sits by his bed
He listens intently to everything she says as she cares for him in her home.

Then one day his lips answer her in her own language
After spending time with her, he learns her language and is finally able to communicate with her.

The days quickly pass, he loves making her laugh
He finds joy in making her laugh and the time they spend together passes quickly.

The first time he moves it's her hair that he touches
His first physical contact with her is when he touches her hair.

She asks "Are you cursed?" He says "I think that I'm cured"
When she asks if he is cursed, he responds that he is no longer under any sort of curse and has been freed.

Then he talks of the Nile and the girls in bull rushes
He reminisces about his past life and tells her stories of the Nile and the girls he knew.

In New York he is laid in a glass-covered case
He is put on display in a glass case in a museum in New York.

He pretends he is dead, people crowd round to see him
People come from far and wide to see him and he pretends to be a museum exhibit.

But each night she comes round, and the two wander down
She still visits him every night, and they explore the museum together.

The halls of the tomb that she calls a museum
She refers to the museum as a tomb, alluding to his past life and their time spent together.

Often he stops to rest, but then less and less
At first, he needs to rest often, but as time goes on he becomes more and more active.

Then it's her that looks tired, staying up asking questions
She becomes tired from staying up late asking him questions about his past.

He learns how to read from the papers that she
He begins to read and learn about the present day from newspapers she brings him.

Is writing about him and he makes corrections
He reads articles about himself and corrects any inaccuracies he finds.

It's his face on her book and more and more come to look
Her book about him becomes popular and more people come to see him at the museum.

Families from Iowa, upper West-siders
People from all walks of life come to see him.

Then one day it's too much, he decides to get up
Feeling overwhelmed, he decides to leave the museum and venture out into the world.

And as chaos ensues, he walks outside to find her
As pandemonium erupts in the museum, he searches for her and ultimately finds her.

She's using a cane, and her face looks too pale
He notices that she looks ill and is concerned for her well-being.

But she's happy to see him, as they walk he supports her
Though she's not feeling well, she is thrilled to see him and he helps her walk.

She asks "Are you cursed?" but his answer's obscured
When she asks if he's cursed, he doesn't give a clear answer.

In a sandstorm of flashbulbs and rowdy reporters
They are surrounded by news reporters and flashing cameras, causing confusion and disorientation.

Such reanimation, the two tour the nation
The two embark on a whirlwind tour of the country, with people clamoring to see him.

He gets out of limos, he meets other women
As he becomes more famous, he meets other women and enjoys the perks of his newfound celebrity.

He speaks of her fondly, their nights in the museum
Despite his new experiences, he still looks back fondly on the nights they spent together in the museum.

But she's just one more rag now he's dragging behind him
As his fame grows, he starts to see her as just another part of his past.

She stops going out, she just lies there in bed
As her health declines, she becomes bedridden and no longer accompanies him on his travels.

In hotels in whatever towns they are speaking
He continues to travel and speak at different events, staying in hotels along the way.

Then her face starts to set and her hands start to fold
She begins to show signs of impending death, her face becoming more gaunt and her hands growing weaker.

And one day the dry fig of her heart stops its beating
She dies after suffering from a weak heart.

Long ago on the ship, she asked "Why pyramids?"
He recalls a conversation they had when they first met on the boat.

He said "Think of them as an immense invitation"
He gave her a clever response as to why pyramids exist.

Then he kissed her and hoped that she'd forget that question
He kissed her as a distraction from the question of why pyramids exist.