It was late at night on the open road,
Speeding like a man on the run
A lifetime spent preparing for the journey.
He is closer now and the search is on,
Reading from a map in the mind:
Yes there's that ragged hill
And there's a boat on the river.

And when the rain came down,
He heard a wild dog howl
There were voices in the night
(Don't do it!)
Voices out of sight
(Don't do it!)
Too many men have failed before,
Whatever you do;

Don't pay the ferryman!
Don't even fix a price!
Don't pay the ferryman
Until he gets you to the other side.

In the rolling mist, then he gets on board,
Now there'll be no turning back
Beware that hooded old man at the rudder.
And then the lightning flashed
And the thunder roared,
And people calling out his name,
And dancing bones that jabbered-and-a-moaned
On the water.

And then the ferryman said
"There is trouble ahead,
So you must pay me now."
(Don't do it!)
"You must pay me now."
(Don't do it!)
And still that voice came from beyond,
Whatever you do;

Don't pay the ferryman!
Don't even fix a price!
Don't pay the ferryman
Until he gets you to the other side.

"We were dead of sleep,
And all clapped under hatches;
Where, with strange and several noises
Of roaring, shrieking, howling, jingling chains,
And more diversity of sounds, all horrible,
We were awaked; straightaway at liberty;
Where we, in all her trim, freshly beheld
Our royal, good, and gallant ship