I had a dream, woke up shaking The moon breaking through the tress And in the stillness of the evening I heard a rustling in the leaves And I saw a panther in the yard Moving slow across the ledge With silver eyes and a cool regard And hunger with a cutting edge Open the door, let it in This mystery you found It's all yours now Come lay the panther down So I called the eagle and the raven said My prayer to the sky with the moon as my witness I looked the panther in the eye and beheld His violent beauty That cut so deep and hard Through my civilized indifference And reckless disregard So I open the door and let it in This mystery I found is all mine now Time to lay the panther down