The milkmoons dwell in their quiet shells Where they fell from the heaven Two pearl fishermen hold their breath again Fight to the death again for the same prize Oh my brother, one of us loses One must drown and the other she chooses The jade of the blue offers diamonds to you But you find it's not true when the sun sets You dive far below Where the sun doesn't go Where your brother won't know And you hear her saying: ''Oh my lover, now that you've found me Now your brother is bound to be drowned I don't know why you'd feud over me All those pearls lay asleep on the sea bed'' The pearl in his hand She's just a grain of sand She's dressed up as snow in the moonlight She's porcelain on his sallow skin He's been taken in by illusion Oh my brother, we're both of us losers I don't know why she ever did choose us To call one her lover and bury the other So I'll hold my breath 'til the story is over