Life's lost shadows

Life has lost its shadows
A value which was great within
Was shed with radiance on a world of sin
Through a vista of years
The book of laws was taught
Throughout the world as a guide
But heathendom continued
Being observed
Being measured
And being compared
Turpitude and trepidation
Filled the hearts of many
Sacred lives penetrated
From the upper classes to peasantry
Deceitfulness was at every threshold
When darkness closes in
The shriek of gulls filled the air
As if torment prevailed
In the land of the unknown
When will the light return
So that the shadows can be cast
How long should we wait
We thirst for peace and love
For our throats are filled with coal.