January 31, 438

January 31, 438
Album	Songs for Pierre Chuvin
Released	April 10, 2020
Length	2:22
Previous Track	"The Wooded Hills Along the Black Sea"
Next Track	"Hopeful Assassins of Zeno"

Original lyric sheet for "January 31, 438," courtesy of Reddit.

January 31, 438 is the sixth song on Songs for Pierre Chuvin.

Lyrics

Hey, I'm totally in the full heat of this one, so I haven't bothered to tune, so I'm not at 440 here. I don't know what to tell you. I'm in G, anyway, if anybody's taking notes. "January 31, 438."

When the hunger turns in on itself 
It begins to devour its host
Who do you turn to for help?
Who do you love the most?

I dance with the ones that brought me
I dance with the ones that brought me here

When the word comes down the wire that they're looking 
To make an example of you
Skin and bones around a campfire beneath the stars
No good end in view

I dance with the ones that brought me
I dance with the ones that brought me here

I dance in the dark, all alone
I dance for the god on the throne
If they come catch me and arrest me, mid-step
Let me go down dancing, let me be the last one left

Crushed like a sea shell by a seaside warrior's foot
Trying to turn the tide
When the hunger's all that holds you together
Who do you want by your side?

I dance with the ones that brought me, yeah
I dance with the ones that brought me here

Things Referenced in this Song

• January 31, 438 was the date of publication of the Codex Theodisianus, a codification of the laws Theodosius issued after 312. Notable among the laws codified are the anti-pagan decrees issued from 389-391, as well as laws attacking Jewish people.