Ballad of a Country

This is the ballad of a country Declaration of the soul Divine the magic of the blood and brine and it'll take you where you go As we cross the plains and wooded hills to the city by the sea To heed the justice in hearts and find a way to set them free

We worked the land and tilled the fields 'till our throats were caked and dry And the dust of opportunity turned to mud stuck in our eyes So we cut the chains and dropped our tools and we headed to the coast where the concrete spires and flashing lights might exorcise these country ghosts

Our ancestors had carved us out to harvest, plant and plow and till Spades to the dirt to break our backs and our dreams bent to their will So we cast aside our history forged a path to the unknown Raised a glass to freedom risking if we fail we die alone

We met the gaze of our adventures and threw caution to the wind for the fuel of our desires was not merely kindlin' Our eyes were wide, we cheered our lives We were welcomed, ere we went Never looking back except to curse at time No reclaiming what we'd spent

One road turned to many roads as the city lights beckoned us and the world we'd only known as green and blue was eclipsed by iron, steel and rust It was what we'd always hoped for and the air was hot to breathe And as I knelt to kiss the lighted street I swore to Christ I'd never leave

Some dreams are crushed and hopes are dashed by flinty rocks upon the shore Sometimes hardship and life's bitterness make us better than before And I look back with no regrets Though I still labored like a dog For in the spinning wheels of this mighty world I'm just one tooth upon a cog

And as I pass the time and youth departs I contemplate just what's to be I often think about my homeland and wonder - does it think of me? Someday I'll return to the velvet fields Cast my lot into the sun Sit around a fire and tell city tales to country daughters and their sons