Lichen & Loam

[Verse 1]
Ten years back, I swore I'd carved a path so wide and new,
Thought the valley’d shift and settle, just like summer morning dew.
But the General Store still wore that same old coat of faded paint,
And the 'Welcome' sign, it leaned a touch, like some forgotten saint.

[Chorus]
Oh, the creek still hums its ancient tune, the bedrock holds its sway,
Seems I'm the only thing that's truly drifted down the way.
Yeah, the burdock in the pasture's tall, the rich loam holds its history deep,
And I'm the stranger in the mirror, watching seeds I used to keep.

[Verse 2]
Old Man Silas, on his porch swing, still whittles on a stick,
Same blue overalls, same crooked grin, same lazy, rhythmic flick.
And the scent of pine and damp earth clung, a ghost around the bend,
Like every single memory refused to just transcend.

[Chorus]
Oh, the creek still hums its ancient tune, the bedrock holds its sway,
Seems I'm the only thing that's truly drifted down the way.
Yeah, the burdock in the pasture's tall, the rich loam holds its history deep,
And I'm the stranger in the mirror, watching seeds I used to keep.

[Bridge]
I tried to shed these mountain roots, chase different skies so high,
But the valley's deep springs always call, where the wren's sharp trill still flies.
It's a bittersweet old wisdom, in the lichen on the stone's hard grit,
That some things are meant to hold you, even when you've grown and split.

[Outro]
Yeah, the quiet strength of this old place, just hums beneath my tread,
Guess I'm the only changing season, here in this quiet riverbed.