Hollow Hoofbeats

[Verse 1]
The feed sacks emptied, one by one, beneath a fading moon,
And every whisper of the wind just hummed a hollow tune.
This valley's grip, it tightened down, the creekbed running dry,
Left a man with just a hard choice, and a tear he wouldn't cry.

[Chorus]
Oh, this valley's got its teeth sunk deep,
My heart's a root that’s torn and weak.
A good horse needs more than just dust and dreams,
And a man learns hard what freedom means.

[Verse 2]
Remember how you watched him rise, a colt of living grace?
His coat the color of the loam, the sun upon his face.
We walked the bramble paths for years, learned every twist and bend,
Thought this old ground would hold us close, until the bitter end.

[Bridge]
A wren flits through the skeletal woods, a flicker, sharp and fast,
Like generations here before, whose grit was built to last.
This ain't just feed, it's what runs thin, like springs beneath the rock,
And watchin' him go, it’s a body blow, right to the ancient clock.

[Outro]
Yeah, the valley's got its teeth sunk deep,
My heart's a root that's torn and weak.