XIV. The Old Oak on the Hill

[Verse 1] Old oak on the hill You were older than the house Kids carved their small forever hearts In your patient Peeling bark I learned to climb on your low limbs Scraped my knees Scraped my pride You held a swing on one thick arm Like you were holding time [Chorus] Then the sky came down In a white-hot line Turned your solid chest Into smoking spine You were split straight through But you stayed You stayed Oh Struck-down tree Still standing anyway [Verse 2] Morning smelled like metal rain Ash on every leaf Neighbors whispered “it’s a shame” Like you could hear their grief But there were tiny sparks of green In the black along your seam You looked broken from the road Up close You still breathed [Chorus] When the sky came down In a white-hot line Turned your solid chest Into smoking spine You were split straight through But you stayed You stayed Oh Struck-down tree Still standing anyway [Bridge] I run my hand along your scar Rough as all the years I’ve worn You make room for both the burn And the budding of new thorns If you can hold that hurt And still reach for the day Maybe I can learn To do the same [Chorus] Let the sky come down In its white-hot lines We’ll be ringing bells Not just broken spines We’ll be split That’s true But we’ll stay We’ll stay Like that struck-down tree Still standing anyway