[INTRO — Solo Celtic harp, distant winter wind, gentle tin whistle melody. Soft female alto, intimate and clear.] The frost had silvered every gate, The moon was rising cold and late. A hundred windows burned like gold, And I was walking through the cold. [VERSE 1 — Gentle Celtic folk, harp and fingerpicked acoustic guitar] The village bells were ringing low, Their echoes crossing fields of snow. I passed the houses one by one, Where supper waited, candles shone. A ribbon caught upon a thorn, A wreath the winter wind had worn. I tucked it gently back in place, And brushed the snowflakes from my face. [PRE-CHORUS — Fiddle enters, melody rising] Then from a doorway down the lane, I heard an old familiar strain. A voice called out into the night, “Come in, there’s room beside the light.” [CHORUS — Lyrical Celtic folk melody, warm layered female harmonies] Oh, the holly knows my name, Though the seasons never stay. Every branch beneath the snow Keeps a little summer in its veins. Let the winter have its way, Let the longest night remain. There’s a fire for every wanderer, And the holly knows my name. [VERSE 2 — Bodhrán enters with a gentle heartbeat rhythm] An old man stood beside the door, With flour scattered on the floor. He said, “We’ve plenty, don’t be shy, The kettle’s on, the bread is nigh.” Inside, the children sang in rounds, Their laughter filled the rafters’ bounds. A woman handed me a chair, As though she’d always known me there. They asked no questions of my past, Or why I’d come alone at last. They only passed the bread and wine, And made a little space for mine. [CHORUS — Fuller Celtic arrangement, fiddle countermelody] Oh, the holly knows my name, Though the seasons never stay. Every branch beneath the snow Keeps a little summer in its veins. Let the winter have its way, Let the longest night remain. There’s a fire for every wanderer, And the holly knows my name. [INSTRUMENTAL BREAK — 12 bars of lively fiddle and tin whistle over harp, bodhrán, and acoustic guitar. Gradually transitions into a gentle ceilidh rhythm.] [BRIDGE — Music drops to harp and voice, vulnerable but hopeful] I thought that home was somewhere fixed, A road, a roof, a name I’d missed. But there beneath those wooden beams, I found a place I’d never dreamed. And when I rose to take my leave, They placed a sprig upon my sleeve. “Come back,” she said, “when winter’s through. There’s always room in here for you.” [FINAL CHORUS — Joyful Celtic folk crescendo, fiddle, tin whistle, bodhrán, layered harmonies] Oh, the holly knows my name, Though the seasons never stay. Every branch beneath the snow Keeps a little summer in its veins. Let the winter have its way, Let the longest night remain. There’s a fire for every wanderer, And the holly knows my name. [OUTRO — Instruments gradually fade to solo harp and tin whistle] Now every Christmas, when it snows, I take the lantern down that road. And when a stranger passes by, I leave the doorway open wide. The holly knows my name. [END — Single harp harmonic, distant church bell.]
