Stranger in the Stream

[Bright 12-String Acoustic Intro] (Clear, fingerpicked acoustic guitar) [Verse 1] A sudden breeze can cut the layers through, And bring the smell of gardens that I knew. I wonder if the trail will guide me home, To walk the quiet dirt I used to roam. [Pre-Chorus] The heavy fog rolls thick across the pine, And washes out the jagged timberline. Beneath the ancient boughs that guard the ground, A breathless kind of silence wraps around. [Soaring Chorus] (Vocals lifting, warm harmonies join in) I stand and watch the fading embers glow, Across the muddy trails I used to know. I drew a breath and packed the miles so small, So I could walk away and bear it all. (Ooh... so I could walk away and bear it all) [Verse 2] (Gentle acoustic strumming) I run the mountain path until I sweat, And lay the heavy syllables to rest. But as the winter settles in my hair, How much of what I carry can I bear? [Pre-Chorus 2] The fire fades to ashes in the cold, To swallow up the words we left untold. And as the daylight bleeds into the gray, We let the forest wash the world away. [Soaring Chorus] (Sweeping melody, rich acoustic sound) Beyond the final river I have crossed, I measured out the wilderness I lost. I drew a breath and packed the miles so small, So I could walk away and bear it all. [Acoustic Native American Flute Solo] (Nostalgic Flute Solo) [Bridge] What phantom echo shivers in the wood? Where misty pines and ancient cedars stood! I crave the simple solace of the trail, And draw my collar tight against the gale. [Acoustic Native American Flute Solo] (Nostalgic Flute Solo) [Outro] And when I kneel beside the glacial stream, To wash my face and wake up from the dream, Will it be my reflection that I see... Or just a stranger staring back at me? (Gentle background harmonies: "reflection that I see...") ...Or just a stranger staring back at me? [Ending] (Fading out with a slow, gentle acoustic strum)