[Intro — intimate fingerpicked acoustic guitar] [Verse 1 — low, close, weathered male vocal] Where the tall pines lean To the river below, And the canyon keeps secrets Only broken hearts know. There’s a light in the darkness, There’s a name in the breeze— There are more stars than people Out here in these trees. [Pre-Chorus — subtle bass enters] Some souls burn brighter Than this old world can hold, But love doesn’t leave us When the night turns cold. [Chorus — soulful emotional lift] You’re in the firelight, You’re in the river’s roll, In every wild place That can still heal a soul. When the road gets heavy And we don’t understand, We look toward the heavens And still feel your hand. More stars, less people, Where the wild hearts run free— If there’s a little piece of heaven, That’s where you’ll be. [Instrumental Turn — resonator guitar] [Verse 2 — acoustic guitar with low foot stomp] We built something beautiful From the weight of the ache— A home for the weary, A breath they can take. Every laugh by the fire, Every tear in the rain, Turns a little of the sorrow Into love once again. [Pre-Chorus — vocal begins to open] Because some souls burn brighter Than this old world can hold, And love keeps on burning Long after they go. [Chorus — stronger, restrained harmonies] You’re in the firelight, You’re in the river’s roll, In every wild place That can still heal a soul. When the road gets heavy And we don’t understand, We look toward the heavens And still feel your hand. More stars, less people, Where the wild hearts run free— If there’s a little piece of heaven, That’s where you’ll be. [Bridge — instruments fall away, raw and vulnerable] River, keep rolling. Time, do what you do. You can carry the heartache, But you can’t take the truth: You were here. You were loved. You’re in all that we’ve found. And the light that you left us Is still shining down. [Final Chorus — full soulful release] You’re in the firelight, You’re in the river’s roll, In every heart that comes here And remembers it’s whole. When the weight of this world Brings us down to our knees, We find God in the stillness, In the stars and the trees. More stars, less people, Where the wild hearts run free— If there’s a little piece of heaven, That’s where you’ll be. [Outro — instruments fall away, nearly a cappella] More stars… Less people… That’s where you’ll be. [Acoustic guitar rings out]
