Where the Trees Once Stood

Viking sea shanty, war drum, male vocals

Then the saws came through the timber,
And the old woods disappeared,
One by one they hit the ground
Like the things we hold most dear.
We stacked the logs beside the road,
Watched the trucks haul them away,
And I wondered what was left of me
When the forest lost its name.

*Chorus*
**I’m still looking for my calling
Where the trees once stood,
Trying to find a little meaning
In the things I never understood.
Sometimes life comes like a chainsaw,
Sometimes it burns like flame,
But a forest ain't finished dying
Just because it lost its shade.**

*Verse 2*
Then one summer lightning struck
And the mountain turned to red,
Smoke rolled down the valley
Like a blanket over our heads.
The fire climbed the ridges,
Turned the branches into coal,
And every little creature
Ran for somewhere it could go.

I stood there in the ashes
With the black dust on my hands,
Wondering why the good Lord
Would let fire cross the land.
Then I saw a little green shoot
Breaking through the broken ground,
And something deep inside me said,
**“Boy, you're not finished now.”**

*Verse 3*
Maybe I was meant to plant things
I would never live to see.
Maybe I was meant to build a path
For somebody after me.
Maybe all those fallen giants
Had a lesson in their rings:
That a life ain't measured only
By the shelter that it brings.

Some trees become a cabin,
Some become a child's toy,
Some become a church pew
Where a broken heart finds joy.
And some are burned to ashes
Before their purpose can be known—
But the roots beneath the darkness
Still remember how to grow.

*Bridge*
So if you're standing in the timber
And you don't know where to go,
If your dreams are lying broken
Like the branches down below,
Don't confuse the falling timber
With the ending of the story.

**Sometimes God clears the forest
So you finally see the sky.**

*Final Chorus*
**I'm still finding my calling
Where the trees once stood,
Trying to turn the scars of yesterday
Into something that is good.
Life can come with chainsaws,
Life can come with flame,
But even through the ashes
Something green can rise again.

So I'll walk into the clearing,
I'll take whatever comes,
I'll plant another forest
Beneath the rising sun.
And when somebody asks me
What I was searching for,
I'll say, “I finally found my calling—
I was meant to grow something more.”**

*Outro*
Where the trees once stood,
Where the fire used to run,
There's a man standing in the clearing
Looking straight into the sun.

He finally knows his purpose.

**And he's just begun.**

3066/7500

*Verse 1* I grew up where the pine trees Touched the bottom of the sky, Where the morning smelled like cedar And the hawks would circle high. Daddy taught me how to swing an axe, How to read the grain and wood, Said, “Son, every tree has got a purpose If you learn to see it good.” Then the saws came through the timber, And the old woods disappeared, One by one they hit the ground Like the things we hold most dear. We stacked the logs beside the road, Watched the trucks haul them away, And I wondered what was left of me When the forest lost its name. *Chorus* **I’m still looking for my calling Where the trees once stood, Trying to find a little meaning In the things I never understood. Sometimes life comes like a chainsaw, Sometimes it burns like flame, But a forest ain't finished dying Just because it lost its shade.** *Verse 2* Then one summer lightning struck And the mountain turned to red, Smoke rolled down the valley Like a blanket over our heads. The fire climbed the ridges, Turned the branches into coal, And every little creature Ran for somewhere it could go. I stood there in the ashes With the black dust on my hands, Wondering why the good Lord Would let fire cross the land. Then I saw a little green shoot Breaking through the broken ground, And something deep inside me said, **“Boy, you're not finished now.”** *Chorus* **I’m still looking for my calling Where the trees once stood, Trying to find a little meaning In the things I never understood. Sometimes life comes like a chainsaw, Sometimes it burns like flame, But a forest ain't finished dying Just because it lost its shade.** *Verse 3* Maybe I was meant to plant things I would never live to see. Maybe I was meant to build a path For somebody after me. Maybe all those fallen giants Had a lesson in their rings: That a life ain't measured only By the shelter that it brings. Some trees become a cabin, Some become a child's toy, Some become a church pew Where a broken heart finds joy. And some are burned to ashes Before their purpose can be known— But the roots beneath the darkness Still remember how to grow. *Bridge* So if you're standing in the timber And you don't know where to go, If your dreams are lying broken Like the branches down below, Don't confuse the falling timber With the ending of the story. **Sometimes God clears the forest So you finally see the sky.** *Final Chorus* **I'm still finding my calling Where the trees once stood, Trying to turn the scars of yesterday Into something that is good. Life can come with chainsaws, Life can come with flame, But even through the ashes Something green can rise again. So I'll walk into the clearing, I'll take whatever comes, I'll plant another forest Beneath the rising sun. And when somebody asks me What I was searching for, I'll say, “I finally found my calling— I was meant to grow something more.”** *Outro* Where the trees once stood, Where the fire used to run, There's a man standing in the clearing Looking straight into the sun. He finally knows his purpose. **And he's just begun.**

0/500