Plant the Shade for a Stranger

[Intro: fingerpicked guitar, melodic bass pulse] [Verse 1: gentle syncopated baritone] There's an empty patch beside the road Where summer burns the earth below I planted something small today And watered it before the rain A neighbor asked me why I'd care When years must pass before there's shade [Pre-Chorus: ascending vocal thirds] Not every gift we leave behind Is meant to flower in our time [Chorus: soaring major-key melody] I'll plant the shade for a stranger Let the roots grow deep and strong Someone that I'll never meet Might rest here when I'm gone We don't have to see the harvest To believe the seeds are good I'll make tomorrow a little kinder Everywhere I could [Break: slap bass, polyrhythmic toms] [Verse 2: warm melodic phrasing] I picked up litter by the creek Helped restore the old park seats Small repairs to places where A future stranger might find peace [Bridge: half-time, layered harmony] Maybe I won't see the branches rise But someone will enjoy the sky [Final Chorus: epic cathartic lift] I'll plant the shade for a stranger Let the future find a friend A little care for lives beyond us Is a kindness without end [Outro: resolving guitar counterpoint]