Morning Should Stay

[Verse 1] Second mornin' in a strange place, Couldn't sleep past half-past five, So I found me way up to the rooftop Just to watch the world arrive. There's a chill that tastes like autumn, Little bite behind the breeze, And the sun ain't cleared the mountains yet, But there's gold between the trees. Sure, it ain't exactly Vermont. These ain't quite the hills I know. But there's somethin' 'bout a mountain, child, That makes anywhere feel home. [Verse 2 — gentle piano joins] There's red along the ridgeline, There's orange down below, Yellow leaves are catchin' fire Anywhere the sunlight goes. And somewhere there's a chimney Sendin' woodsmoke through the air, And for half a breath I'm home again Before I know I'm there. Mama's probably makin' coffee. Daddy's probably up by now. Billy's swearin' at the weather. Alton's fixin' somethin' somehow. [soft laugh] Funny how the things that drove ya mad Become the things ya miss. Never thought I'd miss the mornin' cold. God... I missed this. [Chorus — warm country-folk lift] Give me sunlight on me shoulders, Give me mountains dressed in flame, Give me air so clean it hurts me lungs And trees that know me name. Give me one clear autumn mornin' With nowhere I have to be. Let the whole wide world keep turnin', child, Just leave this bit for me. I don't need forever. I don't need yesterday. Just this rooftop, These mountains, And a mornin' ought to stay. [Instrumental — acoustic guitar, fiddle enters softly] [Verse 3] Sun's above the treeline now. Lord, ya oughta see the view. Every shadow's turnin' amber. Every grey is turnin' blue. There's dew like little diamonds On the railing by me hand, And the mist is liftin' off the valleys Like the mountains understand. Maybe home's not just a farmhouse. Maybe home's not any state. Maybe home's the way the sunlight feels When ya wake up somewhere safe. Maybe home's a breath ya didn't know Ya'd been frightened still to take— [breath] And then ya fill yer lungs with morning... And yer whole damn chest don't ache. [Chorus — fuller, light drums enter] Give me sunlight on me shoulders, Give me mountains dressed in flame, Give me air so clean it hurts me lungs And trees that know me name. Give me red and gold and evergreen, Blue ridges far away. Let tomorrow worry 'bout tomorrow. I've got everything today. I don't need forever. I don't need yesterday. Just this rooftop, These mountains, And a mornin' ought to stay. [Bridge — drums disappear; piano and voice] [quietly] Funny thing about beautiful things... Ya used to know they'd end. Sun climbs up. Leaves fall down. October comes and goes again. That's why ya stand and watch 'em. That's why ya learn their names. That's why autumn means so bloody much— Because it doesn't stay the same. [a faint, almost subliminal harmony enters] But it could. [Chloe continues, as though she hasn't noticed] There's a perfect shade of golden Right there underneath me hand. [harmony] Keep it. There's a temperature this morning That feels exactly like the land Back home. [harmony] Hold it. And the sunlight's hit me shoulders Like it somehow knows me name— [harmony, barely audible] Every morning could be the same. [brief instrumental silence] [Chloe, softly] Nah. Where's the fun in that? [Verse 4 — guitar returns, but something subtly richer underneath] Still... What if autumn lasted longer? Just a day. Or maybe two. What if every morning waited Till I finished with the view? What if frost knew where to settle? What if storms knew where to go? What if every little seedling Got exactly what it needed just to grow? [she catches herself] Listen to me. Second day here, Already redesignin' spring. [soft laugh] Mama always said give Chloe Quinn A finger— She'll improve the whole damn thing. [Pre-Chorus — gentle build] So I'll leave the sun to wander. I'll let October have her way. I'll let every leaf decide for itself Exactly when it falls away. [underneath, whispered harmony] If that's what ya want. [Chloe, after a beat] Yeah, child. That's what I want. [Final Chorus ] Give me sunlight on me shoulders! Give me mountains dressed in flame! Give me air so clean I close me eyes And almost hear Vermont call me name. Give me maple red and birch-tree gold, Pine green against the grey. Give me reasons to remember Why beautiful things shouldn't stay. 'Cause tomorrow needs its sunrise. Winter needs its turn someday. And maybe loving something means, child, Ya don't make it obey. So I don't need forever. [music softens] Not today. Just this rooftop, These mountains, This sunlight... And the strength to let it change. [Outro ] Second mornin' in a strange place. Sun's warm upon me face. And for the first time since I got here... I think I might like this place. [faint harmony] We could make it home. [Chloe, quietly, watching the mountains] Maybe. [pause] But let's see what tomorrow looks like first