The Silver Birch

[Introduction] [Acoustic guitar picking, soft mallet tom heartbeat, 120 BPM] [Verse 1] [fairy-like storytelling] I met her where the wild ferns grow Where the silver water starts to flow She wore the moss like a velvet gown And wove the stars into a crown She laughed at me, a playful sound And danced without a touch of ground I offered gold, I offered bread She only shook her leafy head [Pre-Chorus] [Guitar builds, tom-drums grow heavier] "Oh traveler," she whispered low, "I am the wind, I am the snow. You cannot catch what is meant to flee..." But oh, I wished that she loved me. [Chorus] [Symphonic chorus enters, powerful mallet toms, crystal clear fairy vocals] Silver bark and leaves of jade, Born of light and softly made. She dances through the autumn rain, A ghost of joy, a breath of pain. You cannot bind a shifting breeze, Or chain the whisper of the trees. [Verse 2] [fairy-like storytelling] [Music drops back to soft acoustic guitar] I built a fence of iron and stone To keep her safe, to make her my own I brought her ribbons of silk and blue But with every gift, her spirit flew Her silver skin began to fade The joyful maid became a shade She didn't cry, she didn't speak Just pressed a cold leaf to my cheek [Chorus] [Symphonic chorus, driving mallet toms, full emotional range] Silver bark and leaves of jade, Born of light and softly made. She dances through the autumn rain, A ghost of joy, a breath of pain. You cannot bind a shifting breeze, Or chain the whisper of the trees. [Bridge] [slow fairy-like storytelling] [Vocals become ethereal, fading guitars, swelling symphonic strings] And with the first of winter's frost The cage was open, the maiden lost No tracks in snow, no branch in place Just winter's cold, silent embrace... I learned too late, to love a sprite Is to try and hold the morning light. [Outro] [Soft acoustic guitar, fading mallet heartbeats, whispering fairy vocals] Where the wild ferns grow... Where the silver water starts to flow... She is free. [Fade out]