Widow's Spring

Dark Appalachian folk tale fused with modern progressive bluegrass and experimental Americana, Modern prog bluegrass quartet, quirky Appalachian tenor vocal, Slow, rolling 6/8 mountain rhythm, earthy and intimate, with a weathered Appalachian male lead vocal and natural Southern Appalachian phrasing, Clawhammer banjo, mountain dulcimer, fingerpicked acoustic guitar, melancholy bowed upright bass, mournful Appalachian fiddle, mandolin, dobro and subtle brushed percussion, Modal mountain melodies, minor-key inflections, old-time folk harmonies and haunting 3-part Appalachian vocals, Organic live-room recording, woody acoustic textures, restrained cinematic atmosphere, Gradually build from sparse porch-ballad intimacy into a powerful modern bluegrass ensemble without becoming polished Nashville country, Strange, folkloric, mysterious and bittersweet, with an ancient mountain feeling, Occasional fiddle drones, dulcimer motifs and low bowed bass figures recur like musical folklore

Old Widow's Spring, they call it,
Though nobody knows the why.
Some say it keeps what you give it.
Some say it takes what you hide.

[VERSE 1]
One winter night a bobcat come
Down from the upper ridge.
He hadn't had a bite in near three days
When he found her by the branch.

A red fox, lean as kindlin',
With snow dusted down her back.
She had a rabbit in her jaws
And half the mountain at her tracks.

He watched her drink the water.
She watched him from the bank.
She laid that rabbit in the snow,
And neither one of 'em ran.

[PRE-CHORUS]
Now I've heard tell the moon was red
That night behind the pine.
Some folks swear there wasn't any moon at all.

Reckon both could be right.

[CHORUS]
It ain't love till it hurts you,
Ain't love till you fear the loss.
Ain't love till you'd give the thing you want
To keep it what it was.

So run, little fox, run,
Go where the wild roads wind.
I'd rather ache from lovin' you
Than keep you by my side.

[POST-CHORUS]
Go on, little fox.
Go on.
Go where you're meant to go.

Go on, little fox.
Go on.
The mountain knows.

[VERSE 2]
After that they met there
When the creek began to thaw.
He'd leave a grouse beside the spring.
She'd leave a hare by the rock.

They never shared a den there.
Never crossed that line.
But come the first hard snowfall,
They'd sleep beneath the pine.

He'd watch her nose the snow aside.
She'd curl up near his feet.
Two wild hearts keeping company
Without ever growing tame.

[CHORUS]
It ain't love till it hurts you,
Ain't love till you fear the loss.
Ain't love till you'd give the thing you want
To keep it what it was.

So run, little fox, run,
Go where the wild roads wind.
I'd rather ache from lovin' you
Than keep you by my side.

[VERSE 3]
Come spring, she had three little ones
Hidden in a hollow tree.
The bobcat knew before she did
What that was gonna mean.

He brought her food.
Kept his distance.
Watched the den at night.
When the kits came out to chase his tail,
He'd let 'em think they won the fight.

But when they grew their red coats
And learned the mountain paths,
She took 'em down the southern slope.

He never followed after.

[VERSE 4]
That autumn come a killing frost.
The creek froze hard and white.
The bobcat went back to the spring
And stayed there half the night.

There were fox tracks in the snow,
Three little ones and one.
They led straight down toward the water.

There weren't any comin' back.

[BRIDGE]
Now I've heard tell that every year
When the blood moon climbs the ridge,
A red fox stands across that spring
Where the old black rocks divide.

She looks across the water.
The bobcat never calls.

Some say that's a love story.

Some say it ain't a story at all.

[CHORUS]
It ain't love till it hurts you,
Ain't love till you fear the loss.
Ain't love till you'd give the thing you want
To keep it what it was.

So run, little fox, run,
Go where your wild

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[INTRO | mountain dulcimer alone, modal Appalachian figure | melancholy bowed upright bass enters beneath it | faint creek ambience | intimate, weathered male vocal] They say up past the hemlock Where the laurel grows thick, There's a spring 'neath a black rock Cold enough to bite. Old Widow's Spring, they call it, Though nobody knows the why. Some say it keeps what you give it. Some say it takes what you hide. [VERSE 1] One winter night a bobcat come Down from the upper ridge. He hadn't had a bite in near three days When he found her by the branch. A red fox, lean as kindlin', With snow dusted down her back. She had a rabbit in her jaws And half the mountain at her tracks. He watched her drink the water. She watched him from the bank. She laid that rabbit in the snow, And neither one of 'em ran. [PRE-CHORUS] Now I've heard tell the moon was red That night behind the pine. Some folks swear there wasn't any moon at all. Reckon both could be right. [CHORUS] It ain't love till it hurts you, Ain't love till you fear the loss. Ain't love till you'd give the thing you want To keep it what it was. So run, little fox, run, Go where the wild roads wind. I'd rather ache from lovin' you Than keep you by my side. [POST-CHORUS] Go on, little fox. Go on. Go where you're meant to go. Go on, little fox. Go on. The mountain knows. [VERSE 2] After that they met there When the creek began to thaw. He'd leave a grouse beside the spring. She'd leave a hare by the rock. They never shared a den there. Never crossed that line. But come the first hard snowfall, They'd sleep beneath the pine. He'd watch her nose the snow aside. She'd curl up near his feet. Two wild hearts keeping company Without ever growing tame. [CHORUS] It ain't love till it hurts you, Ain't love till you fear the loss. Ain't love till you'd give the thing you want To keep it what it was. So run, little fox, run, Go where the wild roads wind. I'd rather ache from lovin' you Than keep you by my side. [VERSE 3] Come spring, she had three little ones Hidden in a hollow tree. The bobcat knew before she did What that was gonna mean. He brought her food. Kept his distance. Watched the den at night. When the kits came out to chase his tail, He'd let 'em think they won the fight. But when they grew their red coats And learned the mountain paths, She took 'em down the southern slope. He never followed after. [INSTRUMENTAL BREAK | progressive bluegrass eruption | clawhammer banjo rolls | virtuosic Appalachian fiddle | mandolin tremolo | dobro slides | bowed bass driving beneath ensemble | dulcimer motif woven through arrangement | brief rhythmic acceleration] [VERSE 4] That autumn come a killing frost. The creek froze hard and white. The bobcat went back to the spring And stayed there half the night. There were fox tracks in the snow, Three little ones and one. They led straight down toward the water. There weren't any comin' back. [BRIDGE] Now I've heard tell that every year When the blood moon climbs the ridge, A red fox stands across that spring Where the old black rocks divide. She looks across the water. The bobcat never calls. Some say that's a love story. Some say it ain't a story at all. [CHORUS] It ain't love till it hurts you, Ain't love till you fear the loss. Ain't love till you'd give the thing you want To keep it what it was. So run, little fox, run, Go where your wild

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