01 - The Day They Came

[Intro] Soft morning, cold air Smoke rising, someone there Little footsteps on the floor Love was living by the door [Verse 1] Morning on the reserve Smoke in the cold blue air Children laughing by the doorway Love was living there A mother tied the coats up A father walked the land A brother held a slingshot A sister held her hand [Chorus] They came with papers They came with names They came with rules And left with pain They took little birds from the nest Left a mother with an empty chest A father came home to silence and rain And nothing ever sounded the same [Verse 2] They judged the worn-out cupboards They judged the old wood chairs But they never saw the prayers That had been living there They never saw the laughter They never heard the songs They never asked the children Where their hearts belonged [Chorus] They came with papers They came with names They came with rules And left with pain They took little birds from the nest Left a mother with an empty chest A father came home to silence and rain And nothing ever sounded the same [Bridge] A house can need repair And still be full of care A family can be poor And still be rich in love Do not judge the doorway If you never knew the room Do not call it saving When you leave a home in ruin [Final Chorus] They came with papers They came with names They came with rules And left with pain They took little birds from the nest Left a mother with an empty chest A father came home to silence and rain And nothing ever sounded the same [Outro] Soft morning, cold air One less voice was living there