The Tree Was Cut Down (Daniel 4)

[Verse 1] A great tree rose above the nations Branches black against the sun Every creature gathered underneath Certain no fall could ever come Gold and marble lined the kingdom Voices thundered through the square Every banner carried his image Every mouth repeated prayer [Pre-Chorus] He walked the walls of shining towers Certain heaven favored him [Chorus] Then watchers spoke beyond the silence: “Cut it down and leave the stump there.” No hand was seen upon the axe Still the branches split the air Iron wrapped around the roots Rain replaced the royal sound The man who rose beyond all measure Watched the mighty tree cut down [Verse 2] The palace lights kept burning brightly Long after he had disappeared Marble halls still held his echo But no command remained to hear Out beyond the gates of power Far beyond the reach of gold Something in him came unraveled Left to weather, dirt, and cold [Pre-Chorus] Seven seasons through confusion Still insisting he could see Speaking crowns into the darkness Calling weakness victory [Chorus] Then watchers spoke beyond the silence: “Cut it down and leave the stump there.” No army climbed the palace walls Still the kingdom felt the tear Grass and mud beneath his fingernails Rain upon the fallen crown The man who stood above the nations Learned the earth still pulls men down [Bridge] The tree was never truly endless Only tall enough to sway Every empire casts a shadow Every shadow fades away [Final Chorus] Still the watchers keep their silence Still the roots remain below Iron bound around the remnant Waiting through the coming cold And somewhere past the broken branches Past the gold and borrowed throne A man looked up beyond himself And finally stood alone