[Verse 1] Old man lay with his hands crossed wrong, Right on the left, left on the strong, Said, “I see farther than my eyes can tell, The younger wind’s got a longer trail.” Room smelled like dust and olive oil, Promises earned by years of toil, He blessed the ones he’d never be, Said, “Take this road and carry me.” [Chorus] The bones know the way when the map gives out, When the night leans heavy and the fire burns low, What was meant for harm turns around somehow, The bones know the way, the bones know. [Verse 2] Brother stood shaking in borrowed peace, Waiting for vengeance that never speaks, But mercy walked in wearing Joseph’s face, Said, “What you broke found a wider grace.” Tears hit the floor like a sudden rain, Washed off the years, washed off the blame, He said, “I’m not God, I won’t play that part, I’ll leave the judging to a wiser heart.” [Chorus] The bones know the way when the map gives out, When the past comes knocking with a loaded tone, What was buried deep finds breath somehow, The bones know the way back home. [Verse 3] Father said, “Bury me where the roots run deep, Don’t leave me here where the shadows sleep, When you head north where the wild winds roam, Take my bones when you’re going home.” So they wrapped him up in a traveling vow, Faith folded thin like a field-worn shroud, Every ending just a seed in the ground, Waiting on the right kind of sound. [Bridge] I said, “Keep me safe when the ground gives way, You’re the only song I know how to play, My portion ain’t gold, it ain’t land or wine, It’s the joy that hums when I fall in line.” Even death can’t steal the tune, Even the dark still dances to it too, There’s a path that glows when the lights go dim, And I put my trust in the length of it. [Chorus] Yeah, the bones know the way when the map gives out, When the clock runs dry and the plans unwind, What was meant for harm turns around somehow, Leaves a better road behind. [Outro] So lay me down where the stories meet, With dust on my hands and dirt on my feet, When the morning breaks and the veil is torn, I’ll rise in the laugh of a brighter dawn. Till then I’ll walk where the faithful roam, With a borrowed breath and a promised tone— The bones know the way, Yeah, the bones know the way home.
