Fate

### Verse 1

I was born where the black river bends,
Where the pines lean low in the rain,
Mama said, “Son, every road has an ending,”
But she never said endings bring pain.
I carried my dreams in a flour-sack pocket,
With a heart too restless to stay,
But the wind knew my name before I could run,
And fate was already on its way.

### Chorus

Oh, fate is a wheel on a cold mountain road,
Turning whether you’re ready or not,
You can pray for the hand that you wanted to hold,
But you live with the hand that you got.
I’ve cursed every mile, I’ve begged heaven why,
I’ve fought till my hands were torn through—
But the harder I ran from the shadow behind me,
The closer that shadow grew.

### Verse 2

There was a girl with the sun in her laughter,
And eyes like the Tennessee rain,
We swore by the stars we would never be parted,
Like love could put shackles on change.
Then one winter night came a knock at the doorway,
And silence walked in with the snow,
By morning the church bell was calling her name,
And I learned what the dead already know.

### Chorus

### Bridge

So I climbed to the ridge where the old crosses stand,
With the valley asleep far below,
And I shouted her name till my voice disappeared
In a wind that had nowhere to go.
Maybe fate ain’t a judge, maybe fate ain’t a thief,
Maybe no one is pulling the strings—
Maybe we’re leaves on a dark-running river,
Holding on to impossible things.

### Verse 3

Now the years lie behind me like fence posts at dusk,
Every one marking something I lost,
And the lines on my face are the roads I have taken,
Every choice and every cost.
Still I hear that old fiddle when night settles in,
Like a voice from a long vanished day,
And I wonder if somewhere beyond this old mountain
She’s waiting at the end of my way.

### Final Chorus

Oh, fate is a wheel on a cold mountain road,
And someday it carries us home,
Past the graves and the promises, heartache and snow,
Past the places we wandered alone.
I won’t curse every mile, I won’t beg heaven why,
There are answers no living man knew—
When the last string is trembling and silence comes down,
I’ll follow that shadow to you.

### Outro

So play that old fiddle,
Let the high lonesome cry—
Some roads are chosen,
And some choose our lives.

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### Verse 1 I was born where the black river bends, Where the pines lean low in the rain, Mama said, “Son, every road has an ending,” But she never said endings bring pain. I carried my dreams in a flour-sack pocket, With a heart too restless to stay, But the wind knew my name before I could run, And fate was already on its way. ### Chorus Oh, fate is a wheel on a cold mountain road, Turning whether you’re ready or not, You can pray for the hand that you wanted to hold, But you live with the hand that you got. I’ve cursed every mile, I’ve begged heaven why, I’ve fought till my hands were torn through— But the harder I ran from the shadow behind me, The closer that shadow grew. ### Verse 2 There was a girl with the sun in her laughter, And eyes like the Tennessee rain, We swore by the stars we would never be parted, Like love could put shackles on change. Then one winter night came a knock at the doorway, And silence walked in with the snow, By morning the church bell was calling her name, And I learned what the dead already know. ### Chorus Oh, fate is a wheel on a cold mountain road, Turning whether you’re ready or not, You can pray for the hand that you wanted to hold, But you live with the hand that you got. I’ve cursed every mile, I’ve begged heaven why, I’ve fought till my hands were torn through— But the harder I ran from the shadow behind me, The closer that shadow grew. ### Bridge So I climbed to the ridge where the old crosses stand, With the valley asleep far below, And I shouted her name till my voice disappeared In a wind that had nowhere to go. Maybe fate ain’t a judge, maybe fate ain’t a thief, Maybe no one is pulling the strings— Maybe we’re leaves on a dark-running river, Holding on to impossible things. ### Verse 3 Now the years lie behind me like fence posts at dusk, Every one marking something I lost, And the lines on my face are the roads I have taken, Every choice and every cost. Still I hear that old fiddle when night settles in, Like a voice from a long vanished day, And I wonder if somewhere beyond this old mountain She’s waiting at the end of my way. ### Final Chorus Oh, fate is a wheel on a cold mountain road, And someday it carries us home, Past the graves and the promises, heartache and snow, Past the places we wandered alone. I won’t curse every mile, I won’t beg heaven why, There are answers no living man knew— When the last string is trembling and silence comes down, I’ll follow that shadow to you. ### Outro So play that old fiddle, Let the high lonesome cry— Some roads are chosen, And some choose our lives.

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