[Universal Intro: Slow, spacious fingerstyle acoustic guitar starts, joined by a gentle, weeping fiddle after two bars] [Verse 1] [Vocal: Intimate, close-miced, unhurried contralto] The fog hangs low on the redwood crest The day is folding its arms to rest I pack my thoughts in an old canvas bag And watch the shadows on the ridge-line lag. [Verse 2] [Instrumental: Mandolin weaves a delicate counter-melody between the lines] It’s been five years since I walked this trail The pine needles soft, the air turning pale You always said that the hills knew our names Before the winter and the seasons changed. [Chorus] [Vocal: Warm, resonant, with soft two-part close harmonies on the last two lines] Oh, the wind sings a song that I used to know Over the valley where the wild rivers flow And the miles stretch out like a long silver thread To the quiet country where the heart is led. [Instrumental Interlude] [Solo: A soulful, understated fiddle melody takes the lead, mimicking the chorus melody; acoustic guitar keeps a steady, fluid fingerstyle rhythm] [Verse 3] [Vocal: Gentle, conversational delivery] There’s a light burning bright in the cabin window Casting its warmth on the freshly fallen snow I stand at the gate with my hand on the latch Wondering if time is a ghost we can’t catch. [Chorus] [Vocal: Fuller harmony, rich and comforting] Oh, the wind sings a song that I used to know Over the valley where the wild rivers flow And the miles stretch out like a long silver thread To the quiet country where the heart is led. [Bridge] [Tempo: Slightly shifts, slowing down for emphasis; instrumentation drops to just a softly picked guitar] And it’s a long way back to the start of the line When you’re trading the gold for the passage of time But the river don't care what you leave on the shore... [Fiddle swells back in gently] It just keeps on moving to the ocean floor. [Guitar and Mandolin Break] [Solo: A bright, woody mandolin solo, trading licks with the acoustic guitar for 8 bars] [Verse 4] [Vocal: Quiet, reflective, deeply emotional] So I’ll leave a small stone by the base of the tree A token of what you once meant to me The fog’s rolling in and the night’s coming fast But I’m finally learning to let go of the past. [Chorus] [Vocal: Maximum emotional resonance, harmonies clear and sweet] Oh, the wind sings a song that I used to know Over the valley where the wild rivers flow And the miles stretch out like a long silver thread To the quiet country where the heart is led. [Outro] [Vocal: Pacing slows down significantly, fading to a near whisper] Where the heart is led... Yeah, the heart is led. [Instrumental Outro: The vocals fade completely. The acoustic guitar plays a slow, descending fingerstyle pattern, accompanied by a final, sustaining fiddle note that gently fades into silence] [End]
