[Intro: Low rhythmic acoustic guitar, distant foot stomps, deep humming] [Verse 1] We built a fire against the cold, Raised our children, watched them grow. Followed rivers, crossed the plains, Learned to live through wind and rain. Every sunrise had a price, Every harvest kept us alive. And the world was wide and wild, Through the eyes of every child. [Pre-Chorus: Guitar rhythm intensifies] Now the fire burns behind the wall, And the rain don't touch us much at all. We've got everything we need, But there's something we can't see. [Chorus: Powerful raspy vocals, driving acoustic strumming] There's a wilderness within, Calling out beneath my skin. Something old that won't let go, Of a world I used to know. We built a shelter from the storm, Found a way to keep us warm. But somewhere in the lives we live, We lost the wilderness within. [Verse 2] We don't chase the setting sun, Don't know where the rivers run. Got our food behind a door, Never wonder anymore. Got a thousand ways to play, A thousand things to fill the day. But when the silence settles in, We go looking for noise again. [Pre-Chorus] We made the world a safer place, Put a screen before our face. And the things we used to fear, Are the things we volunteer. [Chorus] There's a wilderness within, Calling out beneath my skin. Something old that won't let go, Of a world I used to know. We built a shelter from the storm, Found a way to keep us warm. But somewhere in the lives we live, We lost the wilderness within. [Instrumental: Driving acoustic guitar, rhythmic foot stomps, mandolin picking, raw harmonica] [Verse 3] Now we climb the highest mountains, Just to feel the air grow thin. Run for miles without a reason, Just to feel our hearts again. We go camping in the forest, Leave the comforts of our home. Spend a fortune to remember, How it feels to be alone. [Pre-Chorus: Vocals become increasingly strained] Maybe struggle isn't punishment, Maybe comfort isn't peace. Maybe something deep inside us, Needs a reason to believe. [Bridge: Music drops to a single acoustic guitar, intimate raspy vocals] I don't wish for hungry children, I don't long for bitter cold. I don't want the world to suffer, Just to make our spirits bold. But there's a difference between living, And just waiting for the end. And a life without a mountain, Leaves us nowhere left to climb. [Final Chorus: Full acoustic arrangement, passionate raw vocals] There's a wilderness within, Calling out beneath my skin. Not a place I need to go, But a part I need to know. We can shelter from the storm, Keep our children safe and warm. But don't forget the fire that lives, Deep inside the wilderness within. [Outro: Percussion fades, fingerpicked acoustic guitar returns] Let the children climb the hillside, Let them fall and rise again. Let them learn to build a fire, And to lend a helping hand. For the world will keep on turning, And the storms will come again. We don't have to live in fear, Of the wilderness within. [Softly spoken] Maybe we weren't meant to conquer it. Maybe we were meant to understand it. [End: Single resonant acoustic guitar chord]
