[Intro: wind, distant caw, nylon acoustic, very quiet, warm low Hammond ] [Female Vocal: fragile whisper, intimate] It was never in the sky... [Verse 1: fragile, fingerpicked nylon acoustic + soft flute far away+ Hammond] I followed the crow where the two rivers part Past the oak where I left my rusted heart Through thorn and through ash where the crossroad ends To the tree that grows backwards, where nothing mends No leaves, only names, hanging thin on thread Every whisper I lost, every word left unsaid Every name that I was before I was taught All shivering there in the cold they had caught [Pre-Chorus: warm low Hammond enters, gentle swell] [Female Vocal: soft, emotional] And there in the middle My own name still burned Not stolen, but waiting For me to return [Chorus: open, emotional but restrained] [Female Vocal: intimate, close] Oh I found the nest where names are kept Where the crow folds silence into sleep I saw my true name, not taken, not lost Just waiting for roots that go deep Sing to the oak And weep to the river One holds the sorrow One takes it forever [Verse 2: soft drums enter, slightly stronger] I didn't shine, I didn't cry It sounded like me when no one was close by Like the voice I used when the house was asleep Before I was taught how small to keep The crow looked down, not cruel, not kind A keeper, not thief, of the peace of mind "You left them here," she said with her eyes The crow was a she - just like me [Pre-Chorus 2: building, flute answers Hammond] So I took my true name Not back to my chest I pressed it in bark Where the oak meets its nest [Bridge: HEAVY, Flute vs Hammond Battle, blues-rock power] [Female Vocal: Full Power Belt, Strong] [Electric guitars join, overdriven Hammond, screaming flute through amp] I carved it deep where the river can't take it! I gave it to wood where the crow can't break it! Let the water run cold with the names that deceive Let the oak keep the one I finally believe! [Final Chorus: FULL progressive folk-rock power, all instruments] [Female Vocal: Powerful, soaring, emotional] Now sing to the oak And drink from the river One holds the past One takes it forever What I gave to the water Has finally returned What I gave to the tree Will continue to burn! My true name is not what they wrote Not what was stolen, not what was spoke My true name is what the oak now keeps While the crow watches over my sleep [Outro: mirrors Intro of first song, acoustic + thunder cellos fading, fragile whisper] [Female Vocal: whisper, fragile] There is a time after the names... Where an old oak stands where two rivers meet... And it knows me.
