THE SHELTERING TREE

Green is the color I hold in my heart
The little white dove flies fast in the dark
Around the old oak, I wrap ribbon that's green
Planted by my grandfather as the sheltering tree

The oldest oak to stand on the earth
Grew deep in the heart of an evergreen forest
To hold itself down, its roots ran for miles
Wrapped around one another, endlessly entwined

The wind's picking up, I hear a voice call
To go underground, deep into the dark
Little white flowers tremble beneath
Growing up from the roots of the sheltering tree

Where the road turns is where I look up
I sing from my heart, the sky is my song
You speak in green when the spring is still new
I am the storm where the gold sun slips through

There's a hole that I found that goes into my chest
Deep underground, even under my breath
Now that it's opened, I follow it down
I hear my heart beating in the underground

Every great thing that has since come to be
Has grown from the roots of the sheltering tree
The blue and the green, endlessly entwined
From the most broken heart, shines the brightest green light

When you are lost, just take my hand
The little white dove flies on searching for land
When she surrenders, she is not giving up
She simply remembers the beat of her heart

When I was young, I had these dreams
Of the black, churning sea devouring me
When the road falls dark, and you've lost your song
I'll reach out my hand for you to hold on

I'll always be there to follow you down
Our hearts are like roots, entwined underground
If you find yourself lost, just call out to me
When you are the blue, I'll be the green

No matter how far, no matter how long
No matter the sorrows or storms that may come
I'll reach out my hand when you're down in the flood
You'll know that it's me by the color of my heart.