Sweet wood-smoke

Sweet wood-smoke

By the last rays of the sun
I caught a glint of evening gold
Another day is almost done
And I am nearly home

From the hill I can see it all
All the secret places tucked away
The road to the heartbeat and the little stall
Selling melons on a dusty day

We sleep under the same moon
And we dream under the same stars
We might even hear the same birdsong
And I wonder how you are

I think I’ll light a fire
And I’ll sit between the trees
I love the smell of the sweet wood-smoke
And the guitar upon my knees

(A gentle hum… oh-ho, ah-hah-hah, ha-hah…)

We both have friends in the valley
And their children come to play
I often see you when I’m dreaming
But not so often in the day

The moon was very full last night
She had a lot of things to say
I love the smell of the sweet wood-smoke
It makes me feel things are OK

Christ Jesus lives upon this mountain
Up here on Calvary Hill
I can hear his prayers from my bedroom
When the night is very still

And Mary lives inside the forest
I saw her dancing on the stream
I know they love you very much
They always mention that to me

(A gentle hum… oh-ho, ah-hah-hah, ha-hah…)

The little shop
With the healthy stuff
The amazing panorama
And the faithful blue bus

The poppy seeds
And the sacred stream
The cooking fire
And the prophecy

I kept you warm
And you graced me
But now we’re strangers
In infinity

You loved me
And left me
These things…
They impress themselves upon me

(A gentle hum… oh-ho, ah-hah-hah, ha-hah…)

This mountain has a message
I heard it call to me
Two thousand years ago or more
When you loved me

I want to learn God’s language
And play God’s symphony
I’m just a guy with an old guitar
So please forgive me

But there’s more to it than that
There’s an ancient echo in our souls
We all of us go down to the river
To be anointed with the oil

That’s what brings renewal
That’s what brings the fire
I love the smell of the sweet wood-smoke
And the song of my guitar

(A gentle hum… oh-ho, ah-hah-hah, ha-hah…)

I can see the railway station
And the valley super-store
A deer could leave my garden
And turn up at your door

I can see your childhood in the stars
Your black stallion roaming, still
Once there was, and once there wasn’t
A white temple on the hill

We used to meet there in the ether
After the Mystery School
From up here I think I see it
Hidden in the moon

I love to go down to the city
And say hello to friends
Sometimes it thunders on the river
When I hear your name again

(A gentle hum… oh-ho, ah-hah-hah, ha-hah…)

Seven years
And seven days
So much unravelling now
In so many ways

The right love
In the right way
But the wrong timing
Didn’t you say?

But love is love
And truth is truth
I know you’re busy
I’m just thinking of you

It must be karma
A trial by love
So I still keep my vow
That I made before God

(A gentle hum… oh-ho, ah-hah-hah, ha-hah…)

I reckon I’m nearly done
Gathering up my soul again
I think it’s all in one place now
So I can put some new roots down

I know you don’t know me any more
And I guess I don’t know you
But for some ‘don’t know’ reasons
I still love you

If I knew where your door was
I could wave to you discreetly
Well anyway, I blow a kiss and a blessing
When I’m in the vicinity

Just a mile down the dusty road
Connects my village to yours
I wonder if you can smell the same sweet wood-smoke
When you open up your doors

(A gentle hum… oh-ho, ah-hah-hah, ha-hah…)