Foothills of My Father

The steam from the pines rises fast and bellows bold
The freeze that slows the streams turns the Blue Ridge gold
And as the day breaks
The sky and I separate
It's like watching a heart break in two
This is nothing new

I've burned all the cords I saved for winter
This house feels so much colder alone
Mornings don't mean a thing to me
These birds don't sing for me
They cry and call your name into the dawn
Remembering every morning that you're gone

The foothills of my father take no mercy
They leave whatever's left battered and blue
I think I lost my innocence long before I held a lover
And I held on too long after you

I would've bet your silhouette was still in the old door frame
Where you would gaze for days at the pouring rain
Waking up to the hard truth
Hail clanging on the old tin roof
These boards are barely hanging on

The foothills of my father take no mercy
They leave whatever's left battered and blue
I think I lost my innocence long before I held a lover
And I held on too long after you

When the snow hides the leaves on the cold dark ground
I'll find you in the stillness of the winter sound
I won't rest til I see the smile that stills my old heart worn
And you and I are forevermore

The foothills of my father take no mercy
They leave whatever's left battered and blue
I think I lost my innocence long before I held a lover
And I held on too long after you
I held on too long after you