Mason Jar Gold

[Intro]
[Verse]
Ten years of white lines and the neon hum
I was a hollow shell and a beating drum
Crossed the bridge where the rafters meet the sky
Wiped the highway soot right from my eye
The gravel crunch is a melody I missed
Like a story that the river finally hissed
My boots are thin but the spirit’s feeling heavy
Walking down the slope toward the grassy levee
[Pre-Chorus]
I hear the banjo start to claw and climb
Like a clock that’s finally found the time
The smell of woodsmoke and the summer’s end
Welcoming me back like an old-time friend
[Chorus]
Oh, pass the cider in the cracked glass jar
Doesn't matter where you've been or who you are
It’s the index cards and the grease-stained grace
Finding my heart in a familiar place
The late August heat is a heavy gold
A story that never gets too old
[Post-Chorus]
Home again, home again, let the circle wide
Nowhere left for a wandering man to hide
[Verse]
Mrs. Miller brought the rhubarb and the ham
I’m forgetting every single place I am
I see the ink on a card from ‘84
Same recipe she carried through the door
I spent a decade chasing ghosts and strings
Forgetting how a simple spirit sings
Now the mandolin is chopping out the beat
And the dust is dancing off our tired feet
[Pre-Chorus]
The fiddle trills a lonesome, joyful sound
Rising up from the Pennsylvania ground
The shaker keeps the rhythm of the soul
Making every broken piece feel whole
[Chorus]
Oh, pass the cider in the cracked glass jar
Doesn't matter where you've been or who you are
It’s the index cards and the grease-stained grace
Finding my heart in a familiar place
The late August heat is a heavy gold
A story that never gets too old
[Bridge]
I was a stranger in a thousand towns
Trading up my smiles for the lonely downs
But the three-part harmony is ringing loud
Clearer than the thunder in a summer cloud
No more stages, just the grass and wood
I’m staying here for the sake of good
Yeah, I’m staying here for the sake of good
[Solo]
[Verse]
The sun is dipping low behind the pines
Casting shadows on the long and folding lines
Of the neighbors that I thought I’d left behind
Now they’re the only ones I want to find
We’re folding up the tables one by one
Knowing that the work is finally done
I’ll take the long way to my father’s gate
Knowing that it’s never quite too late
[Chorus]
Oh, pass the cider in the cracked glass jar
Doesn't matter where you've been or who you are
It’s the index cards and the grease-stained grace
Finding my heart in a familiar place
The late August heat is a heavy gold
A story that never gets too old
[Post-Chorus]
Home again, home again, let the circle wide
Nowhere left for a wandering man to hide
Home again, home again, feel the rising tide
With the whole damn valley on my side
[Outro]