The Unfinished Wing

[Intro]
[Verse]
Dust motes dance in the light
Everything feels just right
Splintered workbench under my hand
The way he always planned
Faded pencil marks on the pine
Tracing every single line
A half-empty jar of tung oil
Resting after years of toil
[Pre-Chorus]
The air is thick with cedar scent
I wonder where the years all went
The clock is stuck at half past four
Behind this heavy wooden door
[Chorus]
It’s a half-carved bird in a block of oak
The secret words he never spoke
Meant for her ten years ago
Before the winter started to snow
Small wings frozen in the grain
Waiting through the sun and rain
Just a shape he couldn’t find
A piece of love he left behind
[Post-Chorus]
Left it all behind
In the grain of time
[Verse]
Shavings piled on the floor
I don’t want to leave anymore
Found his spectacles by the lathe
In this quiet, dusty grave
He was smoothing out the rough
Guess he didn’t have enough
Time to make the feathers fly
Before he had to say goodbye
[Pre-Chorus]
The chisel’s edge is getting dull
Inside this hollow, wooden hull
The upright bass begins to hum
Waiting for the day to come
[Chorus]
It’s a half-carved bird in a block of oak
The secret words he never spoke
Meant for her ten years ago
Before the winter started to snow
Small wings frozen in the grain
Waiting through the sun and rain
Just a shape he couldn’t find
A piece of love he left behind
[Bridge]
Cello swells like a rising tide
With nothing left for him to hide
He stopped right here at the beak
The wood is strong, the heart is weak
But I can see the vision clear
As if they both were standing here
Hand in hand by the sanding belt
Feeling what they always felt
[Breakdown]
Soft shaker starts to click
The candle burns a shorter wick
I pick up the knife to try
To help this wooden creature fly
Just a little shave or two
To finish what he meant to do
[Chorus]
It’s a half-carved bird in a block of oak
The secret words he never spoke
Meant for her ten years ago
Before the winter started to snow
Small wings frozen in the grain
Waiting through the sun and rain
Just a shape he couldn’t find
A piece of love he left behind
[Outro]