The Cedar Sparrow

[Intro]
[Verse]
The garage door is stuck
Requires a little luck
To pull back the years
And the quiet fears
Thirty-eight years in my skin
Where do I begin?
The workbench is scarred
In the back of the yard
[Pre-Chorus]
I smell the old cedar
The ghost of a leader
Who spoke with his palms
In the afternoon calms
[Verse]
A block of raw pine
With a jagged line
A sparrow’s small head
Where the pencil led
The knife edge is cold
In a grip that was old
He stopped at the beak
In a moment so weak
[Chorus]
It’s the quiet things we leave
Tucked inside a sleeve
The half-carved wood
That he understood
Was enough for the day
Before he walked away
[Verse]
Linseed oil on the floor
Near the heavy door
A jar full of nails
And the old tall tales
But the truth is right here
In the salt of a tear
The shavings are deep
Like a secret to keep
[Bridge]
History wants the gold
And the stories told
But the heart stays true
In the work we do
When nobody is there
In the silent prayer
The beauty is found
On the dusty ground
[Verse]
I touch the unfinished wing
Hear the silence sing
He didn't need the end
Just the time to spend
On a shape in the grain
Through the sun and rain
The sparrow is still
On the window sill
[Chorus]
It’s the quiet things we leave
Tucked inside a sleeve
The half-carved wood
That he understood
Was enough for the day
Before he walked away
[Post-Chorus]
Just a sparrow in hand
In a quiet land
Just a sparrow in hand
In a quiet land
The wood feels so warm
In the heart of the storm
[Chorus]
It’s the quiet things we leave
Tucked inside a sleeve
The half-carved wood
That he understood
Was enough for the day
Before he walked away
[Outro]