The Half-Winged Bird

[Intro]
[Verse]
Dust motes dance in the light
Cedar chips on the floor
I haven't been in here
Since the winter of ninety-four
Old wrenches on the wall
Tangled in spider silk
Smells like motor oil
And sour morning milk
[Verse]
Beneath the heavy bench
In a box of maple scraps
I found a little shape
Caught in the sawdust traps
A bird without a tail
One wing carved so thin
Waiting for a flight
That never did begin
[Pre-Chorus]
The grain is smooth and deep
A secret he meant to keep
I can almost feel his thumb
Before his hands went numb
[Chorus]
Oh, the half-winged bird
Singing songs I never heard
Left in the quiet dark
Waiting for a single spark
Just a block of wood
Doing the best it could
In the D major light
Of a workshop late at night
[Verse]
I reached into a drawer
Found a crumpled piece of blue
Written in his shaky hand
“To the boy I always knew”
It wasn't a goodbye
Or a list of things to do
Just a recipe for glue
And a “Love you through and through”
[Bridge]
The bongos tap like rain
On the window pane
Violin starts to swell
Like a secret I won't tell
He didn't finish the flight
But he got the feathers right
[Verse]
I remember how he laughed
When he cut his finger deep
Said “Wood has got a temper
And promises to keep”
I'll leave it on the shelf
Right beside his favorite pen
Maybe one day soon
I'll pick up the knife again
[Chorus]
Oh, the half-winged bird
Singing songs I never heard
Left in the quiet dark
Waiting for a single spark
Just a block of wood
Doing the best it could
In the D major light
Of a workshop late at night
[Post-Chorus]
Cedar and the sage
Turning over a new page
Just a block of wood
Doing the best it could
[Outro]