"The Foundation"

Stephen R Coffee ©2007

A personal favorite, a mood song about one of those "side of the road" experiences. Thanks to Tim Bisson for the vision—and the mandolin playing.

Download the mp3

You never would have known it was out there
With the tall grass grown up all around
If you hadn’t wondered about those flowers
Every time you drove to town
And were you driving into town

And if today you hadn’t stopped there
Left your car out by the road
And walked out into this old hayfield
To see if those were really roses
Who would have planted roses?

Then shining like a dinosaur bone
A rectangle of neatly laid stone
You’ve walked into the ghost of someone’s home

A broken step up to the south side
You stand where once there was a door
A woman calls the kids to supper
A wee one scoots around the floor
One or two centuries before

Of course they would have planted roses
To help mark every special day
Pinned to the bosom of a fair bride
Left on a mantle, or a grave
Where would you have dug a grave?

And there’s not a trace of timber to be found
Just rows of limestone slowly wearing down
And these stubborn roses pushing back the ground

You see your shadow getting long now
Soon your footprints will be gone
What have you built what have you planted?
But you’re the one who travels on
And so you walk back to the highway
Just once more you turn around
You always wondered about those flowers
Every time you drove to town
Better get on into town