The Observer

west branch baptism river

On a still morning in a remote cabin north of Lake Superior, I woke up to something new. The time, space, and the tools to create music.

I rolled out of the upstairs loft, creaked down the steep wooden stairs, and made breakfast and coffee looking out through a long rectangular window out across a shallow river valley. It was completely covered with tall pine trees and a 20-inch snow base. I took my breakfast to the living area and threw out some suet for the birds to munch.

Sitting for a while, watching the world, and listening to the sound of the river, I picked up my guitar and starting writing The Observer. All of the lyrics came out of what was unfolding on a beautiful mountain morning in Finland, Minnesota. The song is trying to take you, the listener, to that cabin morning to experience it. In the background is a recording of the river.

 

Lyrics

The sun is rising
The snow is falling
The world is waking
I’m just watching

The trees are reaching
The rivers flowing
My worries fading
Time is slowing

The trail is calling
The birds are feeding
My soul is singing
I’m just breathing

The forests growing
The snow is glistenin’
My heart is swelling
I’m just listenin’