song #l: Lighting Fires on the Shore

Welcome to the first video in the '26 Songs' series. This was shot in my living room while the baby was napping upstairs. If you are wondering why I am looking sort of above the camera from time to time, it is to check the video monitor across the room to make sure he did not wake up. Luckily, it all worked out.

This song started from the viewpoint of someone watching a loved one go off to war, a war they do not support. Then it morphed into trying to figure out how to deal with a loved one who may be involved in some criminal activity. I'm not sure how it went from one end of the spectrum to the other, but in the end it actually does not matter, because the song is not about the one who leaves. It is about the one who stays behind, steadfast and solid. They have learned that the differences that divide us now are no match for the love that binds us forever.

(click through for lyrics)  


Lighting Fires on the Shore

You have to leave, I’m resigned to the fact

But one thing I need is a promise you’ll be back

Wherever you go or wherever you stay

Just as long as your road ends up back here one day

You’ve got your reasons, though I just don’t understand

You’re need for leaving, but it’s out of my hand

And if you need a beacon, be certain and be sure

I’ll be here each season lighting fires on the shore

As time it unwinds like an old ball of yarn

Don’t forget where you started, don’t forget who you are

Though the trade winds may blow you to some distant sea

Those of us who best know you, we’ll be waiting patiently

I may not agree with the decisions that you make

But when you’re away from me it’s more than I can take

Until the day is dawning, when you’re back home once more

I’ll be here each morning, lighting fires on the shore

The day you return, will begin like all other days

The sun will rise in the east as the nighttime slips away

But the moment you step through that door again

The old world is over and the new world will begin

I had my reasons for keeping hope alive

I never stopped believing, never doubted or denied

This new air I’m breathing is perfect and it’s pure

That’s why I’m finally leaving lighting fires on the shore