Lyrics
[Master: {tempo: slow rubato ~72bpm, key: open D, mood: devoted, wistful, warm}] [Instrumentation: {dulcimer: constant drone base, guitar: fingerpicked fills, bass: tacet until chorus 2}] [Vocal: {female, close-mic, conversational verses, opening up on choruses, slight break on held notes}] [Verse 1 - voice and dulcimer only, unhurried] I remember being seven On the hood of Daddy's car Fireworks over the fairgrounds And him saying, "Baby, all of this is yours" I drew a map of America, oh America In crayon on the back of my hand And I've been reading it like a promise ever since [Chorus - small swell, guitar joins] Oh, you taste like freedom, darling Like rain after a long dry year Oh, I could drink you by the gallon And still be thirsty for the dream Still be thirsty for the dream [Verse 2 - quieter, more confessional] I remember Grandma's kitchen And the story she'd retell How her father crossed an ocean With your name sewn in the lining of his coat She said the air just tasted different That first free morning off the boat She said, "Freedom isn't given, child, it's carried" And I've been carrying it ever since [Chorus - bass enters, fuller but still soft] Oh, you taste like freedom, darling Like rain after a long dry year Oh, I could drink you by the gallon And still be thirsty for the dream [Verse 3 - stripped back to dulcimer, almost spoken] And I remember every morning You lay it all out at my feet The open road, the open door The right to want more than my mother got to want Some days you break my heart a little But you never once broke your word to me [Final Chorus - full arrangement, voice opening up] Oh, you are in my blood, you're the promised land Every mile of you is mine to keep Oh, I could chase your dream forever, darling 'Cause you keep it shining just ahead of me You keep it shining just ahead of me