David Mallett I Knew This Place Lyrics

I knew this place, I knew it well
Every sound and every smell
And every time I walked I fell
For the first two years or so

There across the grassy yard
I a young boy runnin' hard
Brown and bruised and battle
Scarred and lost in sweet illusion

From my window I can see
The fingers of an ancient tree
Reaching out it calls to me
To climb its surly branches
But all my climbing days are gone
And these tired legs I'm standin' on
Would scarcely dare to leave the spot upon
Which they are standin'

And I remember every word
From every voice I ever heard
Every frog and every bird
Yes, this is where it starts
A brother's laugh, the sighing wind This is where my life begins
This is where I learned to use my
Hands and hear my heart

This house is old, it carries on
Like lyrics to an old time song
Always changed but never gone
This house can stand the seasons
Our lives pass on from door to door
Dust upon the wooden floor
Feather rain and thunder roar
We need not know the reason

And all these thoughts come back to
Me like ships across a friendly sea
Like breezes blowing endlessly
Like rivers running deep
The day is done. The lights are low
The wheels of life are turning slow
And as these visions turn and go
I lay me down to sleep