Lyrics

Remember when we played among the trees?
Threw pinecones and skinned our knees
Built forts out of sticks and boats out of paper and wood
And the days lasted so long
Lots of games had their own song
And up until dinnertime, we had the run of the neighbourhood

There was a rainbow in a piece of glass
Dewdrops in the tall grass
Dark smells and shade, and a puddle of water in an old rubber tire
And a hiding place inside it
And anywhere your bones fit
And inside every story with something to fight against, and someone to admire

And the TV signed off at night
But you could read with a flashlight
And games just took cards, or chalk, or jacks and a ball
We played grown-up with candy smokes
And hockey cards in our bike spokes
Climbing a maple tree, the seeds would helicopter as they fall

We'd always known it, but if we knew what it was worth
Would we have traded it for trinkets from the company store?
I ain't saying it was heaven, but at least it was earth
We don't taste much of that anymore

What weight pulled our kites down?
What fear drove us from the playground?
Convinced us there's only one game and the point is to win it?
What modesty clipped our wings?
Traded our dreams for things?
Led from leaf-covered trails to a road with no poetry in it?

And can we find our way back somehow?
Or has our imagination failed us now?
With the world at our fingertips, doors locked and shades drawn
Can we catch a wild breeze again?
Are there still far-aways on the wind?
Stories worth believing, dreams worth betting everything on?