"An Orchard They Outgrew" lyrics
I kept a little orchard on the edge of where I live
Planting seeds through every season with the little I could give
And the ones who never watered, never showed up in the rain
Came around when branches blossomed looking for something to gain
They didn't see the nights I waited
Hoping roots would somehow hold
Didn't see the storms that broke me
Til my hands were twice as old
But they pointed at the apples
Like the tree belonged to them
Never mind the years it took me
Just to teach the dirt to bend
'Cause everybody wants the harvest
From a field they never knew
And they say they would've helped me
But they never saw it through
Only showing up for sweetness
When the hardest work was due
You can't feed a hungry stranger
From an orchard they outgrew
I had people bring me stories
'Bout the shade they never found
Sayin' "If I stood where you're standing
I'd lift you from the ground."
But they never kept a garden
Never stayed when nights got cold
Never learned that growth takes patience
It's not a secret - so I'm told
And I offered them a shovel
But they always walked away
Wanting me to plant their future
While they rested in the shade
And they blamed me for the distance
That their footsteps never drew
And then they take the day off
Because the sky is blue
I'm not bitter, I'm not selfish
I just learned what seasons teach
Nothing grows inside the soil
For a hand that doesn't reach
If you want to build a garden
It takes more than one or two
It takes years of quiet labor
For a moment's worth of fruit
But everybody wants the harvest
From a field they never knew
And they say they would've helped me
But they never saw it through
Only showing up for sweetness
When the hardest work was due
You can't feed a hungry stranger
From an orchard they outgrew
Planting seeds through every season with the little I could give
And the ones who never watered, never showed up in the rain
Came around when branches blossomed looking for something to gain
They didn't see the nights I waited
Hoping roots would somehow hold
Didn't see the storms that broke me
Til my hands were twice as old
But they pointed at the apples
Like the tree belonged to them
Never mind the years it took me
Just to teach the dirt to bend
'Cause everybody wants the harvest
From a field they never knew
And they say they would've helped me
But they never saw it through
Only showing up for sweetness
When the hardest work was due
You can't feed a hungry stranger
From an orchard they outgrew
I had people bring me stories
'Bout the shade they never found
Sayin' "If I stood where you're standing
I'd lift you from the ground."
But they never kept a garden
Never stayed when nights got cold
Never learned that growth takes patience
It's not a secret - so I'm told
And I offered them a shovel
But they always walked away
Wanting me to plant their future
While they rested in the shade
And they blamed me for the distance
That their footsteps never drew
And then they take the day off
Because the sky is blue
I'm not bitter, I'm not selfish
I just learned what seasons teach
Nothing grows inside the soil
For a hand that doesn't reach
If you want to build a garden
It takes more than one or two
It takes years of quiet labor
For a moment's worth of fruit
But everybody wants the harvest
From a field they never knew
And they say they would've helped me
But they never saw it through
Only showing up for sweetness
When the hardest work was due
You can't feed a hungry stranger
From an orchard they outgrew
