COTTONWOOD TREE
Written by Brett and Lynette Vantreese
1ST VERSE
She straightens up from the seed she’s buried
And dusts her hands off on her dress
Gazing out at the endless prairie
She thinks of the home that she left
She has traveled a long distance
To begin life as a new bride
So she puts away her homesickness
And brushes the hair back from her eyes
REFRAIN
Seeing where she’s planted, she softly smiles
And whispers a prayer for her unborn child
“May you always find happiness
May you find shelter and rest
Beneath the branches of this cottonwood tree”
2ND VERSE
I came generations later
But her blood runs through my veins
On that homestead where she labored
A tree grew tall on the plains
From my childhood I remember
The biggest sky you’ll ever see
And for miles the grass would shimmer
In the warm afternoon breeze
REFRAIN
Under that tree, I could be found
Watching the light summer rain trickle down
The grass felt cool, the soil smelled fresh
I heard the music of the leaves as they wept
Beneath the branches of this cottonwood tree
BRIDGE
That tree’s still standing proud
Through the wind and through the rain
Looking upward I think how
Through the years it will remain
3RD VERSE
I am turning the pages
Of our family history
Oh how well I know these faces
I’m rooted in their legacy
REFRAIN
Cut through the bark, you’ll see the rings
I’m just a part of the scheme of things
Though I may leave for frontiers of my own
In my heart, I’m always home
Beneath the branches of this cottonwood tree |
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