Wings
By Josh Ritter 
 
Capo 2
 
   Am 
At night we crossed the border following a Black robe 
       Em 
To the edge of the reservation to Cataldo Mission 
          Am 
Where the saints and all the martyrs look down on dying converts 
     Em                                                                F     Am
What makes the water holy, she says, is that it's the closest thing to rain 

  Am 
I stole a mule from Anthony, I helped Anne up upon it 
       Em 
And we rode to Coeur d'Alene past Harrison and Wallace 
          Am 
They were blasting out the tunnels, making way for the light of learning 
     Em                                                                    F      C 
When Jesus comes a'calling, she said, he's coming 'round the mountain on a train 


Chorus:
     F                                        C 
It's my home, last night I dreamt that I grew wings 
          G                                     Am 
I found a place where they could hear me when I sing 


We floated on to Hanford on a lumber boat up river 
Past the fisheries and milltowns like a stretch of future graveyards 
She was driven to distraction, said, I wonder what will happen 
When they find out they're mistaken and the land is too changed to ever change 
We waded through the marketplace, someone's ship had come in 
There was silver and begonias, dynamite and cattle 
There were hearts as big as apples and apples in the shape of Mary's heart 
I said, inside this gilded cage a songbird always looks so plain 

Chorus

And so they came with cameras, breaking through the morning mist 
Press and businessmen, tycoons, Episcopal philanthropists 
Lost in their appraisal of the body of a woman 
But all we saw were lowlands, clouds clung to mountains without strings 
And at last we saw some people, at last we saw some people
And at last we saw some people huddled up against 
The rain that was descending like railroad spikes and hammers 
They were headed for the border, walking and then running 
Then they were gone into the fog but Anne said underneath the jackets she saw wings