River Maples, Echoes of Bells

[Intro]

[Verse 1]

Maple leaves let the night fall into the heart of the water

A fishing lamp keeps me company as I tie up my old traveling bag

No one is on the bridge; the footprints still hold a thin frost

By the boat’s side I hear the sound of my own homesickness

[Pre-Chorus]

Some roads make you look back, however far you travel

Some names need never be written; they already live in the heart

[Chorus]

Let a tolling bell light my way home

Through the mist over the river, falling upon the familiar house

Are you too keeping the meal warm beneath the lamp

Wait until I have told you of these years of wind and rain

Even if tonight I remain at a ferry landing far from home

The river in my heart keeps flowing home

[Instrumental Interlude]

[Verse 2]

The moon slowly passes the little cabin window

The trees’ reflections in the water close and open again and again

I fold again the letter I could never send

I want to wait for dawn and borrow a faster boat to deliver it

[Pre-Chorus]

Some roads make you look back, however far you travel

Some names need never be written; they already live in the heart

[Chorus]

Let a tolling bell light my way home

Through the mist over the river, falling upon the familiar house

Are you too keeping the meal warm beneath the lamp

Wait until I have told you of these years of wind and rain

Even if tonight I remain at a ferry landing far from home

The river in my heart keeps flowing home

[Bridge]

Not every wandering life requires a show of strength

When weary, you can tell the night of your longing too

The distant bells leave a narrow opening for silence

Let me believe someone will still answer when I return

[Final Chorus]

Let a tolling bell light my way home

Through the mist over the river, falling upon the familiar house

Are you too keeping the meal warm beneath the lamp

Wait until I have told you of these years of wind and rain

Even if tonight I remain at a ferry landing far from home

The river in my heart keeps flowing home

[Outro]

When the morning wind comes, I gently untie the knot

I write this night into a message of safety and send it to your world