Free

Originally written for Hard Rain, the band version of this song was anthemic. We had a history of that -- songs that we all loved, that were overly earnest, had extended endings and were opportunities for us to wear our hearts on our sleeves. Some people loved that, some thought it was bloated and pretensions. C'est la vie.

When my midwestern farmer grandparents died, this song kind of became their family's anthem (Slater Nation). That makes me happy.

Lyrics

I'm tired of hiding where I've been by covering up my tracks
It doesn't change the things I've seen and there's some truth to that

For what it's worth, I carry my home with me
For what it's worth, no more giving it up for free
This road I've been taking
Like Guthrie's songs of wind and dust
Remind me the more I learn, the less I know
And I can't hold on, but I can't let go

By now I know this land is more than lines upon the map
There's more to dreams than meet the eye
And there's some truth to that

For what it's worth, I'll go for the vain this time
For what it's worth, yeah
Like a witch to a water line
This claim I've been staking
Might take me seasons just to sow
But with gentle hands walking row by row
Someday I will make this ground my own

Oh, yeah
Cause every time that I see your face
It reminds me of the place I long to be
Every time that I turn around
I see my long run catching up to me
Empty my pockets of all the junk
That obscure the missing pieces I have found

Making room for the things I want and the things I need
While I'm trying to settle down
It's beginning to make some sense
Don't walk away
When it's beginning to make some sense
I'm not afraid

When I look ahead, everything's so clear
Like the sky above me whispering in my ear"Hold the ones you love before they disappear"
Finally starting to see it's beginning to make some sense
Don't walk away
When it's beginning to make some sense

I'm tired of hiding where I've been