Wildheart

Verse 1
She was eight years old, and she knew her own plan,
She wanted to be an author, she knows she can,
And every animal to save, she would be a vet too,
Nothing stood in her way from making her dreams come true.

Verse 2
But then life came along and her dreams got lost,
Eighteen years old and her life felt forced.
She started to look far away, turning outside,
Thinking the answers lay anywhere but inside.

Chorus
They say to live a life, that makes your eight-year-old-self,
And your eighty-year-old self happy, no dreams left on the shelf,
But she learned there was someone else she could never ignore,
Her eighteen-year-old self who lost the dreams she held before,
She learned a life with meaning echoes who you’ve always been,
And the changes that happen along the way but aren’t always seen,
Living a life with meaning balances her growth and her roots,
Till life her blooms like flowers in spring, always growing new shoots.

Verse 3
She travelled the world, trying to find that something more,
To still the voice inside her that called out to restore,
A new continent, new community, it must hold the dream,
Nowhere else to go but the rolling ocean, she joined the team.

Verse 4
She learned to look inside herself, find the answers hidden there,
She regained lost passions, started to write again, papers everywhere,
She found purpose with animals, but knew there was something more,
Learning to change the world once she changed herself, no longer a chore.

Chorus
They say to live a life, that makes your eight-year-old-self,
And your eighty-year-old self happy, no dreams left on the shelf,
But she learned there was someone else she could never ignore,
Her eighteen-year-old self who lost the dreams she held before,
She learned a life with meaning echoes who you’ve always been,
And the changes that happen along the way but aren’t always seen,
Living a life with meaning balances her growth and her roots,
Till life her blooms like flowers in spring, always growing new shoots.

Verse 5
One day her eighty-year-old self will look back on the years,
When she finally found the courage to face her fears,
To live a life with meaning, to discover that something more,
She’ll look back and smile, knowing all that came before.

Chorus
They say to live a life, that makes your eight-year-old-self,
And your eighty-year-old self happy, no dreams left on the shelf,
But she learned there was someone else she could never ignore,
Her eighteen-year-old self who lost the dreams she held before,
She learned a life with meaning echoes who you’ve always been,
And the changes that happen along the way but aren’t always seen,
Living a life with meaning balances her growth and her roots,
Till life her blooms like flowers in spring, always growing new shoots.

Verse 1
Out in the wild, where the shadows grow long,
We gather the wood and spark the first song.
The chill of the night giving way to the flame,
The fire feeds our bodies, our hunger it tames.
With warmth on our faces and food at our feet,
The fire’s the heart that makes us complete.

Verse 2
The night has a voice whispering low,
But here by the fire, we’re safe in its glow.
It keeps away danger, holds darkness at bay,
A circle of safety where worries decay.
We rest and we watch as embers burn bright,
Trusting the fire to guard us at night.

Chorus
Circle of the fire, burning through the night,
A place for our needs and our hopes burning bright.
From hunger to dreaming, it lifts us up higher,
We find ourselves fulfilled ’round the circle of fire.

Verse 3
Now laughter erupts and stories unfold,
The fire invites every soul, young and old.
Circling closer, with friends side by side,
The warmth in the flames matches feelings inside.
Together we’re stronger, our stories conspire,
To kindle a family here by the fire.

Verse 4
A tale told with courage, a song played with pride,
We lift up each voice, no need here to hide.
Each face in the firelight glows with respect,
Our efforts and strengths we freely reflect.
Sharing the joy, a smile, a cheer,
The fire brings out the best in us here.

Chorus
Circle of the fire, burning through the night,
A place for our needs and our hopes burning bright.
From hunger to dreaming, it lifts us up higher,
We find ourselves fulfilled ’round the circle of fire.

Verse 5
When fullness and comfort let silence descend,
We gaze in the flames and let our dreams bend.
Ideas ignite in the hush and the spark,
Visions take shape in the fold of the dark.
The fire’s our mirror, our muse, and our guide,
Becoming our truest, with no need to hide.

Chorus
Circle of the fire, burning through the night,
A place for our needs and our hopes burning bright.
From hunger to dreaming, it lifts us up higher,
We find ourselves fulfilled ’round the circle of fire

Verse 1
“You have to leave,” they said, “the fire’s too near,”
But we said no, our choice that night was clear,
On the range, we turned the horses loose,
Let them run and roam where they choose.

Verse 2
With fifty lives on the line that night,
Nowhere to run, just stand and fight,
No one but us to stop the fire’s trail,
Flame lit up the ridge as daylight failed.

Chorus
I hear the raging dragon coming,
Roaring louder than a jet plane starting,
On that longest night, we stand our ground,
No one to save us, we’re not backing down.

Verse 3
We’ll fight the fire with the creek’s power,
Firehoses and sprinklers in the late night hour,
All night long, keeping water on the buildings,
Trees candled two hundred foot tall, still burning.

Verse 4
We fired up the bulldozer to save the day,
Cleaning trees and brush from the fire’s way,
Making fireguards with one track in the flame,
Stopping the fire in the darkness was no game.

Chorus
I hear the raging dragon coming,
Roaring louder than a jet plane starting,
On that longest night, we stand our ground,
No one to save us, we’re not backing down.

Verse 5
When daylight dawned through the smokey light,
The fire crept round the ranch to the left and right,
We’d brought the fire to its knees, no doubt,
But the fight wasn’t over till the spot fires were out.

Verse 6
It looked better in the morning but there was more to do,
No time to rest, protecting neighbour’s homes with all the crew,
Just outside the ranch we saw the moonscape,
Trees burned to black sticks, no chance of escape.

Final Chorus
I heard the raging dragon coming,
Roaring louder than a jet plane starting,
On that longest night, we stood our ground,
No one to save us, we weren’t backing down.

Outro
Now new growth is showing on the land,
Willows and wildflowers where flames once burned,
Nature’s cycle of life turned the moonscape green,
Life goes on, one more time, the story we’ve seen.

Verse 1
Before she found her wild domain,
She wandered blind through fog and pain.
The mountain mists became her mind
Uncertain paths she couldn’t find.
She stumbled through the dim unknown,
Yearning to find her wildheart home

Verse 2
Her doubts like shadows clung so tight,
No dawn in sight, no end to night.
Storm clouds echoed all her fears,
A thunder made of unshed tears.
But there among the twisted pines,
She drew lessons from shifting signs.

Verse 3
She started to learn the flow,
Reads early frost and how winds blow.
Seasons’ signals shape her mind,
With every lesson, new paths she’ll find.
Each fallen tree, each mountain stream,
Taught her to trust, to learn, to dream.

Chorus
She moves with the seasons, wild and wise,
Lessons of earth reflected in her eyes.
Roots in the ridges, heart in the sky,
Harvest and hope wherever she lies.
Shaped by the wind and the rising sun,
In nature’s rhythm her spirit runs.
Capable, free, her journey is sung
A wildheart woman, where all life is one.

Verse 4
As confidence in her heart took root,
She heard her own song in the owl’s hoot.
With every step, her vision cleared,
The tangled doubts slowly disappeared.
Nature’s patience, gentle and clear,
And so awakens the wildheart woman here.

Verse 5
When snow retreats and warmth begins,
She seeks the treasures sunlight wins
White petals guide her hands below,
Where golden roots in shadows grow.
On northward slopes, August hides
She digs like bears where flavor hides

Verse 6
In wetland shadows, green blades rise
But danger wears a clever disguise.
She kneels where wild onions dwell,
Knowing one trick will always tell:
Digging deep, she frees the prize,
A bulb that holds a truth inside.
The scent is life, sharp and strong,
No onion smell, she moves along.

Chorus
She moves with the seasons, wild and wise,
Lessons of earth reflected in her eyes.
Roots in the ridges, heart in the sky,
Harvest and hope wherever she lies.
Shaped by the wind and the rising sun,
In nature’s rhythm her spirit runs.
Capable, free, her journey is sung
A wildheart woman, where all life is one.

Verse 7
Among five-needled branches shining bright,
She climbs for cones at mountain height
Once in three years, the feast appears,
Bears and nutcrackers share her cheers.
Pine sap clings as the campfire glows,
She roasts and replants so this wonder grows.

Verse 8
As winter winds sweep through mountain stone,
She feels the cold urge to journey home.
Her pack is full, her heart is light,
She leaves the peaks to fading white.
Harvest in hand, she walks below,
Eager to share all she’s come to know.
Warm fires and friends await her near
The gifts of her season, gathered here.

Verse 9
Now seasons turn beneath her feet,
Her journey whole, her learning complete.
Roots and rivers, wind and flame
Each has taught and blessed her name.
Capable, free, in wildness found,
With wisdom deep and spirit sound.
In harmony with earth her wildheart stands,
Fulfilled and strong by nature’s hands.

Chorus
She moves with the seasons, wild and wise,
Lessons of earth reflected in her eyes.
Roots in the ridges, heart in the sky,
Harvest and hope wherever she lies.
Shaped by the wind and the rising sun,
In nature’s rhythm her spirit runs.
Capable, free, her journey is sung
A wildheart woman, where all life is one.

Verse 1
She came to the ranch, wounds barely healed,
Pains and fears, all too raw to face,
Head down, never making waves,
Be the girl they want, quiet and submissive.

Verse 2
She didn’t have the words to name her fears,
All she could say was “It’s different here”,
So let the scars tear open and bleed anew,
Until a stronger skin regrew.

Chorus
She’s becoming a Lead Mare, empowered, strong and steady,
The journey isn’t easy, but for every test she’s ready,
Learning to trust herself and her skills, always learning more,
Until nothing really scares her because she’s done it all before.

Verse 3
She could have run, and kept chasing the sun,
But she chose to face what she could never outrun,
She knew the way past every challenge was always through,
Named her values and knew what she stood for too.

Verse 4
She learned to adapt and never break,
Positive, committed, she’s got what it takes,
Her scars are healed and fading,
Now an empowered woman, calmly leading.

Chorus
She’s becoming a Lead Mare, empowered, strong and steady,
The journey isn’t easy, but for every mountain she’s ready,
Learning to trust herself and her skills, always learning more,
Until nothing really scares her because she’s done it all before.

Verse 5
When things got tough, she just carried on,
She did it all till she felt strong,
Everything she needed she found inside her,
She learned the ways and just grew stronger.

Verse 6
Now those old battle scars are long healed,
Everything she is, she’s not afraid to feel,
Heart open wide, no opportunities passing by,
Standing tall, face upwards to the sky.

Chorus
She’s becoming a Lead Mare, empowered, strong and steady,
The journey isn’t easy, but for every mountain she’s ready,
Learning to trust herself and her skills, always learning more,
Until nothing really scares her because she’s done it all before.

Outro
She’s a Lead Mare, always growing, empowered and steady,
The journey isn’t easy, but for every mountain she’s ready,
She trusts herself, her skills, knows there’s always something more,
Now nothing really scares her because she’s done it all before.

Verse 1
Riding the mountains all day,
No Motel 6 stands in my way
Nature’s bedroom with a view,
In every sub-alpine thicket too.

Verse 2
A circle of trees, branches tight,
Ground to thirty feet of height,
Thick enough to block the rain or snow,
Impenetrable by frost, safe below.

Verse 3
Are you conscious? Are you aware?
Look closer, see the blaze, the nail there,
A burned branch, signs of campers from before,
Fifty years or more, their stories in nature’s core

Chorus
Mountains for walls, meadows at my feet,
Stars for a ceiling, where wild and peaceful meet.
Nature’s bedroom, timeless and true,
With fulfillment the wilderness in me renews.

Verse 4
My bed’s a mattress, top of the line,
A hundred years of needle duff, pine,
Dried to zero moisture, soft as down,
Fluff factor high, nowhere else not found.

Verse 5
No city walls, nor rushing cars near,
Immersed in silence, the wind is clear.
Sunsets and sunrises, my bedroom lamp’s light,
Valleys and ridges, all gold and pink at night.

Verse 6
No other view rivals natures embrace,
Vertical movie screens, every scene in its place,
Thickets of dark green, wild meadows below,
Red Indian paintbrush, blue lupine glow,
Yellow balsam and a rainbow of hues,
A hundred wildflowers, a feast for the eyes.

Chorus
Mountains for walls, meadows at my feet,
Stars for a ceiling, where wild and peaceful meet.
Nature’s bedroom, timeless and true,
With fulfillment the wilderness in me renews.

Verse 7
But I’m not alone in nature’s bedroom grand,
Grizzlies, mule deer, lynx roam the land,
Grey wolf and cougar in their own wild den,
Sharing this sanctuary, every now and then.

Verse 8
A campfire out front, my home is made,
A log from a stump, weathered, sun-faded,
It burns hot and slow under starlit skies,
Kettle atop, pine needle tea on the rise
Smoke and ash flavor that can’t be contained,
A taste found only where wildness reigns.

Verse 9
Fresh alpine meadows, horses staked for the night,
Hardworking and happy, unfenced and untamed in their might.
Their bells gently jingle through evening’s breeze,
Comforting sound and mountain ease.

Chorus
Mountains for walls, meadows at my feet,
Stars for a ceiling, where wild and peaceful meet.
Nature’s bedroom, timeless and true,
With fulfillment the wilderness in me renews.

Verse 10
Harvested whitebark pine cones near,
First frost has ripened the bounty here.
Buried in ashes below the fire’s warm glow,
Roasted seeds rich in protein flow.

Verse 11
Everything’s ready, all taken care,
I lay down and breathe in the sweet mountain air,
The fire crackles and smokes, bringing peace,
The horses’ bells jingle, gentle release.

Verse 12
Gazing at a sky of stars so clear,
Infinity, dreams, shooting stars appear.
Here, time flows slow, nowhere to be,
World’s demands vanish, set nature free.
Going to sleep, peaceful and sound,
In nature’s bedroom, wilderness all around.

Verse 1
She started out tired, city lights behind,
Dreams half-forgotten, heavy on her mind.
Hands in her pockets, heart on her sleeve,
Didn’t yet trust what she could believe.
Eyes fixed on gravel, never daring to see sky,
Shoulders drawn inward as the world hurried by.

Verse 2
She came out to where the wilderness is still wild,
Not knowing what to expect, yet the silence reconciled.
Leaves whispered, offering an unspoken hope,
She lifted her head, possibilities began to elope.
Each step unsteady, yet pulled to explore,
A hesitant stride through an unknown door.

Chorus
Wildheart woman, walking with purpose,
Her calm determination blooms beneath the surface.
Eyes on the horizon she knows where she’s going,
Now she moves like the wind bold and knowing.
Nature’s her mirror, fierce and alive,
Wildheart woman, watch her thrive.

Verse 3
She sees what the wild has to offer in view,
Her walk turns determined, seeking something new.
Still searching for her path with each shifting stone,
The wilderness, her teacher, tests her wildheart alone.
She embarks on adventure, deeper into mountain lands,
Ready for challenges, guided by wild, open hands.

Verse 4
In the wild, she’s been lost in the fog and bruised by the climb,
Walked through dark woods where sun forgot to shine.
Faced her reflection in the blackest, silent stream,
Learning the wild was more truth than a dream.
Now her footing grows sure on uneven trails,
Step after step, her doubt finally pales.
.
Chorus
Wildheart woman, walking with purpose,
Her calm determination blooms beneath the surface.
Eyes on the horizon she knows where she’s going,
Now she moves like the wind bold and knowing.
Nature’s her mirror, fierce and alive,
Wildheart woman, watch her thrive.

Verse 5
Her reasons clearer now than ever before,
Goals and purpose shining in each step she takes.
She walks through mountains, head held high and strong,
Focused on horizons where her dreams belong.
A wildheart woman moves fast, fierce and sure,
No Grizzly bear could make her deter

Verse 6
She climbed to the ridgeline, she laughs at the sky,
Once she was crawling, now she can fly.
Thunder rolls, but she doesn’t break,
The wild now moves with every choice she makes.
And when the wind calls, she doesn’t run,
She smiles, her journey’s just begun.

Chorus
Wildheart woman, walking with purpose,
Her calm determination blooms beneath the surface.
Eyes on the horizon, she knows where she’s going,
Now she moves like the wind, bold and knowing.
Nature’s her mirror, fierce and alive,
Wildheart woman, watch her thrive.

Verse 1
Humans have known the value, logging, hunting,
Fishing, mining, ranching, guiding,
But if you don’t protect it, there’ll be nothing left,
Nothing to value, the land left bereft.

Verse 2
Since ’37 they’ve called for conservation,
But no one stood up for the land’s protection,
Years rolled by and the South Chilcotin waited,
For someone to care, hoped efforts weren’t wasted.

Chorus
Rally to the cause of the red rolling mountains,
Answer the call for protection from the South Chilcotin,
Stand up for the wildlife and glacier lakes,
Don’t keep them waiting, do whatever it takes.

Verse 3
When Big Creek Park was made in the 90s,
The South Chilcotin cried out, “What about me?”
“Am I not worthy of the same,”
“Don’t I deserve the Park’s name?”

Verse 4
At last a new millennium dawned anew,
Had the South Chilcotin’s dream come true?
The Spruce Lake Protected Area was born,
It wasn’t full protection and the land felt torn.

Chorus
Rally to the cause of the red rolling mountains,
Answer the call for protection from the South Chilcotin,
Stand up for the wildlife and glacier lakes,
Don’t keep them waiting, do whatever it takes.

Verse 5
One more decade and at last hope came,
The South Chilcotin Mountains Park, another name,
But this time, it was Class A Wilderness grand,
The greatest protection in all the land.

Verse 6
But the struggle isn’t over, new threats run high,
Mountain goats missing where helicopters fly,
Truck-size trails threaten to tear through the alpine,
Pine beetles and blister rust coming for white bark pine.

Final Chorus
Rally to the cause of the red rolling mountains,
Keep fighting strong for the South Chilcotin,
Never give up on the wildlife and glacier lakes,
This isn’t the end, do whatever it takes.

Chorus
I think of all the people I’ve been since I was you,
And while it might sound crass, I have to say it’s true,
That I like me now, much better than I did when I was you,
With a little perspective, I’ve gained a better point of view.

Verse 1
At sixteen, things started to change, I never knew that I was lost,
But I raged inside and vowed I had to get out whatever the cost,
Counting down the days till school was out and I could fly away,
I thought things would get better, if I could only get out the Bay.

Verse 2
So university came and I packed my bags for my new home,
I sat alone in my new room and still felt trapped in the dome,
Same old patterns, cycles spiralling ever down,
I learned my problems weren’t caused by the town.

Chorus
I think of all the people I’ve been since I was you,
And while it might sound crass, I have to say it’s true,
That I like me now, much better than I did when I was you,
With a little perspective, I’ve gained a better point of view.

Verse 3
Three years later, trying to get better and graduation came,
But deep down I was still the same and I only had me to blame,
Back to my parents’ house, a place I thought I’d never return,
And planned my escape to the mountains, my heart yearned.

Verse 4
At last on ranch soil, but I held tight to what I knew,
It was time to choose my own path, but I didn’t have a clue,
A season in the wilderness just trying to survive,
Making fires, learning the ropes, finding my voice to thrive.

Chorus
I think of all the people I’ve been since I was you,
And while it might sound crass, I have to say it’s true,
That I like me now, much better than I did when I was you,
With a little perspective, I’ve gained a better point of view.

Verse 5
A new season and at last I could keep my head above water,
Finding my role, making my place as I oughta,
Logging, hunt guiding, hay making all became,
Something I could do, after which I was never the same.

Verse 6
Then came the lead mare horses who changed my perception,
The books written to share the wisdom, acts of creation,
At home in the wilderness where once I walked like a fool,
Now I walk with purpose, whatever the challenge, I answer the call.

Chorus
I think of all the people I’ve been since I was you,
And while it might sound crass, I have to say it’s true,
That I like me now, much better than I did when I was you,
With a little perspective, I’ve gained a better point of view.

Verse 7
I think about who I was when I was you,
And I realized there was a time when I missed you,
Security in the known and all I’d been before,
But at the breaking of the dawn, I don’t miss you anymore.

Outro
I think of all the people I’ve been since I was you,
And I like me now, much better than I did when I was you.