At the fence line
I counted every wing
Mud on my boots
And a rusted feed tin ring
You said spring comes
But it never stays long
The pond goes quiet
When the geese are gone
I kept the porch light
I kept the door cracked
I kept your scarf hung
But the sky won't look back
Migratory birds never return
(migratory birds never return)
They take the road
That we never learned
Migratory birds never return
(migratory birds never return)
I wait in the grass
But the season won't turn
Your name in the dust
On the truck-bed floor
I traced it once
Then I traced it more
The barn door swings
Like a tired old jaw
Every empty perch
Feels like a goodbye I saw
I hear the cattails
Clap in the dark
I hear your boots leave
I hear my own heart
Migratory birds never return
(migratory birds never return)
They take the road
That we never learned
Migratory birds never return
(migratory birds never return)
I wait in the grass
But the season won't turn
If I build a nest
Out of wire and nails
Would you circle back
Through the sleet and hail?
Or is love just this
A map in the rain
A feather in my palm
And a name that fades
Migratory birds never return
(migratory birds never return)
They take the road
That we never learned
Migratory birds never return
(migratory birds never return)
I stand in the cold
And I let it burn
Migratory birds never return
(migratory birds never return)
Your shadow fades
With the marshland's churn
