Keepers of These Woods

[Verse 1] Come closer, little field crew, where the fern tips catch the sun, I’ll show you how the forest keeps a thousand lives as one. A woodpecker drums a warning; the old oak answers slow, And under last year’s leaves, tiny green beginnings grow. [Pre-Chorus] Look low, look high, take your time, Every small sign fits the larger design. [Chorus] Keep the living places whole, Let the creek run clear and cold. Give the fox its trail to roam, Give the nesting birds a home. When we care for what we see, The forest keeps its mystery. Come on, friends, the day is ours— We’re the keepers of these woods and flowers. [Verse 2] A salamander slips beneath a cedar’s silver root, A monarch tests the milkweed with its careful, papered wings. We’ll stay upon the footpath, leave the berries on the vine, And carry out our wrappers; every choice can help them thrive. [Pre-Chorus] Listen close, the branches hum, There’s room for every living one. [Chorus] Keep the living places whole, Let the creek run clear and cold. Give the fox its trail to roam, Give the nesting birds a home. When we care for what we see, The forest keeps its mystery. Come on, friends, the day is ours— We’re the keepers of these woods and flowers. [Bridge] If we make a little space, Wild things find their way again. One small promise, one kind hand, Can protect a whole green land. [Final chorus] Keep the living places whole, Let the creek run clear and cold. Give the fox its trail to roam, Give the nesting birds a home. When we care for what we see, The forest keeps its mystery. Come on, friends, the day is ours— We’re the keepers of these woods and flowers. [Outro] So take this trail with open eyes, And leave the woods more wild than when we came.