There’s a black dust line on the windowpane
Where the mountain weeps in the pourin’ rain
Boots by the door, but they ain’t been worn
Since the day that the whistle never blew that mornin’
Mama still sets out an extra plate
Says grace like he ain’t runnin’ late
But the earth don’t give back what it takes below
Just leaves us shadows in the glow
When the fire burns and the night gets still
You can feel ’em drift down from the hill
In the ghosts in the smoke, risin’ slow from the flame
You can see their faces, you can call their names
Through the ash and the embers, through the cold black coal
They’re the ones we lost, but they won’t let go
When the chimney cries and the wind don’t choke
There’s a thousand souls in the ghosts in the smoke
Old man Carter swore he saw his dad
Standin’ in the haze with the clothes he had
Coal-stained hands and a broken light
Still diggin’ deep in the dead of night
There’s a hymn in the holler, low and thin
Like a pickaxe ringin’ again and again
And the deeper you listen, the more you know
Ain’t all of ’em buried down below
When the fire cracks and the shadows climb
You can see ’em caught between space and time
In the ghosts in the smoke, risin’ slow from the flame
You can see their faces, you can call their names
Through the ash and the embers, through the cold black coal
They’re the ones we lost, but they won’t let go
When the chimney cries and the wind don’t choke
There’s a thousand souls in the ghosts in the smoke
They ain’t restin’, they ain’t free
Still workin’ in our memory
Every spark’s a life they gave
Every breath a borrowed day
You can curse that mine, you can curse that seam
But you can’t outrun a mountain’s dream
If you stare too long in that fire’s glow
You’ll swear you ain’t alone
In the ghosts in the smoke, risin’ high in the night
You can see ’em clearer in the firelight
Hear ’em whisper low through the timber and stone
Sayin’ Son, don’t you follow where we have gone
When the coals burn red and the past ain’t broke
We’re all standin’ watch with the ghosts in the smoke
“Ghosts In The Smoke” is track number 7 on the Thumper Barrel album, Bush Bond.
Track: Ghosts In The Smoke
Album: Bush Bond
ISRC: QZNWX2632105
ASCAP: 935049079