From the recording Mercywheel - 1999

Written in my head during a backpacking trip.  Surrounded by nature, walking 12 miles on the way out to the car on our last day, the words and melody came to my mind and I repeated them over and over for a few hours until they became ingrained within me.

Shades of CSNY here.  Hell yeah.

Love the words.  They wrote me.  I didn't write them.

I think the ending movement is chill.  I particularly like the shakers, the 'stop', and the guitar parts (especially the solo)...

And what the heck is that ending chord?  Where did that come from?  Still don't know.

This is one of my favorite 'early' songs in my body of work. I never get tired of hearing this one for some reason, even though it is full of little imperfections...

From the original album release notes: "Interestingly, this was recorded in one take - meant to be nothing but a demo so that I wouldn't forget the song. However, despite my original plan to add lush, sweeping strings, I found that the sparseness of the demo, though flawed, really captured the intended mood - so I kept it."

Lyrics

I'm crossing over to the green world
Every footstep leaving you behind
Your steel and concrete leave me cold
Your frantic world, ruled with lines

And I'm free now
Unencumbered by your weight
I have slumbered as of late

But I wake and I find
That I've found peace of mind
In the green world
In the green world

Dappled in sunlight filtered through the trees
I press on, with difficult ease
And God's handiwork all around
Speaks volumes without making a sound

And I'm free now
Unencumbered by your weight
I have slumbered as of late

In the green world
Green world

Bring it on, I'm ready
To immerse and emerge
Your gravity is so heavy
But I deflect and then I surge

Into the green world
Into the green world
Into the green

My watch is broken
I lose touch
As I grasp the green world
I need this place so very much
The leaves and trees I fall down on my knees
In the green world

Bring it on
I'm ready
To immerse and emerge...