I am an Oak Tree

I was an oak tree

It took a thousand years to grow

And I've seen kingdoms come and go

I've seen the losers turn to lords, and back again

I held the rebels when they hung them from my limbs

When men of fortune cast their futures on the sea

That's when they came for me

   

And I was a slave ship under the standard of the cross

A hallelujah holocaust

And half were dead before we reached the other shore

And the captain never saw the coming storm

That swept around the Cape and took us by surprise

And only eight survived

I was a campfire, a pile of driftwood in the sand

The only comfort in this land

Eight hungry sailors roasted acorns that they'd found

And left me burning as they stumbled toward the sound

Of a church bell ringing out above the ocean's wind

And I was born again

And I am an oak tree

Out along the wild Cape Fear

And there is talk of freedom here

Where is the kingdom that was here before I came

Where have the people gone who only left their name

A revolution's just a circle after all

And every kingdom falls

And I am an oak tree

If it takes a thousand years to grow

I'll see kingdoms come and go