The land remembers

[Verse 1 — Acoustic guitar, steady rhythm]

There’s a red clay road through the Georgia pines
An old church bell that’s been keeping time
Fields where the cotton grew long ago
And a million stars when the sun sinks low

Seven miles west, they built one before
Now there’s another knocking on our door
They promise our schools a brighter day
But what’s the price our children will pay?

[Chorus — Strong, memorable]

The land remembers what the people forget
The things we give away, the promises we get
You can count the money, you can measure every mile
But you can’t buy back the country after a while

[Verse 2 — Stronger drums, building tension]

There’s a room at the courthouse, a table of men
Writing our future with a government pen
The people say no, but the question remains
Who carries the loss, and who pockets the gains?

Data centers rising where the tall pines stand
Solar fields spreading across farmland
One county decides what tomorrow will bring
But nobody knows the cost of everything

[Bridge — Music drops, intimate vocal]

Our grandchildren won’t sit at that table
Won’t have a voice when the votes are cast
But they’ll inherit whatever we’re building
Long after the promises fade into the past

[Final Chorus — Full band, powerful harmonies]

The land remembers what the people forget
The things we give away, the promises we get
You can count the money, you can measure every mile
But you can’t buy back the country after a while

[Outro — Instruments fade, lone voice]

Seven miles from yesterday
A lifetime from tomorrow
Some things you can sell away…

Some things you can only borrow.