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