New Girl Down the Lane

[Verse 1]
You came with the mist on a Monday
Small suitcase and rain in your hair
Shop windows all turned to watch you
I looked once
Then tried not to stare
You asked for the road to the river
Your laughter fell light as the rain
My tongue tied itself into silence
As you walked down the curve of the lane
[Chorus]
New girl down the lane
I know your name
But I daren’t say mine
Heart like a skittish foal
Bolts at your shadow every time
Oh
I would weave you into my days
Like clover through the grain
But I only watch you passing by
New girl down the lane
[Verse 2]
You sit by the fire in O’Grady’s
A book and a cup in your hand
I polish the glassware and listen
For scraps of the life that you’ve planned
You hum an old song I remember
From Sundays and soft candle flame
I join in a breath underneath it
You turn
And I blush at my shame
[Chorus]
New girl down the lane
I know your name
But I daren’t say mine
Heart like a skittish foal
Bolts at your shadow every time
Oh
I would weave you into my days
Like clover through the grain
But I only pour your evening tea
New girl down the lane
[Bridge]
If courage grew wild on the hillside
I’d gather it all in my skirt (oh)
I’d knock on your bright painted doorway
Wear every old fear like an old
Torn shirt
But here in the hush of my kitchen
Your laughter keeps filling the room
I trace little hearts in the flour
Then sweep them away with the broom
[Chorus]
New girl down the lane
I know your name
But I daren’t say mine
Heart like a skittish foal
Bolts at your shadow every time
Oh
I would weave you into my days
Like clover through the grain
Till then I watch the sunlight in your hair
New girl down the lane

Airy Celtic folk ballad with female vocals in close 3–4 part harmony; lilting tin whistle and soft fiddle interweave over fingerpicked guitar and gentle bodhrán pulse. Verses stay intimate and close-mic’d, harmonies peeking in and out; chorus blooms into full stacked voices like a small village choir. Subtle low drones and reverb on whistle to give a windswept coastal warmth, dynamics rising just a touch on each chorus., gentle, harmony