Stand Watch, Breathe Slow

Verse 1]  
Thermos of coffee, orange camo,  
Boots hit gravel, then they find the dirt.  
Cold air cutting through a flannel shirt,  
First light crawling where the shadows go.
[Verse 2]  
Breath hangs white like a quiet fire,  
Dawn bleeds slow through the pines ahead.  
Every step measured, the stillness fed —  
Like the woods might wake if the world walked higher.
[Chorus]  
Stand watch, breathe slow,  
Let the whole wide world just go.  
Reading tracks in this frozen ground,  
Listening close for the softest sound.  
Heart beats low —  
Stand watch, breathe slow.
[Verse 3]  
Fresh hoof prints by the old creek’s turn,  
One snapped twig where the maples burn.  
Squirrel throws curses from an oaken limb,  
Like he knows I’m here, and it’s not for him.
[Pre-Chorus]  
Climb that ladder, leave the ground below,  
Settle in high where the cold winds blow.
[Chorus]  
Stand watch, breathe slow,  
Let the whole wide world just go.  
Gloves on the rail of this weathered stand,  
Waiting all day with an open hand.  
Heart beats low —  
Stand watch, breathe slow.
[Bridge]  
Phone turned off, tucked deep inside,  
Up here it’s just the wind and my own mind.  
If he walks out, or the woods stay still,  
I’ll wait till dusk rolls over the hill.
[Chorus]  
Stand watch, breathe slow,  
Let the whole wide world just go.  
Watching that edge where the shadows fall,  
Hearing my name in a crow’s rough call.  
Heart beats low —  
Stand watch, breathe slow.

country, Dusty outlaw country with male vocals, brushed snare and lazy tambourine, open vocals