The Boundless Earth
My folks got land when it was free.
Land full of trails we didn’t see
Times were hard.
But we were young and full of certainty.
We pulled the rocks. We cut the trees
We cleared the sod, made room for seed
Times were hard.
But we were young and full of certainty.
We turned the soil, played by the book.
Pulled fences down, did what it took
Times were hard.
But we were young, and full of certainty.
The cities grew. The memories waned
Most of us left those thinning plains
Times were hard.
But we were young and full of certainty.
That Eden land we stumbled on
That boundless earth: where has it gone?
Times were hard.
And we were young and full of certainty
We got this land when it was free
Land full of trails we didn’t see
Times were hard.
But we were young and full of certainty
Words and music by Bret Hesla. Written on commission for Land Stewardship Project
© 2022 Bret Hesla. All rights reserved. Use with permission, please.
Contact: Bret.hesla@gmail.com.
Recording Credits:
Bret Hesla & Six Feet Deep
Bret Hesla — lead vocals, rhythm guitar
Dan Chouinard – accordion, piano
Dave Michel — bass, vocals
Steve Kimball — percussion
Tim Gustafson — lead guitar
Rebekah Fergus- harmony vocals
Recording Engineer Dave Michel
Recorded at Orchard House, Minneapolis, Minnesota
This song is part of the series Six Feet Deep, a collection of six songs written on commission for the Land Stewardship Project. The songs reflect the words, hopes, dreams and practices of farmers who are using the practices of regenerative agriculture.
I ended up writing a suite of songs — two recorded in 2020, and four more in 2022. Many of the images in these songs come directly from the comments of the folks I talked to or read about, or the books I read.