Lyrics My Father's House - Emmylou Harris

My Father's House

Last night, I dreamed that I was a child
Out where the pines grow wild and tall
I was trying to make it home through the forest
Before the darkness falls
I heard the wind rustling through the trees
And ghostly voices rose up from the fields
I ran with my heart pounding, down that broken pathway
With the devil snapping at my heel
I broke through the trees and there, in the night
My father’s house stood, shining hard and bright
The branches and brambles tore my clothes and caused me harm
But I ran 'til I fell, shaking in his arms
I awoke and imagined the hard things that pulled us apart
Will never again, sir, tear us from each other’s hearts
I got dressed, and to that house I did ride
From out on the road, I could see its windows shining in light
I walked up the steps and stood on the porch
A woman I didn’t recognize spoke to me through a chained door
I told her my story and who I’d come for
She said, «I'm sorry, son, but no one by that name lives here anymore»
My father’s house shines hard and bright
It stands like a beacon, calling me in the night
Calling and calling, so cold and alone
Shining 'cross this dark highway, where our sins lie unatoned