YELLOWSTONE
Words and music by Sarah McQuaid
Recorded on Walking Into White (2015), The St Buryan Sessions (2021)
My son can’t sleep
He’s ten years old
He’s scared that Yellowstone will blow
And when it does
It could set off
A mighty chain reaction
Volcanos round the world exploding
Darkened skies and lava flowing
His mind won’t let it go
He’s ten years old
I try to tell him not to worry
There’s no point in dwelling
On the things we can’t control
Especially when we’re ten years old
I try to tell him how the chances
Are so small that circumstances
Will combine to trigger
That eventuality
And he looks back at me
He says I know all that
But even so
My mind won’t let it go
Well I’ve got worries
Of my own
Another simmering Yellowstone
Beneath the earth
Releasing spurts
Each time the pressure rises
I know I’m not the only one
To fear the ground I tread upon
Volcanos of all kinds
Torment our minds
Who am I to say don’t worry
How can we help dwelling
On the things we can’t control
Even if we’re more than ten years old
The sea of molten rock below us
Haunts our dreams and undermines us
Causing us to falter
As we struggle on our way
Just trying to live each day
In hope that Yellowstone
Won’t blow
Let it go
