The Wagon Trail Balladeers - The Final Dream at Owl Creek Lyrics

On Owl Creek's banks, beneath the aged timbers
A man counts moments in a muted scene
Bound by the weight of a war-scarred belief
A silent prayer, a deed born of urgent need

His world narrows to the rope's harsh grasp
The river's murmur, the bright slash of light
A soldier's scowl, a ticking watch
The final scene unfolds by the marshal's block

But in the clutch of the gallows, a vision takes wing
Through the rifle's smoke, to the edges of sight
A journey on water, so vivid and stark
Freedom's brief taste in the depths of the dark

He races the sun through the arms of the elms
The rustle of leaves, the soft sigh of the air
Home's embrace, a fleeting caress
The warmth of a kiss, he needed so much

The snap of the rope, the world fades to black
Time halts its march, no turning back
Yet in those seconds, a lifetime roams free
Across spectral fields, beyond what eyes see

Bound yet unbroken, under open skies
His essence soars where the eagle flies
A dream so potent, it rivals the day
Till the quiet claims, where he forever lay

At Owl Creek Bridge, where realities blur
Lies a tale of a man, and the life he'd prefer
Caught in the throes of a nation's fierce cry
He hangs in the balance 'twixt the truth and the lie