He was born in the bitteroot valley in the early morning rain Wild geese over the water, heading north and home again Bringin' a warm wind from the south, bringin' The first taste of the spring His mother took him to her breast and softly she did sing:
Oh, montana, give this child a home Give him the love of a good family and a woman of his own Give him a fire in his heart, give him a light in his eyes Give him the wild wind for a brother and the wild montana skies
His mother died that summer and he never learned to cry He never knew his father and he never did ask why He never knew the answers that would make an easy way But he learned to know the wilderness and to be a man that way
His mother's brother took him in to his family and his home Gave him a hand that he could lean on and a strength to call his own And he learned to be a farmer and he learned to love the land And he learned to read the seasons and he learned to make a stand
On the eve of his 21st birthday, he set out on his own He was 30 years and runnin' when he found his way back home Ridin' a storm across the mountains and an achin' in his heart Said he came to turn the pages and to make a brand new start
Now he never told the story of the time that he was gone Some say he was a lawyer, some say he was a john There was something in the city that he said he couldn't breathe There was something in the country that he said he couldn't leave Now some say he was crazy and some are glad he's gone
But some of us will miss him and we'll try to carry on Giving a voice to the forest, giving a voice to the dawn Giving a voice to the wilderness and the land that he lived on
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