In The Woods (lyrics)

Halfway up the hill we built a castle

Stones and beams went into its fabric

A long winding drive, solitude

In the woods, in the woods

Fall came in and the air was crisp

I was sleeping in the castle tower

With the long view of the lake

In the woods, in the woods

A ram’s head on the wall, fur rugs on the bed

The window was open to the cold

But the nights were snug and warm

In the woods, in the woods

We worked all day, busting muscle lifting beams

At night we’d go into town and get drunk

Always I had the tower room to come home to

In the woods, in the woods

One night, I was out of beer

Not a quart of 50 in the place

I was going to drive down the hill to get some

In the woods, in the woods

Greta the Volvo had no battery

She needed to be bumped into life down the hill

I climbed in, let the brake go

In the woods, in the woods

As the car picked up speed,

I popped out the clutch

The engine started turning

In the woods, in the woods

It backed down the hill faster

I didn’t see the tree coming

That trapped my arm on the open door

In the woods, in the woods

The car door groaned

The weight settled on my arm

I slowly realized I was trapped there

In the woods, in the woods

The first thing to do is call for help,

But there was no one for a mile

The next thing to do was wait all night

In the woods, in the woods

Dawn would find me cold, maybe frozen

And my mate wasn’t due for two days

I tried to think of the third option

In the woods, in the woods

I had a Swiss Army knife in my pocket

The blade wasn’t sharp but would do

I was contemplating my next step

In the woods, in the woods

They made a movie about a time like this

Forty years after mine happened

He went through with it, I couldn’t

In the woods, in the woods

The fear of amputation

Gave new purpose to my mind

I gathered my strength together

In the woods, in the woods

I bent my arm almost double,

Put my back to the door and shoved

The car groaned but didn’t move

In the woods, in the woods

I looked at the knife again, and shoved again

The car moved up the hill just enough

To tear my arm free from the door

In the woods, in the woods

As I rolled out of the way

The car bore down on the tree again

The door cracked and came loose

In the woods, in the woods

I went down the hill and returned to my home

Soaked the arm all night and slept the next day

I didn’t go back for the car, just left it there

In the woods, in the woods

When I can’t get something done

And I try but don’t succeed

I just think of that Swiss Army knife

In the woods, in the woods