Muddy Chains Lament

Down in the delta where the cotton fields weep Rivers run muddy, secrets they keep Born from the chains in the heat of the night African souls singing under moonlight Hardship carved deep in the lines of their face Resilience rising from that lonesome place Blue notes bending like a willow and stone Voices crying out keeping the spirit warm Oh, the blues is the ache in your bones The fire that lingers when the cold wind moans Twelve bars of sorrow turning pain into gold Emotions raw, stories untold Sing it low, let the harmonica wail Guitar strings weeping like a midnight trail From the deep south's heart it rises again Blues in my blood forever my friend Expressive and broken yet strong as the oak Whispers of freedom in every note spoke Communities gathered round the two-joint fire Lifting the burdens, fueling in the desire Blue notes descending like tears on a page Personal trials in a twelve-bar cage But through the melancholy a spark ignites Resilience dancing in the pale morning light No fancy lights, just the raw and the real Focals that tremble making the wounded heal From late-nineteen shadows to electric nights Chicago winds carrying those delta fights It's intimate, whispers melancholic and true Soulful and soul deep, pulling me through Twelve bars of sorrow, tits the eight into gold Emotions raw, stories untold Sing it low, let the harmonica wail Guitar strings weeping like a midnight trail From the deep south's heart it rises again Blues in my blood forever my friend