The Momma 'n' Daddy Collection 23

So it's a country music series, right? And this is normblog, right? Emmylou is going to feature, then, quite a few times, and we won't be hearing any grumbling about that. Here she is, the great lady of the music, singing a song of more sombre mood than a lot of the other titles in this series - 'My Father's House':

Last night I dreamed that I was a child
Out where the pines grow wild and tall
I was trying to make it home through the forest
Before the darkness falls

I heard the wind rustling through the trees
And ghostly voices rose from the fields
I ran with my heart pounding down that broken path
With the devil snappin' at my heels

I broke through the trees, and there in the night
My father's house stood shining hard and bright
The branches and brambles tore my clothes and scratched my arms
But I ran till I fell, shaking in his arms

I awoke and I imagined the hard things that pulled us apart
They will never again, sir, tear us from each other's hearts
I got dressed, and to that house I did ride
From out on the road, I could see its windows shining in light

I walked up the steps and stood on the porch
A woman I didn't recognize came and spoke to me through a chained door
I told her my story, and who I'd come for
She said "I'm sorry, but no one by that name lives here anymore"

My father's house shines hard and bright
It stands like a beacon calling me in the night
Calling and calling, so cold and alone
Shining 'cross this dark highway where our sins lie unatoned

Phone your dad, people. Phone your mom. Visit. By the way, I haven't forgotten. I know I've still to complete the Emmylou Review. It will be done, rest assured.

[The Momma 'n' Daddy Archive, containing all the details of the series, is here.]