Ingrid MacDonald

Lyrics

FOREST FIRE
Words and Music by Ingrid MacDonald

My dad was working horses
I was bailing up the hay
Saw smoke high up the mountain
Ravens flew away

We’d heard talk of some fires
Farther west, near Logan Lake

Smoke blew down the valley
Made it hard to breathe
That’s when we saw the fire
Coming at us with full speed

Dad said, “Help me load these horses
And go and fetch your dog.”

The valley that we came to
Was too close to the blaze
Dad looked in all directions
Trying to find a way

And that was the first time
Ever saw him look afraid

The fire kept coming closer
And the rain stayed away
The fire kept coming closer
And the rain stayed away

And now there’s only one road in
And only one road out
Dad double backed the mountain
Found this logging road down south

We drove through burnt up forests
Ash in my hair, smoke in my mouth

We saw barns burnt down to embers
Creeks filled with debris
As the darkness fell
We finally got to some safety

They helped us with the horses
And brought water for the dog

In the morning they were talking
They said it would be days
Before we could go back and see
If anything was saved
And that was the first time
Ever saw my father pray

The fire kept coming closer
And the rain stayed away
The fire kept coming closer
And the rain stayed away