Video Here:  https://youtu.be/nh0hMjP_IL8?si=lZ7rafS4FQe6KqIS

There used to be a wall in an old firetower overlooking the Shenandoah Valley. On this wall, was the most innocent little piece of graffiti, shouting at all the other graffiti around it to "Please, stop messing up this Wonder Place!"

Years ago some friends and I saw that little scribble, and it always stuck with us. Recently one of them and I climbed back up there to record this. It's a grueling hike up a mountain through thorns and nettle, and the backpack guitar case harness I bought didn't survive the trip, but my buddy sacrificed a draw string from his bag to get us back down. Thanks Matt! Even with the cuts, and stumbles, it was well worth the trouble.

The wall I mentioned has been gone for years, and you no longer have to climb through a hole in the fence at the base of the tower. I guess they got tired of fixing it and decided to leave the gates open. There's new graffiti all over the inside of the watch tower, and if you go there, be sure to thank "Big Rod". But it is still very much a wonder place from where you can peer across the valley all the way to the Blue Ridge Mountains.

This song is inspired by adventures and findings like that one, and is meant to be a reminder that we are surrounded by beauty and that it has the power to heal us. I know it has healed me in countless ways, countless times.

Thanks for listening!

LYRICS
-----
[Verse 1]
This is a wonder place where
Birdsong and sun, they’ve laced the air
A pleasant pair
Oh, they'll go laughing over rooted, rocky stairs
And if you stare long by their side
They'll get stuck deep down in your eyes
Whether you're low or open wide
They’ll heave your heart and change your mind

[Chorus 1]
And you've got time today
To go and find
A Wonder Place

[Verse 2]
And I have reason to believe
That skipping rocks and sighing trees
Will steady knees
And carry all of us through effervescent eves
Sun-dappled and burbling in their shade
Love-addled, unfurling burdened ways
These long and lazy days
Will spill over banks and fill our minds

[Chorus 2]
And we've got time today
To go and find
Our Wonder Place

[Bridge]
See how the clouds roll by
See how they soak up light
They change from day to night to day
We're meant to play

[Outro]
This is a wonder place where
Birdsong and sun, they’ve laced the air
A pleasant pair
Oh, We'll go laughing over rooted, rocky stairs
-----
Written, performed, and recorded by Aaron Hatcher.
Recorded using a Zoom H4n Portable Recorder, two AKG Perception 170 Condenser Mics, and a Taylor 312 CE Acoustic Guitar.

Wonder Place (Live From Elliot Knob)

My name is Aaron and I am a singer, songwriter, and guitarist from the Shenandoah Valley.

These songs come from sunny riverbanks and tired bedsides. Thanks for listening to them!

I hope you enjoy your stay!

Aaron Hatcher

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