The Huntress Hunter

Lyrics

[Verse 1] He learned to pose beside her harvest Like the hard miles were his own She knew the ridges, read the weather He just followed where she’d gone She built a name with blistered mornings He wore it easy as a coat Then took her hand beneath the courthouse clock And called their little boy his proof [Chorus] He’s the huntress hunter, trailing someone else’s tracks Borrowing her hard-won story, never giving it back Now the papers cross the kitchen, and the child hears the door He’s already at another table, telling his tale once more [Verse 2] She taught him where the deer trails narrowed How to wait and when to leave He learned the pose, the practiced handshake And how to make a room believe When she asked him to be steady He turned every fault around A father when the neighbors watched him A stranger when no one was around [Chorus] He’s the huntress hunter, trailing someone else’s tracks Borrowing her hard-won story, never giving it back Now the papers cross the kitchen, and the child hears the door He’s already at another table, telling his tale once more [Bridge] At the next house, bright with welcome He brings his boots and polished grin Her kin have stories by the firelight He finds a way to fold them in But a borrowed name won’t shelter him When the seasons turn and show The ones who build their lives from honesty Can tell what isn’t so [Final Chorus] He’s the huntress hunter, trailing someone else’s tracks A borrowed coat grows heavy when the truth comes riding back Let the child keep both their kindness, let the grown folks bear the score He’s already at another table—but the welcome won’t be his forever [Outro] She keeps the map she made herself He keeps moving on And somewhere past the county line The morning carries on