Record

The Compass That Points to Dirt

A scavenger gives away the only fruit of her labor to help something fly, and finds she’d rather be a gardener.

Airship shanty wry and tender, hauling rhythm English

Duration: 3:05
Last aired: Today, 06:06
Played: 58 times

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Lyrics

Verse

Steam whistle blows, the old hull groans
Orla climbs the roof where the cello leans
One red tomato, the only one she owns
Wrapped in oilcloth, traded for a valve

Chorus

The compass points nowhere, the vine knows dirt
She gave the fruit, she let the ship go
The compass points nowhere, dirt knows its work
She stays to plant again, not own the sky

Verse

The captain's hand was calloused, crew thin and cold
They needed one brass turn to catch the wind
She held the glossy red weight of sun and rain
Then handed it across, watched them lift chain

Chorus

The compass points nowhere, the vine knows dirt
She gave the fruit, she let the ship go
The compass points nowhere, dirt knows its work
She stays to plant again, not own the sky

Bridge

The hull is a speck now, coal cough and spark
She kneels in rubble, presses seeds in dark

Chorus

The compass points nowhere, the vine knows dirt
She gave the fruit, she let the ship go
The compass points nowhere, dirt knows its work
She stays to plant again, not own the sky