Boulder to Birmingham
Emmylou Harris Lyrics

I don't want to hear a love song
I am not interested in hearing a song about love.

I got on this airplane just to fly
I boarded a flight purely for the sake of flying, with no particular destination in mind.

And I know there's life below me
I am aware that there is life on the ground beneath the airplane.

But all that it can show me
However, all that I can see from up here are the prairie and the sky.

Is the prairie and the sky
My view from the airplane is limited to the expanse of grassland and the sky above it.

And I don't want to hear a sad story
I am not interested in hearing a tale of sadness.

Full of heartbreak and desire
A story that is centered around intense emotions like heartbreak and desire is especially not what I want to hear.

The last time I felt like this
I last experienced such sadness and pain earlier in my life.

I was in the wilderness and the canyon was on fire
That was when I was in the wilderness and the landscape was marked by a raging canyon fire.

And I stood on the mountain
I was situated on a peak of the mountain.

In the night and I watched it burn
I stood and watched the canyon fire burn brightly in the dark of the night.

I watched it burn, I watched it burn
The vivid memory of watching the canyon fire consumes me to this day.

I would rock my soul in the bosom of Abraham
I would find solace and comfort in the biblical figure's embrace, as if cradled like a baby.

I would hold my life in his saving grace
I would grasp onto the hope and redemption that comes with divine intervention and protection.

I would walk all the way from Boulder to Birmingham
I would be willing to cover the long distance between these two places, just to catch a glimpse of you.

If I thought I could see, I could see your face
If I held the belief that I could finally lay eyes on your face, I would embark on this journey willingly.

Well you really got me this time
You have managed to leave an indelible impression on me this time.

And the hardest part is knowing I'll survive
The most difficult aspect of this experience is that I will have to live with these intense emotions and feelings without you.

I have come to listen for the sound
I am hearing for the sound, carefully and attentively.

Of the trucks as they move down
I am listening to the sound of trucks driving down the road.

Out on ninety five
These trucks are moving briskly along Route 95.

And pretend that it's the ocean
I try to imagine that the sounds of these trucks are akin to the peaceful sound of ocean waves.

Coming down to wash me clean, to wash me clean
I imagine the sound of the ocean to be like a purifying wave that cleanses me of my sadness.

Baby do you know what I mean
Do you understand what I am trying to convey?

If I thought I could see, I could see your face
If I held the hope of seeing your face, I would be willing to embark on a journey from Boulder to Birmingham.