Ten Mile Stilts
The Wailin' Jennys Lyrics

Imagine you're a girl on ten mile stilts
Think of yourself as someone who's always above everyone else, looking down and taking everything in.

You travel round the world, taking it all in
You experience everything the world has to offer.

You'll never touch the ground
You'll never quite be a part of the world you observe and experience.

Is it a blessing or a curse
Is it a good thing or a bad thing to always be separate and above?

And if you're too high to be found
If you're too far removed from the world, where do you belong?

Are you lost or just rehearsed
Are you truly lost or just going through the motions?

Got a heart that opens clear in this cool September dark
In the clear darkness of September, your heart is open and vulnerable.

It rests on treetop leaves
Your heart is delicate and fragile, like a leaf on a branch.

And bursts its little sparks
Despite its fragility, your heart is still full of passion and excitement.

And sometimes it sings its songs
Sometimes your heart is happy and content, and it shows through song.

And it lets its secrets out
Your heart is open and honest, and it doesn't keep secrets.

Except for one that sears inside
Except for one secret that is painful and difficult to share.

That it cannot live without
This secret is so integral to your heart that it cannot be ignored or suppressed.

But if I tell you will you take it
If I share this secret with you, will you accept it?

Will you shine it up to me
Will you help me face this secret and make it more bearable?

Can you be strong to let me go on
Can you handle this secret without trying to change me or the situation?

And set this freedom free
Can you allow me the freedom to be who I am, even with this secret?

The stars are out tonight
The night sky is beautiful and full of promise.

Up here they're ripe to hold
Up here on your stilts, you feel closer to the stars and all their possibility.

But I have learned what comes to those who get too close
You have learned that getting too carried away can lead to disaster.

I'm no Icarus in flight
You are not naive and reckless, like the mythological character Icarus.

And I'm old enough to know
You have enough life experience to know better than to be careless.

That love is patient, but still unyielding
Love can be patient, but it still has limits and cannot be forced.

If you leave it long enough it lets you go
If you ignore or take love for granted, it will eventually leave you.