[Verse 1]
Mara sets the bread to cool beside the open door
Old Ben sweeps the chapel steps, then checks the weather once more
A spring runs clear beneath the bridge where children race their sticks
And smoke climbs from the chimneys in the pale October mist

[Chorus]
Here where the ridge keeps watch above the rows of stone
We know each gate, each garden, every path that leads us home
A kettle sings, a screen door swings, the afternoon moves slow
And the mountain holds our little village close below

[Verse 2]
At the mill, the flour sacks wait beneath the painted sign
June brings apples down the lane in baskets lined with twine
The postman leaves a parcel by the schoolhouse painted blue
Then stays to trade a story and a handful of good news

[Chorus]
Here where the ridge keeps watch above the rows of stone
We know each gate, each garden, every path that leads us home
A kettle sings, a screen door swings, the afternoon moves slow
And the mountain holds our little village close below

[Bridge]
When winter lays its quiet hand across the upper pass
We stack the wood, we salt the beans, we watch the first snow pass
No grand parade, no hurried plans, just neighbors coming through
With one more loaf, one more chair, one more place for you

[Final Chorus]
Here where the ridge keeps watch above the rows of stone
We know each gate, each garden, every path that leads us home
A kettle sings, a screen door swings, the evening embers glow
And the mountain holds our little village close below

[Outro]
The last light rests on slate roofs as the church bell answers slow
And the mountain holds our little village close below