Brian J. N. Davis ✈︎ A Metropolitan Guide

These Hills Are Gonna Rise

These Illinois and Iowa fields I want to leave behind
They may be home but today I’ve something else in mind
I’m heading out to the plains hoping to see
Those Black Hills rising slowly to me

All the singers go “da da da” and the speed limits fall away
And the Wall-Drug signs –they’re like some viral plague
Soon enough these hills are gonna rise
And with ‘em darling, you and I

We walked deep into the hills, where silence reigned supreme
Stood in shadows of the spots that felt more like a dream
Gazed up at the stars and wondered what it all means
And if that magpie over yonder has got a better idea than me

All the guides go “da da da” and tourists trek the ground
History changes based on who’s around
But soon enough these hills are gonna rise
And with ‘em darling, you and I

Presidents and tribal chiefs stood toe-to-toe in line
As if they might go start a war if given the place and time
But the latter pointed firmly to the path that lies ahead
And the former stared solemnly in honor of the dead

All the playlists go “da da da” and the mountains fade away
And complex history gives way to change
But soon enough these hills are gonna rise
And with ‘em darling, you and I