I came back through the bramble with a pocket full of days,
A baker's daughter, a corgi, and a baker's quiet praise.
The pines were just the same, the river sang the same old tune,
The elders sat on cedar stumps and waited for the moon.
I was taller, I was gentler, I was full of other voices,
I had learned to weave a rhythm from a thousand different choices.
I unpacked a little mandolin, a thimble made of gold,
Then sat beside the family fire and let the stories unfold.

Pass the bread,
Pass the song,
Pull the family circle
Close and strong.

Home is where the howl is, where the chorus finds a paw,
Where the elders learn the Charleston and the cubs learn the gavotte.
I came back with a tune or two, I came back with a friend,
I came back with the wolf I love and woods that never end.

I taught my brother the kazoo, I taught my sister to slide,
I taught my uncle how to dance, my father how to glide.
I taught my mother how to waltz, my aunt to spin a reel,
I taught the little cubs to clap and sing the way they feel.
The pack that used to fear the dark now gathers by the flame,
They hum the songs the campers sang before they knew my name.
And every silver full moon rising, every shining night,
We gather on the velvet ridge until the morning light.

My mother placed a hand on mine and softly asked me where I'd been.
I smiled and said, "I went to find a song... and brought it home again.
The music wasn't missing, it was waiting here all along,
I only helped us hear the heartbeat hidden in the song."

Pepper Dust played the fiddle, Margaret joined the tune,
The baker's daughter laughed beneath the gentle summer moon.
The raccoons danced together, the otters found their beat,
The hedgehog played his violin and everyone found their feet.
I held my love beside the fire while all the stars would spin,
And whispered, "Look at us, my dear... we finally brought love in."

Home is where the howl is, where the chorus finds a paw,
Where the elders learn the Charleston and the cubs learn the gavotte.
I came back with a tune or two, I came back with a friend,
I came back with the wolf I love and woods that never end.