"Hanging Tree" is a song about Rose Marshall, written in 2007.
Lyrics[]
Meet me in the shadow of the hanging tree,
Where the skeletons of mercy dangle still.
Love is like a shadow hanging over me;
I always say I won't. I always will.
And love is like the mountain,
And it doesn't care
That my stillborn heart beats naked in my hand.
Love is like the winter,
And it isn't fair...
But the hanging tree's been hurt. It understands.
See the pretty maidens in their summer gowns,
With hollyhocks and lilies in their hair.
Counting off the petals as they shower down --
He loves me not. He loves me. He'll be there.
And hope is like a promise
I can never keep,
A tangled maze of tragedy and blame.
I lay me down each night,
And still I never sleep,
But the hanging tree forgives me, all the same.
So lay me down where the tangled roots
Of the past hold tightly to the land;
I've been here before, I know the way.
So lay me down in the gentle arms
Of the only one who understands;
The hanging tree's the only love I've ever had
Who ever said that I could rest, that I could stay...
Leave me in the shadow of the hanging tree,
Where the sins of past transgressions sing and sigh.
Love is like a story never meant to be;
I always say I won't. I always lie.
And faith is like the shadow
Of the hanging tree,
It's rooted deep in everything we are.
It catches us in chains
Until we're never free,
But the hanging tree forgives my every scar.
Meet me in the shadow of the hanging tree;
Bring your shattered heart like rubies in your hand.
Maybe love was never really meant to be,
But the hanging tree keeps faith. It understands.