The Old Map by Everwild Collective
This old timey acoustic folk song is about being flexible and open to learning along the trails of life.
Lyrics
I set out at sunrise with an old map in my pack
Lines drawn by a certain hand, no thought of turning back
It showed me where the ridges ran, where the safe paths lay
But the trail I was walking had already changed its way
There was a trail marked plain as truth, now broken by a slide
And a valley flagged as dangerous with wildflowers inside
I met a man with a different chart, said “You might wanna see”
I said “This one was good enough for folks here before me”
He said: This old map tries to show what it can
But it don’t keep pace with the living land
There’s more to this place than it used to know
More to the world than it could ever show
By a washed-out bridge at dusk, I finally understood it
That trust in every line I’d learned could lead me where it shouldn’t
He said “That map was made back then, but there's much more to be drawn
I tucked that map away and let the good trail lead me on
Folded up the guidance that I thought I understood
Turns out getting lost out here can do a person good
Saw the same old mountains in a different kind of light
Turns out what they called the edge was just their end of sight
This old map tries to show what it can
But it don’t keep pace with the living land
There’s more to this place than it used to know
More to the world than it could ever show
Started out with a map and a sure plan in my hand
Now I’m following the shape of a living land
Ain’t saying I know where every path might bend
But I’m feeling a little lighter than I’ve ever been