The Anchor in the Wild

Family memory

A song for Tia Dieu — steady as an anchor, holding love firm while the family roams the wild.

Lyrics

Transcribed from the recording — close to the song, but not always word-perfect.

After the roof was set and the foundation dried
The well-ranced shallow underling grey sky
Little child of the house, you got the hardest end of the stick
Sent to great grandma's care while the air was thick
With the dust of a family trying just to survive
Just trying to keep the flickering candlelight alive
I saw you coming home, lunch on my plate
Across the street, just a child heading for the gate
Then the world went white, the sound of the steel on bone
A motorcycle crash on a road you walked along
Persisted through the burn, persisted the burn
Persit through the fall, you learned to stand up right
After answering the call
Oh Joe, you were the anchor in the wild
Toughest heart and a beautiful middle child
You took the weight and you turned it into gold
The story of a sister, the brave and bright and bold
You are dope
We huddled in the dark, the radio our guide
Scary stories from Wing-Oct-Man side by side
Paris by Night MC, spinning ghost in the night
We laughed at the shadows and we dreamed of the light of Wayne
20 years gone by, now we're in free, still dreaming of who we were always meant to be
Oh Joe, you were the anchor in the wild
Toughest heart and a beautiful middle child
You took the weight and you turned it into gold
The story of a sister, the brave and bright and bold
You are dope
You shine bright wherever your two feet land
A loyal friend with a healing hand
Founded and growing, committed to the truth
You're the blossom that grew from the struggles of youth to our death
To live in life, may your wishes come true