Independence

from Make An Honest Stand by Kevin Heider

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lyrics

When I left Independence, I was just a kid
Mostly unaware of the world and all it hid
I left for California to pan the streams for gold
When I left Independence, I was 17 years old

When I left my family to go out on my own
I condemned my father to work the fields alone
I was bound for glory and my own claim to stake
But when I got to California, I'd gotten here too late

If you've ever known true hunger, you know what it can do
The things I did for money, they changed me through and through
Treasure is a tricky thing, if you seek it you might find
That you've left Missouri dirt for the California kind

The young men who rode with me on the village raids
There were so many orphans and widows that we made
The violence sanctioned by the State was calculated, it was cold
Here in California I got 30 pieces for my soul

It's hard to tell my story when I've so much left to live
When I think of my father, I hope he can forgive me
It's hard for me to reconcile who I was, who I became
A slave to my ambition, the devil's favorite game

Come sunrise tomorrow, by God's grace I'll depart
I'm leaving California with an aching in my heart
Please grant me absolution, Father, for all these things I've done
And I'll work out my penance on the trail to Oregon

credits

from Make An Honest Stand, released October 23, 2020

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about

Kevin Heider Dayton, Ohio

Creator + host of the popular Song & Story podcast, Kevin Heider is a singer-songwriter from Dayton, Ohio.

Whether he's writing hymns or drinking songs, his music is imbued with an earnest social consciousness.

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