[Verse 1] I kept your letter in the blue tin box Beside the matches and the winter socks The paper smelled of rain and cedar smoke Your final sentence nearly made me choke [Pre-Chorus] If the north wind asks me where you went I’ll point beyond the firs, beyond the fence [Chorus] You are the compass under my skin The quiet place I keep returning in Though every road wears a different name I turn toward you, and burn the same [Verse 2] A little painted wagon crossed the square With brass bells trembling in the evening air A girl in silver shoes forgot her cue And laughed as if the whole wide world were new [Pre-Chorus] I saw your face inside that careless grin The door swung open, and the past came in [Chorus] You are the compass under my skin The quiet place I keep returning in Though every road wears a different name I turn toward you, and burn the same [Bridge] Not immortal, no—just hard to lose Like frost that lingers underneath the shoes Like one small tune a broken player plays When all the crowd has gone its separate ways [Final Chorus] You are the compass under my skin The hidden bell that calls me home again And if the farthest winter takes my name I’ll turn toward you, and burn the same [Outro] When morning finds the rooftops washed in white I’ll keep your northern star inside my sight
