Written during my first days living in the woods, this song captures the absurdity of trying to learn survival while carrying a life in transition. The smoke was real, but it also became a metaphor for all the things I couldn’t quite outrun. Sometimes meaning arrives through a campfire, a bad decision, and a sense of humor.
Lyrics
Verse 1 The first fire wasn't good Let's start there Too much smoke Not enough patience I killed the little teepee With a giant log Like somebody trying to skip The learning part Verse 2 The funny thing Was the smoke It kept following me I would move my chair Smoke Move my chair again Smoke Move my chair again Smoke Like the forest had assigned me A personal weather system Chorus Smoke kept finding me No matter where I went I pointed toward the trees Like somehow it would listen Smoke kept finding me And I kept laughing too Because I could move the smoke But not my life What do you do with that? Verse 3 I used to hate smoke My lungs hated smoke My whole childhood was Wanting the fire And paying for it Every single time The warmth was worth it The breathing wasn't Verse 4 Now I'm sitting in the redwoods Homeless Talking to a cloud Like it's a stubborn dog Go that way No That way Thank you Chorus Smoke kept finding me No matter where I went I pointed toward the trees Like somehow it would listen Smoke kept finding me And I kept laughing too Because I could move the smoke But not my life What do you do with that? Bridge Maybe I'm high Maybe I'm exhausted Maybe I'm a windbender Maybe I'm just lonely Maybe meaning appears Anywhere it can fit When your whole life Has fallen off its hinges Final Chorus Smoke kept finding me And I stayed anyway Built my first fire At forty-five And loved it Way more than I expected Smoke kept finding me And so did the heat Outro Maybe that's enough For tonight

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