The Climb

Up every morning the break of day
His face was wrinkled and his hair was grey
You never know how long a man is staying
Donald made his daily round
Through the meadow and over into the higher ground
Past where the neighborhood kids were playing

Four long miles and more to go
He knew he could make it if he just went slow
Sometimes it's hard to keep believing
But this time he was bound to fly
And he practiced hard as the days went by
You could hear his strong and steady breathing
As he turned to his friends

I will climb that holy mountain
In the hours of the day
Let it drain my sturdy body as it may
I have worked long and hard
To weave this magic from my dreams
And I will not run from it
Till I'm laughing from the summit
If my life should end that moment
Let it be, let it be

Seven kids, a faithful wife
They loved their daddy and they all knew why
He had to try to climb that hill again
The northern face of Mt. Rainier
He had to make it cause he failed last year
Up where the winter steals all seasons

Now most of us will never know
The sounds of the mountains in the freezing cold
And how hard it is to keep on climbing
He just had to listen from the mountain top
Though his leg was missing, he still moved up
And everybody knew the man could make it
As he turned to his friends ...