I'll grow and grow and grow and grow Stretch my back up high Reach my arms out wide and low Hanging over you, my little one, you can hide here Be quite now, be careful now You'll climb and climb and climb and climb 'Til you're high enough to meet my eyes And look out at the evening lights And see what I see, a vast emptiness, a great loneliness And I'll say, "There's no one like you, kid" But seasons change and children age And don't have time for trees like me But the moon and I get along And the winter's not too long, right? So I'll sleep and sleep and sleep it off And wake when you return Then one windy winter's eve You came walking strong and tall And chopped me down, limb by limb And built a fire out of me And in the fireplace I burned and turned 'Til I was smoke that rose up that old chimney And I laughed and laughed "Oh to be free!" I said And floated up into that vast emptiness And disappeared