Lyrics

[Intro]

There was a call across the valley.

There were footsteps on the ground.

Then the sky began to answer—

And the thunder drowned them out.

[Verse 1]

The clouds come down the mountains like an army dressed in grey,

And the wind runs through the treetops as the sunlight slips away.

Then the first drops strike the canopy, the next ones drown the trail,

Till the world beyond the nearest fern is hidden by a veil.

There’s a call across the valley, but the answer never comes;

Every warning, every footstep’s buried underneath the drums.

You could have a friend behind you, you could have a hunter near—

There’s a world of hungry silence underneath the roar you hear.

[Pre-Chorus]

The sky itself won’t hunt you, but it hides the ones that might—

So find yourself some shelter while there’s still a little light.

[Chorus]

When the sky roars, keep your head down low,

There are hungry things out walking where the tangled shadows grow.

When the sky roars, find a place to stay,

There’ll be time enough for hunting when the clouds have rolled away.

Let the rain come crashing, let the whole world shake,

You won’t hear the hunter till the nearest branches break.

When the sky roars, let it have the night—

Sometimes staying still’s the way you live to see the light.

[Verse 2]

Little bodies find the hollows where the ancient roots run deep,

While the giants crowd the treeline with a watch they mean to keep.

Under stone and tangled branches, with our backs against the hill,

We can watch the narrow entrance; we can make ourselves be still.

Then the grey gives way to charcoal, and the last light leaves the sky,

But the rain keeps coming harder, and the hours crawl slowly by.

Now the storm has swallowed sunset, now it’s settled in to stay—

So we settle close together; we can hunt another day.

[Pre-Chorus]

Let the reckless keep on roaming, let them vanish in the rain—

We would rather miss a meal than never make it home again.

[Chorus]

When the sky roars, keep your head down low,

There are hungry things out walking where the tangled shadows grow.

When the sky roars, find a place to stay,

There’ll be time enough for hunting when the clouds have rolled away.

Let the rain come crashing, let the whole world shake,

You won’t hear the hunter till the nearest branches break.

When the sky roars, let it have the night—

Sometimes staying still’s the way you live to see the light.

[Bridge]

Was that thunder? Was that breathing?

Was that movement past the stone?

I can barely see you standing,

But at least I’m not alone.

We don’t have to prove we’re fearless,

We don’t have to win a fight.

Keep your shoulder close beside me.

We can give the storm tonight.

[Final Chorus]

When the sky roars, keep your head down low,

Let the water wash the footprints from the trails we used to know.

When the sky roars, find a place to stay,

There’ll be time enough for wandering when the clouds have rolled away.

Let the rain come crashing, let the whole world shake,

We’ve got nothing out there waiting that is worth the chance we take.

When the sky roars, let it have the night—

Sometimes staying still’s the way you live to see the light.

[Outro]

Then the thunder leaves the valley,

And a breeze moves through the trees.

There’s your call beyond the branches.

There’s your footstep in the leaves.

One last drop falls from the shelter.

One last rumble, far away.

We unfold our aching bodies—

And the island’s ours to play.