Hands on the Rockies - Lyrics by Doug Lutz, arrangement by SongAI, montage by Doug Lutz

Hands on the Rockies - Lyrics by Doug Lutz, arrangement by SongAI Montage by Doug Lutz Available on Sound Cloud   / hands-on-the-rockies-lyrics-by   This song is a compilation of themes that I have personally experienced in the last 10-15 years of mountain adventures - mostly in the Alberta Canadian Rockies. The lyrics are my own, but the song arrangement was created by SongAI with guidance from me in terms of genre, instruments, vocals, tempo, etc. [Intro] Hands on the Rockies Before the sun hits the wall, While the valley is sleepy, There’s a pack on a shoulder, boots on stone, And a ridge that says, “You’re on your own.” [Verse] Up through the trees where the trail disappears, Loose little ledges and thousands of years, Find the next weakness, follow the line, Read every crack like a mountain sign. No polished stairs, no beaten track, Hands find the holds and feet find the cracks, Three points planted, then reach for one more - That’s what the Rockies are waiting for. [Pre-Chorus] And the higher we climb, The smaller we feel, With a wall of blue sky And a mountain of steel. Heart pounding hard, Adrenaline high - But we watch the weather And we choose when to try. [Chorus] Hands on the Rockies! Fingers on stone! Climb every ledge like you’re finding your home! Up through the gullies, Across every ridge, One hand on the mountain, One foot on the edge! [Verse] Athabasca rising above the ice, Steep broken gullies demanding advice, Bell standing over O’Brien Lake, A thousand small choices in every move you make. Smutwood at dawn and the Fist before light, A headlamp burning through the cold of the night, Windy Ridge slab beneath our boots, Then another ridge calling, asking what we’ll choose. [Pre-Chorus] Vimy Ridge calling, Crypt Lake below, A long day ahead, But we know when to go slow. Cracks and pinnacles, Pillars of stone, We climb together - No one climbs alone. [Chorus] Hands on the Rockies! Fingers on stone! Climb every ledge like you’re finding your home! Up through the gullies, Across every ridge, One hand on the mountain, One foot on the edge! [Bridge] Sometimes the route isn’t written, Sometimes the cairns disappear, Sometimes the ridge looks impossible Until you get near. Then you find a little weakness, A ledge, a crack, a way through. And when we pull ourselves over That last steep wall of stone, We look across the Rockies And know we’re not alone. [Break] [Chorus] Hands on the Rockies! Fingers on stone! Climb every ledge like you’re finding your home! Hands on the Rockies! Hearts running wild! The higher we climb, The more we’re alive! From Crowfoot to Chancellor, From Temple to the sun, From Bow Lake to Crypt Lake - The scrambling’s never done! But we read every forecast, We listen, we see, We climb for the wonder And enjoy company. So give us the limestone, Give us the ridge, Give us the wild blue sky And the next mountain’s edge! Hands on the Rockies! Fingers on stone! Doug and the mountains - Never alone! [Outro] The trail disappears... The ridge rises high... One more handhold... One more piece of sky... The light fades gold... The valley turns blue... We carry the mountain... And the mountain carries us through. We’re home by morning - With the next route in view. The maps are spread open - And the wild calls anew. We’ll be back on the ridgeline... When the skies turn blue. One more handhold... One more piece of sky... And the next climb begins.