The 40th Parallel

Words & Music by Christopher Kent

Sun above horizon, sun below
Summer brings the harvest, winter brings the snow
Warmth to open up the earth, cold to open up the heart
Far above the Earth’s equator, where wondrous new things start

Chorus:
The ever-changing seasons and the growth they compel
A latitude where strong winds carry ships across the ocean swells
New civilizations will rise where others fell
On the 40^th parallel

Crowded cities thrive here, filled with changing faces
Building roads that lead to unfamiliar places
The wind across the plains becomes the roar of oceans
Illusions of stillness in a world in constant motion

The ever-changing seasons and the growth they compel
A latitude where strong winds carry ships across the ocean swells
New civilizations will rise where others fell
On the 40^th parallel

How did we come to be here, in this green and fertile place
On this quiet planet in the vastness of space?
What were the chances there could be such perfect circumstances
That life would appear and last a billion years?

The past recedes from view; the future’s calling
The voices of the ages rising and falling
The sound of countless lifetimes, whispers and cries
Endlessly evolving underneath the windswept skies

The ever-changing seasons and the growth they compel
A latitude where strong winds carry ships across the ocean swells
New civilizations will rise where others fell
On the 40^th parallel
How far our dreams may take us, no one can tell
On the 40^th parallel