Diamond Pond (Hayes)

We took historic route 3 up to 26
where the sledders from the small town
were up to their old tricks.
Along the icy road were signs of yesterday
for the snow again had fallen in its old familiar way.

We melted snow for water when supplies ran low that day,
and the frosty wind upon our cheeks could not prevent our stay.
Millie runs the yarn shop. Hamp maintains the plow.
And, when heavy snow keeps you there, he’ll tow you out somehow.

Chorus:
Up here, the air is clean,
and the black of night and its chilly bite give way to days unseen.
With the bluest skies and trees of white,
the hush of Diamond Pond leaves us breathless with delight.

The fire in the woodstove turned the chimney to a glow
while the temperature outside fell to twelve below.
The trails were neatly groomed from Whipple Ridge to Sugar Hill,
and the sledders from the small town fought back against the chill.

Chorus:
Up here, the air is clean,
and the black of night and its chilly bite give way to days unseen.
With the bluest skies and trees of white,
the hush of Diamond Pond leaves us breathless with delight.

Chorus:
Up here, the air is clean,
and the black of night and its chilly bite give way to days unseen.
With the bluest skies and trees of white,
the hush of Diamond Pond leaves us breathless with delight.

Story Behind the Song

In February 2007, Steve Hayes introduced me to Diamond Pond in Colebrook, New Hampshire. It had been a particularly snowy winter that year, and four feet of freshly fallen snow greeted us when we arrived.

We drove into the settlement as far as we could in my minivan, but it was clear, at one point, that my car was not going to be able to take us any further. We walked along the freshly plowed road to the cabin hoping that the sledders would speed around us. When we got to the site of the cabin, we hiked in through waist-deep snow while pushing our guitars across the top of it.

During our stay, I proposed the idea of Hayes and I cowriting a song about Diamond Pond. I wrote our lyrics on a slip of paper and stashed it in a book in the cabin. That version of the song never got any further than being a souvenir for future travelers to discover. But, after our return home, Hayes composed the version that appears on the Strawberry Moon CD. Every word of the song is true and recounts our winter weekend on Diamond Pond. . . .