Verse 1
The sun burns low on the valley, red dust rising in the heat,
Wild mustangs cut across the silence, hooves like thunder, hearts untamed.
Through the Gila, down to the Salt River, manes like fire in the wind,
Galloping hearts, the water splashing, running together while they sing.
Pre-Chorus
And in their eyes a wordless question —
Here we are, the same as you.
Chorus
Run free, breathe deep, feel the now,
Untethered — nothing can hold us down.
Rooted in the desert’s hand,
Yet carried by the wild dust and sand.
Verse 2
The canyon walls echo their freedom, like an old film come alive,
Shadows stretch across the mesa — Arizona’s heart still rises high.
And in their gaze I hear it calling — this is the land that shapes you too.
Chorus
Run free, breathe deep, feel the now,
Untethered — nothing can hold us down.
Rooted in the desert’s hand,
Yet carried by the wild dust and sand.
Bridge
They weave their joy through desert twilight,
Dust clouds rising to the sky.
Every heartbeat like a drumbeat —
An ancient rhythm that won’t die.
Final Chorus / Outro
Run free, breathe deep, feel the now,
Untethered — nothing can hold us down.
Rooted in the desert’s hand,
Yet carried by the wild dust and sand.
I stand with them, feeling it all —
The stillness, the wildness, the call.
Run free, breathe deep, untethered.
Conceptual Note:
“Run Free (Desert Version)” captures the soul of Arizona — a spiritual communion with the wild mustangs of the Gila and Salt River valleys. It’s freedom after pain, motion after stillness. In the arc of Songs of the Desert, this track is rebirth — the point where the spirit no longer seeks escape, but belongs entirely to the land, the dust, and the breath of life itself.