Sedge and iris grip the mud
Deep inside the heavy flood
Taxodium stands in the grey
Watching as the light fades away
White pine needles on the floor
Wait beside the open door
Salty wind begins to blow
Moving rhythmic, moving slow
Yellow beam on a wooden porch
Burning like a steady torch
Cutting through the purple haze
Lost inside a velvet maze
Sarracenia drinks the dew
Turning gold to midnight blue
Rooted deep in blacker clay
Hiding where the crawfish play
Yellow beam on a wooden porch
Burning like a steady torch
Cutting through the purple haze
Lost inside a velvet maze
Hold the breath and hold the line
Waiting for a hidden sign
Wait for the slow water rise
Underneath the heavy skies
Watchman walks the narrow board
Keeping every secret stored
Flashlight flickers on the rail
Tracing out a ghostly trail
Latin names for every weed
Sown inside a dormant seed
Patience grows in humid air
While the watchman lingers there
Yellow beam on a wooden porch
Burning like a steady torch
Cutting through the purple haze
Lost inside a velvet maze
Keep the beam on the wood.
Just as the botanist should.
(Ooh, the yellow beam)