judy collins-cactus tree Lyrics

there’s a man who’s been out sailing
in a decade full of dreams
and he takes her to a schooner
and he treats her like a queen
bearing beads from california
with their amber stones and green
he has called her from the harbor
he has kissed her with his freedom
he has heard her off to starboard
in the breaking and the breathing
of the water weeds
while she was busy being free
there’s a man who’s climbed a mountain
and he’s calling out her name
and he hopes her heart can hear
three thousand miles
he calls again
he can think her there beside him
he can miss her just the same
he has missed her in the forest
while he showed her all the flowers
and the branches sang the chorus
as he climbed the scaly towers of a forest tree
while she was somewhere being free
there’s a man who’s sent a letter
and he’s waiting for reply
he has asked her of her travels
since the day they said goodbye
he writes
wish you were beside me we can make it if we try” he has seen her at the office with her name on all his papers through the sharing of the profits he will find it hard to shake her from his memory and she’s so busy being free there’s a lady in the city and she thinks she loves them all there’s the one who’s thinking of her there’s the one who sometimes calls there’s the one who writes her letters with his facts and figures scrawl she has brought them to her senses they have laughed inside her laughter now she rallies her defenses for she fears that one will ask her for eternity and she’s so busy being free there’s a man who sends her medals he is bleeding from the war there’s a jouster and a jester and a man who owns a store there’s a drummer and a dreamer and you know there may be more she will love them when she sees them they will lose her if they follow and she only means to please them and her heart is full and hollow like a cactus tree while she’s so busy being free like a cactus tree being free”