Shifting, Whispering Sands

<p>(Spoken by Johnny Cash)<br/>I discovered the Valley of the Shifting, Whispering Sands<br/>While prospecting in a western state<br/>I saw the silent windmills, the crumbling water tanks<br/>The bones of the cattle picked clean by buzzards<br/>Bleached by the desert sun<br/>I stumbled over a crumbling buck board<br/>Nearly covered by the sand<br/>And stopping to rest I heard a tinkling, whispering sound<br/>And suddenly realized that even though the wind was quiet<br/>The sand did not lie still<br/>I seemed to be surrounded be a mystery<br/>So heavy and apperceive I could scarcely breath<br/>For weeks I wondered aimlessly in the valley<br/>Seeking answers to the many questions that raced through my mind<br/>Where was everyone? Why the white bones? The dry wells?<br/>The barren valley where people must have lived and died<br/>I sat down and buried my face in my hands<br/>And resting I learned the secret of the Shifting, Whispering Sands<br/>How I managed to escape from the valley I don&#x27;t know<br/>But now to pay my debt for being saved<br/>I must tell you what I learned out on the desert<br/>So many years ago<br/>(Sung by the Carter Family)<br/>When the day is oddly quiet<br/>And the breeze seems not to blow<br/>One would think the sun is resting<br/>But you&#x27;ll find this is not so<br/><br/>It is whispering softly whispering<br/>As it slowly moves along<br/>And for those who stop and listen<br/>It will sing this mournful song<br/><br/>(Sung by an unknown male choir)<br/>Of sidewinders and the horn toads<br/>On the thorny *chaparral<br/>In the sunny days and moonlight lights<br/>The lonely coyotes yell<br/><br/>(Sung by Johnny Cash)<br/>How the stars seem they can touch you<br/>As you lay and gaze on high<br/>At the heavens where your hoping<br/>You&#x27;ll be going when you die<br/><br/>*Here&#x27;s a definition to help<br/>You better understand the song<br/>According to the liner notes<br/>A chaparral is &quot;a thorny bush<br/>Native to the Southwest.&quot;<br/>By the way, be sure to check<br/>Out Part 2 of<br/>&quot;The Shifting, Whispering Sands&quot;<br/>See ya<br/>Tyler