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Rocking Horse | Music and Lyrics by Jordan
My wife and I were in a store that resells used children’s items, hoping to find some long-sleeved wear for our daughter for the northern winter. My daughter and I love to shop so we left Mom to her clothes sifting and we made our way over to the toys & books section. We read a couple books (her favorite pastime) and then I lifted her onto my shoulders to walk somewhere else. She spotted this small, wooden rocking horse on the top shelf, pushed behind some plastic rocking horses and forgotten about. I put her down on the floor and pulled down the rocking horse for her. She lit up. I put her on its back and she giggled as she tugged on the mane and held the handles and bopped herself up and down. It was a heart-melting moment if there ever was one.
That night, as the rocking horse was sitting on the floor in front of me, long after my daughter had gone to bed, a line popped into my head “Oh, little rocking horse” (which later turned out to be the last line of the chorus). I quickly grabbed my guitar and had the chords and melody written in a matter of minutes but the lyrics were still stuck on “Oh little rocking horse.” That’s all I had. But that one line quickly unfurled itself into a snapshot of a whole childhood. The baby struggling to find her balance, the young girl learning to find her legs, and the young woman leaving to find herself.
The rocking horse ending up in the same second-hand store may be sad for any parent who has seen their child move away but it also marks the joyous beginning of a new family embarking on the journey of a lifetime.
-Jordan
Top shelf of a second hand store
A dad reaches up and pulls down a small rocking horse
Its yarn is tattered and its wood is worn
But it’s got many more years to give
His little girl’s on the floor below
Her eyes grow bright at the sight of the rocking horse
He scoops her up and they make their way homeSee the courage in her stance
As she struggles to find balance
Back and forth she totters
He sings to his daughterTime stands still on a rocking horse
The years go by but the scenes don’t change
Seems strange when another day is gone
When you fall get up again
Wounds heal and hearts mend
Oh, little rocking horseA little girl choking back her tears
She’s thirteen, and wise beyond her years
Her dad walks in, unsure of what to say
The days are gone when they just played
His little girl’s on the floor below
She needs his guidance and a hand to hold
He says, ‘Remember what I used to say.’I see the courage in your stance
As you learn to find your balanceTime stands still on a rocking horse
The years go by but the scenes don’t change
Seems strange when another day is gone
When you fall get up again
Wounds heal and hearts mend
Oh, little rocking horseIn the corner of her old room
In a box that says, ‘For a Good Home’
A little rocking horse is packed away
She leaves todayTime stands still on a rocking horse
The years go by but the scenes don’t change
Turn the page on another day gone
When you fall get up again
Wounds heal and hearts mend
Oh, little rocking horseTop shelf of a second hand store
A dad reaches up and pulls down a small rocking horse
Its yarn is tattered and its wood is worn
But it’s got many more years to giveLead Vocals: Kyle Harden
Backing Vocals: Jordan Woods-Robinson
Fiddle/Guitar/Bass: Jordan Woods-Robinson
Drums: Colin RobinsonDrum Mix: Colin Robinson
Mixed by: Jordan Woods-Robinson