Song Description

Bodie, the ghost town in California, it's legends and rumors..

Lyrics

"Whispers Out in Bodie"
Written & Composed by Yves Stilmant ©2025
[Verse 1A]
Me and my horse rolled into Bodie
The sun was low, the wind blew wide
The town was quiet, the sky turned smoky
Old souls were watching where they died
[Verse 1B]
A chapel leaned like it still prayed
A silver locket caught my eye
I picked it up though I felt afraid
You never steal where spirits lie
[Pre-Chorus 1]
They say don't take what's left behind
In Bodie, debt is paid in kind
[Chorus]
Now I hear whispers out in Bodie
Calling soft across the trees
The shadows move like something knows me
And every step brings back the breeze
No gold is worth what I now owe
I crossed a line I shouldn't go
I took the past and made it mine
Now Bodie holds what once was mine
[Verse 2A]
I tried to ride at morning's light
But every trail led back again
The signs were wrong, the sun too bright
The air grew thick like cold, old sin
[Verse 2B]
A woman stood where miners fell
She whispered low, "You're one of us"
Her dress was torn, her eyes a well
Of sorrow locked in desert dust
[Pre-Chorus 2]
You can't undo what you disturb
The ghosts of Bodie never serve
[Chorus]
Now I hear whispers out in Bodie
Calling soft across the trees
The shadows move like something knows me
And every step brings back the breeze
No gold is worth what I now owe
I crossed a line I shouldn't go
I took the past and made it mine
Now Bodie holds what once was mine
[Bridge]
So if you ride through silence deep
Don't touch the things the dead still keep
Leave the dust and leave the stone
Or you'll be theirs -- and not alone
________________________________________
?? Lead Guitar Break
(Use haunting, echoing slide guitar in a minor key -- suggest D minor -- layered with ambient pads)
________________________________________
[Final Chorus - Full Instrumentation + Harmony]
Now I hear whispers out in Bodie
Calling soft across the trees
The wind turns cold like fate below me
And names are carved into the breeze
No gold is worth what I now owe
I crossed a line I shouldn't go
I took the past and made it mine
Now Bodie holds what once was mine
[Outro - Fading Acoustic Line]
Me and my horse rolled into Bodie
But only one rode out alive