In the quiet rolling hills of the Midwest, nestled between acres of cornfields and dirt roads, Jess and Owen met under a sky of amber dusk. Jess was a city girl at heart, sent to her aunt’s farm for the summer, while Owen was born and raised among the tall crops and worn-down barns.
Their worlds couldn’t have been more different, yet, like tangled roots, their lives intertwined quickly. The farm had a slow rhythm, but when they were together, time seemed to race. They’d sneak away to the riverbank, lying under the stars, dreaming of a future far from the fences that surrounded Owen’s world.
For a while, it felt like magic. Owen, with his steady hands and quiet strength, taught Jess the ways of the farm—how to milk cows, drive a tractor, and feel the pulse of the land. In return, Jess introduced him to music, poetry, and the vibrant energy of her city life.
They’d talk for hours about leaving the countryside behind, chasing dreams in big cities. But the farm had its grip on Owen, deeper than he realized. It was his family’s legacy, a responsibility passed down through generations, and no matter how much he loved Jess, the weight of that burden was ever-present.
TANGLEWEED | Beer & Skittles (lyrics) – YouTube
As the summer drew to a close, cracks began to show. Jess longed for the bright lights and bustling streets she’d left behind, while Owen couldn’t imagine a life without the fields that had shaped him. They fought in the barn one evening, the smell of hay thick in the air, voices low but tense.
Jess accused him of being afraid to leave, and Owen told her she didn’t understand the loyalty he felt to his roots. It wasn’t that they didn’t love each other—it was that love couldn’t bridge the growing divide between the lives they wanted.
By September, the inevitable happened. Jess packed her bags with trembling hands, and Owen stood by helplessly, knowing there were no words to change her mind. He walked her to the end of the gravel road, where a taxi waited to take her back to the city.
They kissed once more, but it wasn’t like their earlier kisses, full of hope and promise. This one tasted of goodbye. As she drove away, Owen turned back to the farm, knowing he’d chosen the life that had always been his.
Seasons passed, and the fields grew lush, but Owen always felt something missing, like a weed that had taken root in his heart, tangled and inescapable. Jess, too, moved on, but no city skyline could erase the memories of those quiet nights by the riverbank.
They were two lives caught in the same tangleweed, forever bound by a love that couldn’t survive the soil in which it grew.
TANGLEWEED SONG – SOURCES
You can also listen to the song on all streaming services including Spotify, Apple Music and more.
