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"Running With The Tide©"
Lyrics by M. S. McKenzie (Unless Otherwise Noted) | Music Performed by Songs Across America or American Storyteller Music, All Songs Are Protected by Copyright
~ Associated State Links ~
"Running With The Tide"
The story behind the song lives out on the barrier islands where the wild ponies of Assateague and Chincoteague move with the tides and the moon. I wanted it to feel big and anthemic, the kind of song a crowd could stomp and clap and sing the "whoa-ohs" to, but underneath the lift I wanted a gentler idea: that freedom isn't chaos or rebellion. It's living in rhythm with something larger than yourself.
That's what the hook means to me. "Run with the tide, not against the moon" is the ponies' whole way of life, and it turned into a piece of advice for the rest of us too. The song is sung in a "we," the voice of locals and rangers and visitors all watching the same thing, because the shoreline was never ours to own. We keep the watch and let the wild decide. Storms redraw the maps, dunes step back and grow again, and the herd just keeps finding its legs season after season.
The late-July channel swim, Pony Penning, sits in the middle of the song like a held breath, a moment where human celebration and animal dignity meet without one swallowing the other. By the end, with the buck moon shimmering on Chincoteague Bay and the hooves treading soft where the plovers hide, I wanted the whole thing to land as both a travel-poster picture and a quiet promise to live a little more lightly on the land.
Anthemic pop-rock with light Americana color.
Freedom as rhythm rather than rebellion, stewardship over ownership, change as constancy, and the wonder of wild ponies and coastal life.
Primary Subject:
The wild ponies of Assateague and Chincoteague on the Virginia and Maryland barrier islands.
Mood:
Uplifting, communal, reverent, and free.
True freedom is living in rhythm with nature rather than fighting it, and loving a wild place means guarding it and stepping aside so the wild can decide.
[Intro]
Dawn breaks slowly over the eelgrass flats
Hooves print stories the channels read back
[Verse 1]
Salt on their manes from the night-wind's hand
Marsh light wakes upon a moving band
They ghost through cordgrass thin and wide
Black and white tails flick where the gulls glide
Assateague sand scatters on an open run
Chincoteague bells announce the rising sun
[Pre-Chorus]
We learned the shoreline isn't ours to hide
We keep the watch and let the wild decide
[Chorus]
Run with the tide… not against the moon
Being free is easy as the movement of dunes
When the water turns and the channels merge
Lies a magical place where horses emerge
From Assateague Light to Maryland's shores
Let the hoofbeats run free in the great outdoors
[Verse 2]
Storms will redraw what the maps once swore
Dunes step back, then they grow once more
Foals find legs where the channels slide
We count by seasons and the evening tides
Come July they swim the channel's stream
Crowds on the banks fulfill their dreams
[Pre-Chorus]
We learned to measure by the moon's soft guide
To hold our hands out wide and step aside
[Chorus]
Run with the tide… not against the moon
Being free is easy as the movement of dunes
When the water turns and the channels merge
Lies a magical place where horses emerge
From Assateague Light to Maryland's shores
Let the hoofbeats run free in the great outdoors
[Bridge – drop to drums + claps, chantable]
Oh:barrier islands, take and give
Oh:wild, as in learn to live
Oh:keeper's light on a patient dune
Oh:written in water by the pulling moon
[Lift – whoa-ohs]
Whoa-oh… let the salt wind guide
Whoa-oh… hearts at the waterline
[Chorus]
Run with the tide… not against the moon
Being free is as easy as the movement of dunes
When the water turns and the channels merge
There's a magical place where horses emerge
From Assateague Light to Maryland's shores
Let the hoofbeats run free in the great outdoors
[Outro]
Hooves tread soft where the plovers hide…
A red sun sets over Chincoteague Bay…
As a buck moon shimmers upon the tide…
Overview
"Running With The Tide" is an anthemic, pop-rock showcase set on Virginia's barrier islands, where the wild ponies of Assateague/Chincoteague move with the moon. The song pairs stadium-ready lift (stomps, claps, wide guitars, gang "whoa-ohs") with coastal-natural imagery:eelgrass flats, cordgrass, dunes, plovers, lighthouse turns:framing freedom not as chaos, but as rhythm and stewardship. It's both travel-poster beautiful and conservation-minded, perfect for your Songs Across America ethos.
Narrative & Point of View
First-person plural ("we") delivers a communal voice:locals, rangers, visitors:witnessing the ponies at dawn, the seasonal reshaping of dunes, and the late-July channel swim. This collective POV lets the lyric teach gently: the shoreline isn't owned; it's shared. The chorus then becomes an ethic: run with the tide, not against the moon.
Core Themes & Subtext
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Freedom = Rhythm, not rebellion. The hook reframes "wild" as living in tune with tides and seasons.
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Stewardship over possession. "We keep the watch and let the wild decide" replaces control with guardianship.
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Change as constancy. Storms redraw maps; dunes step back and grow again:resilience without denial.
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Ritual & wonder. Pony Penning (the channel swim) appears as a breath-held communal rite, balancing human celebration and animal dignity.
Imagery & Setting
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Coastal palette: eelgrass flats, cordgrass, channel seams, lighthouse, plovers, buck moon.
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Kinetic details: "Hooves print stories," "foals find legs," "channels merge":motion carries meaning.
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Light & time: dawn break, red sunset, moon shimmer structure the day as a full cycle from awakening to reverent hush.
Musical Character (how it should sound)
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Genre: Anthemic pop-rock (OneRepublic/Imagine Dragons energy) with light Americana color.
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Feel: 104–108 BPM; verses on stomp/clap + piano/low pad; choruses explode to four-on-the-floor, wide guitars, stacked harmonies; chantable bridge and "whoa-oh" lift.
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Optional colors: airy tin whistle or fiddle countermelody (kept minimal so it stays pop-rock, not folk).
Why It Resonates
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Universal metaphor: "Run with the tide" doubles as life advice:cooperate with larger forces (nature, time, love) instead of forcing outcomes.
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Place with purpose: Real landmarks (Assateague Light, Chincoteague Bay) anchor a message about living lightly on the land.
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Family-friendly grandeur: It captures the awe of seeing the ponies without slipping into documentary tone:ideal for travelers, parents, and dreamers alike.
Notable Lines / Hooks
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"We learned the shoreline isn't ours to hide / We keep the watch and let the wild decide" : the stewardship thesis.
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"Run with the tide… not against the moon" : a memorable, chant-ready maxim.
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"When the water turns and the channels merge / Lies a magical place where horses emerge" : wonder fused to natural process.
Page Placement & Cross-links (site strategy)
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Pair this with a short sidebar explainer on the Chincoteague/Assateague ponies and the seasonal swim; link to your Virginia state Attractions Pg. and any lighthouse features.
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In your "Did You Know?" box: lunar phases affecting tides, plover protections, and a one-line note about Wallops launches as a sky-counterpoint to hoofbeats.
Production Notes (quick, optional)
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Add subtle surf/wind in intro/outro only.
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Keep verses intimate (lead vocal + light pads/whistle tags).
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Build each chorus with extra toms, tambourine on the second/third.
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Bridge = drums/claps + crowd chants; lift into key-up final chorus with octave-up harmony.
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End with an a cappella repeat of "run with the tide" under the "buck moon" image, then a soft instrument tail.
Songs Associated with
The Commonwealth of VA & State of MD
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