Driving down that gravel road, past the fields I used to know
Twenty years have come and gone since I called this place my home
There’s the barn where daddy’d lift me to the roof when I was small
To watch the sky light up in gold, I thought I had it all
Mama’s voice still echoes here, singing songs of being free
While she braided up my hair and dreamed of who I’d grow to be
Grandpa’s chair sits empty now on that old front porch
But I can feel him smiling down like he did before
July fires dancing in the sky tonight
Like ghosts of years that slipped away from sight
A child’s laugh, mama’s song, the glow of his first kiss
Every spark’s a piece of me coming home to this
July fires burning bright, burning bright
Seventeen and restless then, thought this town would hold me down
Tommy kissed me by the creek, said he’d never let me down
But city lights were calling and I had to chase my dreams
Left behind these summer nights and all they used to mean
Now I’m standing in the same spot where it all began
Empty heart and tired soul, finally understand
That all those years of running toward some distant, brighter shore
I was running from the girl I was before
July fires dancing in the sky tonight
Like ghosts of years that slipped away from sight
A child’s laugh, mama’s song, the glow of his first kiss
Every spark’s a piece of me coming home to this
July fires burning bright, burning bright
Each explosion in the darkness
Shows me who I used to be
All the love I left behind me
All the girl I’ll always be
July fires dancing in the sky tonight
Like memories painted in the fading light
Through tears I see them clearly now, the moments that I’d missed
Every spark’s a piece of me, coming home to this
July fires burning bright
July fires burning bright
Burning bright