Stella in her hiking boots

Backpack bigger than her head

Chattanooga morning

River glittering ahead

She’s counting every chipmunk

Waving at the butterflies

Has a pocket full of fossils

And questions in her eyes

Stella

Stella

Future park ranger

Dancing with the deer

Telling trees her secrets

Stella

Stella

Tiny trailblazer

Spinning in the sunshine

Laughing at the breezes

Oh

The world gets better

Wherever you wander

Stella

My wild-hearted wonder

She lines her little rock pile

On the porch like precious gold

“I’ll build a museum

When I’m nine years old”

She twirls with the fireflies

Makes a stage out of the lawn

Moonlight is her spotlight

Crickets keep the beat till dawn (oh yeah)

Binoculars around her neck

Map folded in her vest

“Grandma

I’ll protect it all

I’ll do my best”

From every stone to every star

She says their names out loud

[whispered vocals] “This is my planet”

And I have never been so proud