Songwriter: Stephanie Davis

Vocal: Aselin Debison

Video copyright © YouTube.com

Stephanie Davis was born and raised in Montana to a family involved in cattle ranching.  She developed a taste for songwriting and moved to Nashville.  In time, she began to establish herself as a performer, but she found greater success as a songwriter, with Shelby Lynne, Waylon Jennings, and Martina McBride recording her compositions.  Davis also found a valuable champion in megastar Garth Brooks; Brooks not only recorded three of Davis' compositions ("Wolves," "The Gift," and "We Shall Be Free"), but also hired her as his opening act, and even brought her on board as part of his road band.  However, Davis became dissatisfied with the factory-like nature of the Nashville recording scene and in the mid-'90s she returned to her native Montana, buying a small ranch near Columbus and setting up a writing studio in a one-room cabin (which was overrun by cows when she first saw it).

A poor orphan girl named Maria
Was walking to market one day
She stopped for to rest by the roadside
Where a bird with a broken wing lay

A few moments passed till she saw it
For it's feathers were covered with sand
And soon clean and wrapped it was traveling
In the warmth of Maria's small hand

She happily gave her last peso
On a cage made of rushes and twine
She fed it loose corn from the market
And watched it grow stronger with time

Now the gift giving service was coming
And the church hung with tinsel and light
And all of the townfolk brought presents
To lay by the manger that night

There were diamonds and incense and perfumes
In packages fit for a king
But for one ragged bird in a small cage
Maria had nothing to bring

She waited till just before midnight
So no one would see her go in
And crying she knelt by the manger
For her gift was unworthy of Him

Then a voice spoke to her through the darkness
Maria, what brings you to me
If the bird in the cage is your offering
Open the door, let me see

So she trembled, she did as he asked her
And out of the cage the bird flew
Soaring up into the rafters
On a wing that had healed good as new

Just then the midnight bells rang out
And the little bird started to sing
A song that no words could recapture
For it's beauty was fit for a king

Now Maria felt blessed just to listen
To that cascade of notes sweet and long
As her offering was lifted to heaven
By the very first nightingale's song