For My Mother
written and performed by Damon Timm
Download MP3
lyrics
If living is forgetting
And loving is remembering
Let’s whisper to life
All that has passed,
Me by.
A little box,
A quick snapshot,
The sink, my tear,
How the mirror lied
The floor pressed hard
Against the back of my side.
A little bed,
Your pale white skin,
A door, a wall,
How they held me in
The chair only sat
For the edge of my chin.
A little tree,
A plastic bag,
A jar, a ring,
How his eyes had changed
The window leaned cold
Against the face of my cheek.
To say, to tell,
I wanted words,
To give, to care,
I wanted strength,
To hold, to touch,
I wanted love,
To show, to live,
I wasn’t there,
For you.
I shed a tear,
I couldn’t breath,
I wasn’t there,
When you needed me.
I wouldn’t not come,
I shouldn’t not cry,
I didn’t not want,
You by my side.
I didn’t not care,
I couldn’t not move,
It’s just I wasn’t there,
Wasn’t there for you.
A little light,
A shining star,
The hall, your room,
How the silence reigned,
The bed only stayed
For the back of our heads.
A little girl,
A growing boy,
The sun, the moon,
How our lives move on
But love remained
For the sake of our hearts.
A little smile,
An occasional touch,
A hug, a kiss,
How I try to change
You’ll only know
From the love that I give,
To you.
To say, to tell,
I wanted words,
To give, to care,
I wanted strength,
To hold, to touch,
I wanted love,
To show, to live,
I wasn’t there,
For you.
I shed a tear,
I couldn’t breath,
I wasn’t there,
When you needed me.
I wouldn’t not come,
I shouldn’t not cry,
I didn’t not want,
You by my side.
I didn’t not care,
I couldn’t not move,
It’s just I wasn’t there,
Wasn’t there for you.
If living is forgetting
And loving is remembering
Let’s whisper to life
All that has passed,
Me by.
about the song
This is the first song I ever wrote that I still know to play.
I wrote it on December 24th of 2002 — back in January of that same year there were two things I had on my New Years Resolution list: 1. write a book; 2. write a song. I managed to do them both and I must say that writing a book is, at times, a lot more predictable. Song writing, to me, is an entirely misunderstood process. I haven’t a clue how it works.
I had attempted to write other tunes before this one and succeeded only once (on another Christmas Eve, which, it is beginning to seem, is a pretty good songwriting day for me) but I have since forgotton how it goes. I have the words somewhere, but can’t remember how to play it.
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