I was told to write a song for you
Scrawled down on paper in pen
Line over line of words about you
And nothing else
Instead I chose to write about the spring
And the cool mist that makes me
Crawl through the world
Like I’m swimming through ice
I was told to write a song for you
Scrawled down on paper in pen
I titled it: “Question”
And left the paper blank
Because there was nothing
Left to say
Instead I chose to count my stars
And mark them down on books and charts
Finding my own destiny
Instead of watching someone find mine
I was told to write a song for you
Scrawled down on paper in pen
But my pen ran out of ink
And the cat was in the way
So instead I drew a picture
Of all the words I could never think of
And left it on your front porch
With the first wildflower
Of the season
I was told to write a song for you
Scrawled down on paper in pen
And I did
Just this once
Because this time
You asked me in the rain
With a smile and a kiss
Instead of words like please
And I would really like that
I was told to write a song for you
Scrawled down on paper with pen
And I burned it
With you sitting right there
Turning the paper into flame
And you laughed and said
I finally got it right.
I was told to write a song for you
Scrawled down on paper with pen
A song for a boy
A story for a girl
A million miles away
For everybody else.