“Love Comes and Goes” - a song about outgrowing
Story Pairing
I’m an uncle now for what’s about to be two years. It’s amazing. I would say the role of uncle/aunt is right up there with grandparent as far as convenience. If there is a fussy day or a poopy diaper, you play the “ah, looks like he wants his mom/dad” card.
The other day I took the little guy down to the river to play in the “wah-wah”, and quickly the game was throw rocks into the water, make a big splash, repeat. I found myself enjoying the game just as much as him. It’s amazing how something so simple seen through fresh eyes can help you realize how special the moment is. Standing on the edge of a flowing river, tossing smooth stones into the current, and being momentarily in awe of the disruption from our own hands. It was a cool thing.
When I showed him that rocks were under the water, it blew his mind. Hand goes into water empty, comes out with a stone. Magic. The speed at which he took to plunging his tiny hands into the cold river and scrambling to recreate the trick was one of the cutest things I have seen him do. I , wanting to be superhuman in his impressionable eyes, picked a few that were big and threw them as far as I could, making a pretty impressive splash if I do say so myself. That variation on the game became him pointing to progressively larger rocks and me, with my hero complex, giving all I had to pick them up.
There were a couple that I couldn’t lift, and I don’t know why it bothered me as much as it did. I wanted to be able to do what he asked. That thought sat with me the next few days. The idea of outgrowing your worth. I tried to put myself in other aunt/uncle/parent/caregiver shoes and think about how we eventually can’t do the things we are asked to do, or we are no longer “needed”. It’s an inevitability, but sad regardless.
This song is a mix of realizing things like that but also remembering and cherishing the moments of love that are so special.
I should go visit my mom more.
Song Structure
Verse: C/G/Am/D/G
Chorus: F/G/C/Am/D/G/C
Voice Memos
Notebook Page
June 2023
Lyrics
I heard the news and I cried
Excited to see what the future holds
First time you opened your eyes
Hoped that we'd never grow old
Ten tiny fingers and toes
Welcome your smile to an empty room
You lay asleep in my arms
You'll be awake here too soon
Thought maybe we'd love in a way that would last
Love comes and goes much too fast
Used to be holding my hand
When we stepped across a busy street
Something brand new caught your eye
Get your first answers from me
Once you shared all of your dreams
I was strong enough to lift all your stones
Somewhere got stuck in the mud
Now there's too much I don't know
Thought maybe we'd love in a way that would last
Love comes and goes much too fast
Times a fickle cold thing
I keep begging it to stay
It turns right around, stares at me in distaste
And spits why would I waste my life that way
I watch you grow straight and grow tall
Not much you need from a slowing heart
I sit at home and I stare at the door
I long to go back to the start
Thought maybe we'd love in a way that would last
Love comes and goes much too fast
Thought maybe we'd love in a way that would last
Love comes and goes much too fast