Stephen Schwartz Life Goes On
I DROVE OVER THE WHITE STONE BRIDGE
IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL DAY FOR A RIDE
ONE OF THOSE GLORIOUS MORNINGS IN MAY
THE SUN ON THE BAY SPARKLING LIKE DIAMONDS.
I DROVE UP TO THE WHITE STONE BUILDING
I SAW YOUR MOTHER AND FATHER OUTSIDE
THOSE DYSFUNCTIONAL PEOPLE I USED TO DESPISE
NOW THE TEARS IN THEIR EYES GLITTERED LIKE DIAMONDS
WHILE MY EYES WERE DRY.
YOU WERE NOT A PART OF MY LIFE, REALLY
I WAS NOT A PART YOUR LIFE, VERY MUCH
OUR ROADS WENT SEPARATE WAYS
ON OCCASIONAL DAYS, THEY WOULD TOUCH.
SO WHY SHOULD I FEEL STRANGE NOTHING MUCH TO CHANGE
NOW THAT YOU ARE GONE YOU WERE NOT A PART OF MY LIFE
AND LIFE GOES ON LIFE GOES ON.
THERE WAS A PICTURE OF YOU ON AN EASEL
LOOKING JUST LIKE YOU DID ON TV IMPOSSIBLY HANDSOME
TOO TANNED TO BE TRUE YOUR EYES WERE SO BLUE
AND CLEARER THAN DIAMONDS.
THERE WERE NO BRUISES OR TUBES IN YOUR CHEST
THERE WERE NO PATCHES OF SCARS IN YOUR HAIR
NO HOLLOW STARE AND NO SKELETAL GRIN
NO BONES THRU YOUR SKIN BRITTLE LIKE DIAMONDS
AS YOU STRUGGLED FOR AIR.
BUT YOU WERE NOT A PART OF MY LIFE, REALLY
SO I TELL MYSELF THIS NUMBNESS I FEEL ISN'T BAD
EVERYDAY, AS SO MANY FALL IF WE GRIEVED FOR THEM ALL
WE'D GO MAD. BEST TO KEEP CONTROL JUST A LITTLE COLD
JUST A BIT WITHDRAWN
YOU'RE NO LONGER PART OF THIS LIFE AND LIFE GOES ON.
AND WE TROOPED OUT TO THE PRETTY LITTLE GRAVE
WHEN THE SPEECHES WERE DONE
AND WE ALL MUMBLED SOME PRETTY LITTLE PRAYER
BENEATH THE WARM, INDIFFERENT SUN.
AND I WANTED SOME CALLOUS POLITICIAN
OR SOME CRUEL GOD I COULD BLAME IT'S ALL SO UNFAIR
AND THEY DON'T SEEM TO CARE STILL I'M PAINFULLY AWARE
I'M THE SAME.
I DROVE BACK OVER THE WHITE STONE BRIDGE
WE HAD SOME FRIENDS DROPPING BY FOR A MEAL
AND SOON WE WERE LAUGHING AND EATING OUR FRANKS
WATCHING THE YANKS STINK UP THE DIAMOND.
WELL, AS THE DAYS AND THE WEEKS HAVE GONE BY
I AM AMAZED AT HOW HAUNTED I FEEL
SEEMS WITH THIS DRY-EYED DETACHMENT I CHOOSE
THERE'S SOMETHING I LOSE LIKE A COUNTERFEIT DIAMOND
THAT USED TO BE REAL.
AND SOMEWHERE THERE'S A PART OF MY LIFE MISSING
SOMEWHERE THERE'S A PIECE OF MY HEART THAT YOU
KEPT
I KNOW MORE WILL DIE JUST LIKE YOU
AND WHAT ELSE CAN WE DO, BUT ACCEPT.
STILL I SING THIS SONG JUST TO SAY IT FEELS ALL WRONG
KNOWING YOU ARE GONE
AND A SLIGHTLY SMALLER PART OF MY LIFE GOES ON.
