The Widow
Legacy of Absence: Unraveling the Depths of Familial Pain
Lyrics
Dead man, were you ever alive?
Questioning if the person was ever truly alive or if their existence was merely a starting point
Or was I just a seed
Suggesting a metaphorical inception, feeling like an idea or potential within the individual
Buried deep inside some woman you wed
Implies being part of a relationship where the individual was conceived, buried in emotions
Right before you crawled out of her bed
Describing the departure of the person from the relationship shortly after intimacy
And crept down the hall?
Wondering if the person considered the speaker when leaving
Did you think of me?
Asking if the person thought about the speaker at all
Did you even for a second hesistate in the doorway?
Questioning if there was any hesitation or doubt in leaving
It's just something that I'd like to know
Expressing a desire for information and understanding
Though I'd still love you if you told me
Claiming continued love regardless of the truth
That you just walked away
Acceptance of the possibility that the person simply abandoned the relationship
My God, what a world you love
Commenting on a world where fathers abandon their children callously
Where men bury their sons
Highlighting the tragedy of fathers burying their own offspring
And without thought just walk away
Condemning the act of leaving without consideration or remorse
And my mother's heart breaks like the water inside of her
Comparing the emotional pain of the speaker's mother to the fluidity of water
Dead man, is it being high that makes you alive?
Questioning if the person feels alive only when intoxicated or altered
It makes you leave behind
Implying that being under the influence causes abandonment
Three boys and a wife in '89
Referring to the abandonment of a family in 1989 due to drug addiction
As the track marks inched their way up your arm
Describing the visible signs of drug use on the person's body
My mother taught my brothers and I
Recalling the mother's advice not to acknowledge the person as a father
Not to call you daddy
Instruction to refer to the person as "Father" despite their absence
But to call you Father
Highlighting the perceived distinction between a biological father and the concept of a Father figure
But I believe there is something here to be learned of grace
Expressing belief in the potential for learning about forgiveness and compassion from this situation
Cause I can't help but love you
Admitting continued love despite the pain caused
Even with a heart that breaks
Comparing the speaker's broken heart to the unfulfilled promises made by the person
Like the promises that you made
Referencing unfulfilled commitments made by the person
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