Containing the Heart

The moment you said
“I love you, I do”
Was the moment you said goodbye.

It took me ten years to remember,
Ten years to recall,
And what I found I lost again
At the sound of the gun's reprimanding brawl.

The horses thundered on that day,
And all I had to do was wait.
But when I came back and found your letter
I saw the truth of what I forsake.

So where’s the goodbye?
Where’s the remorse of your farewell?
Where’s the love I thought we shared,
Brought down by a doves lonesome trill?

Three thousand miles took me across my world
And showed me the wonders of this life.
I saw mountains and rivers and endless skies
In a desert night.

But it seemed a little empty
When the truckers horn brought me home
And you were not waiting
With the kids, and the phone.

So where’s the goodbye?
Where’s the remorse of that farewell?
Where’s the love I wasted
From a hostel or hotel?

Night time’s cruel grip
Kept a weary eye on me
When the prison bars kept creaking
And the music died by sea.

The moans of my fellow mates
Are the lyrics to this song.
Perhaps they’ll say goodbye
When my time has come.

So where’s the goodbye?
Where’s the remorse of your farewell?
Where’s the love I thought we had
Before I sent you to hell?

The moment you said
“I love you,”
Was my moment to say goodbye.