Sometimes it seems like eight years or more
Sometimes it seems like yesterday
His steps lead him to where the river meets the shore
Remembering his good-bye that day
Well, his heartache is like an old friend on the porch
Rocking and taking up space
And forgiveness is such a tall order, Lord
He struggles to reach for that grace
Chorus:
He knows that you’re near dear Richard
He knows as he uses your tools
He knows that you’re with him
Though not like it once was
But oh, he knows, he knows
I’ve watched him as his eyes become soft and moist
When he tells me he feels you and Papa at his side
Helping him with a house-project of course
How he hears you as his guide
These seasons they cycle around us Lord
And the sweetness of life eases back and stays
You’re never far from our thoughts, no
And we ask you to watch our way
Chorus
He knows that you’re with him
Though not like it once was
No never like it once was
But oh, he knows, he knows
Song Origins:
In early 1999, my husband, John, lost his brother, Richard, suddenly and tragically. I knew in time, I would write a tribute to him. In writing courses, we learn to “write about what you know”. So rather than write about Richard, whom I did not know well, I wrote about John – and how, these many years later, he is still in relationship with Richard. He feels his presence and knows that he is still with him in the only way he can be: Through memory and spirit. This is the song I’m most proud of. I hope it comes close to capturing the beauty of the love of a man for his brother.
Jen’s Favorite Line:
Well, his heartache is like an old friend on the porch, rocking and taking up space.