(Only) a Mother
All these long, dark years
I have sat in silence
I have harbored fears
That I’d someday cry less
But to my great relief
The pain never subsided
Now you say my grief
Has always been misguided
I never faked it
Since the day his life’s begun
No love’s so sacred
As a mother’s for her son
I spent my energy
In the hope that something
Would let me someday see
The one that God took from me
Where’s my only child?
Tell him his room’s still furnished
Tell him I’ve arrive
I know he’ll come in earnest
You say another
Needs first to have my heart
But I’m a mother
I know where my duties start
If he loved me
He wouldn’t take from me my joy
If he’s thinking of me
He’d let me see my boy
I abhor your God
And the wretch he’s made me
Tell me, has he not
Been rather cruel lately
I think he ought
To want to heal my aching
‘Cause all I really want
Is to see my baby
Phil Woodward—Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
Lacey Brown—Backup Vocals
Phillip Peterson—Cello
Cello arrangement by Phillip Peterson
Trust in a Sigh | The Teacher | First Love | (Only) a Mother
The Lizard and the Stallion | Saint Sarah | Vetoing Heaven | The Sunrise
Currently rated 4.8/5 stars (4 votes)
My favorite track on the album. It perfectly captures the sentiments of this particular episode, right down to the tragic creepiness of the mother’s misguided love. A simple, but well-crafted song from start to finish.
This has to be one of the heaviest songs on the album. It’s beautiful, but chilling. I agree with what jds (above) said about this one – it really does capture the “tragic creepiness of the mother’s misguided love.” It’s just hauntingly, achingly, beautifully, heart-breakingly tragic. Wow…
Absolutely beautiful! No greater compliment exist for The Great Divorce than this album.
I agree with the above reviewers in one sense, however, while the vocals are very good ... it would probably have been better to get a female vocalist, for having Phil sing it reminds me that the book was written by a man, and so somewhat distracts from what the song is about. But it's still really good. Not the best on the album (I think "Vetoing Heaven" is the best track) but really good.