From the recording Out of Print
Lyrics
The Swing
D G
It was hard to say goodbye to friends when she was only eight.
D A
But the tire swing in the tall oak tree at her new house was just great.
D G
She’d glide upon its arc so long and wonder where she’d be,
D G A D
In orbit around Saturn or a sailboat on the sea.
She’d skinned her knees and bruised her heart as she made that house her home.
But she’d never fallen from that swing, and it gave her time alone.
Had someone brave made it just so she could let down her guard?
She wondered who it was that made the swing in her back yard.
Refrain
G D
Did the Angels smile and put it there to bring joy to the world?
A D D7
Or did a Devil hope to see young ones fall and get hurt?
G D Bm
Either way she decided it made life a bit less hard.
G A D
And she was glad there was a swing in her back yard.
When she cut her hair to chin length, she was planning her career.
She hadn’t gotten on that swing in well over a year.
She tried to read her textbooks, but she thought about the boys.
Some would spark a fantasy, others just annoy.
Why did she enjoy it so when they’d lift her off her feet?
She craved a meeting of the minds and a friend she could keep.
They listened to her hopes and dreams though sharing was still hard.
But what made them stop & turn around was the swing in her back yard.
Refrain
Now her internship is ended, and she can make it on her own.
But that nutcase, Jeff, in marketing won’t leave her alone.
They argue and they laugh and drive each other insane.
The night she wore a Teddy, he demanded a Scrabble game.
The closing on his new house was finally coming due.
He wanted her to see it and called it “her house”, too.
She opened the back door, froze and swallowed hard,
And the two of them jumped onto the swing in her backyard.
refrain
Words and music by David B. Hakan
© 2010 All Rights Reserved 5-22-2010