Lyrics Tom Paxton – I Was Beautiful

And I was terrified, I sat up half my nights
The radio said the fights were terrible, many were slain
And then, that golden day, I answered the telephone
My soldier boy was home, home safe again
And we went to the pictures, and we went to the sea
We had a life of our own to live, my Jackie and me
Oh, the summers came and went, and the children grew
I was still beautiful to him and love was still new
We were older now, the children moved away
Then came the longed-for day when Jackie retired
At first, he seemed content, he did some gardening
There was a garden swing that he rewired
But as the time went by, he seemed to drift away
He found it hard to pay attention, his memory grew dim
The kids all rallied ‘round, they loved their daddy so
He didn’t seem to know, they were strangers to him
Though we’d been to the pictures, and we’d been to the sea
We’d had a life of our own to live, my Jackie and me
Oh, the summers had come and gone and the children grew
I was still beautiful to him and love was still new
I was terrified and I was all alone
The children had their homes; I know that’s life
And my soldier boy, who used to kiss my hands
Now fails to understand that I’m even his wife
He sits and stares at me, and there is nothing there
He doesn’t seem to care what happens to him or to me

But I was beautiful; he was my soldier boy
We had our taste of joy in my own memory
But did we go to the pictures; did we go to the sea
Did we have a life of our own, my Jackie and me
Oh, the summers came and went, and the children grew
Was I ever beautiful to him
Was love ever new
Was I ever beautiful to him
Was love ever new