Thirty Summers

Caught in the vice of heaven and earth
 he turned his life into a cell
 imprisoned by the doubts which hound us all
 and those desires which we all know so well
 His days he lost to promises, his nights he purged of dreams
 and he would wake in the hours before sunrise
 and dread the coming of the day
 Never thought a man could become so desperate
 never thought a life could lose so much hope
 to be tearing at the roots around you
 as if in manacles, or irons, or ropes
 They say he told his children that all he taught was lost
 that love and pride and honesty
 were to be gained at too high a cost
 It's been thirty summers that I've spent with him
 and I expect thirty more to pass
 he has blessed my life in so many ways
 that I could never turn my back
 But I need just one more reminder
 of the man that he used to be
 if he would just look deep into my eyes
 and say it's in you my love that I will find the key