The Absence of You

The flowers you planted bloom every Spring
Outside the window the song birds sing
The mornings are peaceful the evenings are too
It’s quiet here now in the absence of you
I never saw it when you’d take a drink
You tip-toed to it when I must’ve blinked
Your eyes glazing over, that was my cue
To start bracing myself for the absence of you
The demons would frequent and they’d trash the place
And put you back later, your memory erased
You’d wake up the next day, your sky would be blue
I’d be still seeing stars from the absence of you
Sometimes you were them, sometimes they were you
I could never be certain of just who was who
I’d beg G-d to take me but He never would do
Night after night in the absence of you
Day after day my vow I’d renew
For better or worse, or just what I had to do
Every so often a ghost will yell «Boo!»
And remind me again of the absence of you
You could be childlike and you could be sweet
You could be wobbly and way off the beat
You could turn mean and horrible too
You just never knew in the absence of you
It was the whiskey that broke your heart
And maybe I even played a part
What you wouldn’t tell me, I never knew
It was just my best guess in the absence of you
Day after day my vow I’d renew
For better or worse, or just what I had to do
Every so often a ghost will yell «Boo!»
And remind me again of the absence of you