Just Enough to Lose

It was just between the sowing and the reaping
That you told me our crop was bound to fail
And it was never a harvest you were seeking
You loved the growing and the tending
Much more than the ending
With the labour that the gathering-in entailed
You left me just enough to lose
But not enough to thrive
So little I could use
To keep our love alive
Your heart you only lent
But if I had to choose
I’d settle in the end
For just enough
Just enough to lose
On the silver screen the title was still rolling
And I’m the leading man learning my best lines
By the second scene the action wasn’t flowing
I just failed to make my mark
So you left me in the dark
Where your shadow and the credits both entwined
You left me just enough to lose
But not enough to thrive
So little I could use
To keep our love alive
Your heart you only lent
But if I had to choose
I’d settle in the end
For just enough
Just above the bread-line just below the easy life
My father kept the family from the street
Now in my old man’s shoes
I will freely choose
To roll with the rough and smooth
Just enough
The maestro the conductor and the tyrant
Baton raised I look up from my score
And in my hands the orchestra falls silent
But you left before the curtain call
Your final note the dying fall
Alone upon the empty stage once more
You left me just enough to lose
But not enough to thrive
So little I could use
To keep our love alive
Your heart you only lent
But if I had to choose
I’d settle in the end
For just enough
Just enough to lose