"When She Loved Me..."

These lyrics by Randy Newman may not have been meant to refer to mothers, but if you think about it, they could be. I listened to them on Prairie Home Companion today, where they were sung among many songs, in honor of Mother's Day. They are especially poignant to me as an older child with an elderly mother whose mind fades in and out...

When somebody loved me
Everything was beautiful
Every hour we spent together lives within my heart
And when she was sad
I was there to dry her tears
And when she was happy
So was I
When she loved me

Through the summer and the fall
We had each other, that was all
Just she and I together
Like it was meant to be

And when she was lonely
I was there to comfort her
And I knew that she loved me

So the years went by
I stayed the same
But she began to drift away
I was left alone
Still I waited for the day
When she'd say I will always love you

Lonely and forgotten,
I'd never thought she'd look my way
And she smiled at me and held me just like she used to do
Like she loved me
When she loved me

When somebody loved me
Everything was beautiful
Every hour we spent together lives within my heart

When she loved me