Secret Gardens (1995)

Lyrics

[Intro] "September 19th, 1942 Lapwai, Idaho Dear Charles and Marjorie and Judy We were glad to get your letter today and glad you're making out all right We had such a wonderful visit with you while you were here Things are going on as usual with us The little dab of grain is harvested The honey harvest is over We sold almost three hundred pounds Grandpa says your visit brought us luck We've never done that well before Grandpa loved having Judith here He says she's a darling I think so too Cousin Billy was here yesterday He looked so handsome in his uniform He goes to Seattle Thursday for his final examination And then I think it'll be some time before we see him again I suppose our family won't ever be together in the same way again The grouse season is on now We haven't had any yet And Grandpa thinks he'll go up to the hills across the river and hunt a little Try to see the man who was to bring us Those three cords of wood while you were here And he has yet to do so I've canned my peaches and my pears and my tomatoes since you were here Have all my jars full Grandpa said there's a funny name you mentioned, Medicine Hat He wants to know about all those towns you see You know, we don't see much here in Idaho So you have to write us about all those places And we wanna know what Judy thinks about all of them Tell her the cats and the cows are just fine Be sure to write us often Love from us both Your great-grandmother, Laurie Booth P. S.  Tell Judy not to forget us" [Verse 1] My grandmother's house is still there But it isn't the same A plain wooden cottage A patch of brown lawn And a fence that hangs bending and sighing In the Seattle rain [Verse 2] I drive by with strangers And wish they could see what I see A tangle of summer birds Flying in sunlight A forest of lilies An orchard of apricot trees [Chorus] Secret gardens of the heart Where the flowers bloom forever I see you shining through the night In the ice and snow of winter [Verse 3] Great-grandfather's farm is still there But it isn't the same The barn is torn down And the fences are gone The Idaho wind blows The topsoil away every spring [Verse 4] I still see the ghosts Of the people I knew long ago Inside the old kitchen They bend and they sigh My life passed them up And the world in its way passed them by [Chorus] Secret gardens of the heart Where the old stay young forever I see you shining through the night In the ice and snow of winter [Verse 5] But most of all, it is me that has changed And yet still I'm the same That's me at the weddings That's me at the graves Dressed like the people Who once looked so grown-up and brave [Verse 6] I look in the mirror Through the eyes of the child that was me I see willows bending The season is spring And the silver blue sailing birds Fly with the sun on their wings [Chorus] Secret gardens of the heart Where dreams live on forever I see you shining through the night In the ice and snow of winter