This song is part of my "Mother of a Set" - that is, four songs about my mother. Along with "Life Full of Time", "Warrior" and "Dust Outside the Sun" - the songs reflect different parts of her journey after my dad died.
"Life Full of Time" recalls the full shock to her of my father's sudden death. "Mend These Bones" focused on her unexpected strength and resilience in rebounding from falls (which included broken bones, etc.). "Warrior" reflects the quiet strength she displayed in aging. And "Dust Outside the Sun" is my homage to my sister and her after their deaths.
This is about the sheer endurance that she displayed in the grief after my father's passing. She didn't do much, but she hung in there. Despite falls (ie Mend These Bones) and difficult times, she was resilient enough to enough friends and family who would come by and to accept the love and caregiving provided by our friend, Kristy, who took great care of her during her final year of life.
There is no doubt for me that this is a sad song. My mom would say that there ought to be a rule that when one spouse passes away, the other is automatically taken also. So, despite living with that sadness, she persevered and was, in time, genuinely able to experience joy and happiness despite his absence. Hence the idea "that is all about the pleasant passing of time...".
I would like to say a word here about Chris Peters. He is the son of my close friends, Jim and Jean, and I have known him most all of his life. When he started playing guitar, he took to it like a magnet and had that drive to practice that enabled him to learn and actualize his own natural gifts. He started performing in the Winni concerts with Barb and I in his early teens and that is a lot to take on in some ways - quick rehearsals, learning musical and performance stage conversation, etc.
But I think the point I would like to comment on here is that would often share with him songs such as this and "Mend These Bones" - and I have been touched by his sensitivity and support in helping me to put a voice and life to them. I am not sure as a young person how I reacted to adults experiencing grief or difficult times. However, I can tell you that his willingness to engage in and explore these songs with me has been meaningful and an act of kindness and compassion that I experience when I listen to them. Oh..... and Barb does that, too....;)
lyrics
A Life Full of Time
Verse 1
In the measure of a moment.
A world can disappear,
What once was all the here and now,
Is neither now or here.
In the breath of instant,
Just after the fall,
The common place we knew so well,
Isn’t there at all….
Chorus
And the TV’s on,
All night long,
So someone’s talking all the time.
And she writes things down,
On papers all around,
To keep track of what is on her mind.
And if each day is the same,
Well, that’s just okay,
For it’s all about the pleasant passing of time,
It’s about life, (It’s about life)
It’s about life, (It’s about life)
It’s about a life full of time.
Verse 2
Once the shock is over,
Once the pain has dulled,
Once the sleepless nights have ceased,
Once the tears have lulled,
There’s a careful moment of reckoning,
In a silent time of call,
(That questions) Whether moving forward,
Is really moving at all,
CHORUS
Bridge
For the hole’s so wide,
And the fall’s so deep,
The journey out to daylight,
Seems too far and steep,
And the prayer’s too hard,
Just to speak his name,
As each morning dawns the aching thought,
Life is not the same…
Instrumental
Verse 3
What a blessing are friends and children,
What a blessing is my life,
What a blessing I have lived to know,
This man to be his wife,
And a blessing is how I’ll live these days,
Until my days are through,
When at last the daylight comes to me,
And then I’ll come to you.
Final Chorus
Till then the TV’s on,
All night long,
As if you are talking all the time.
And I’ll write things down,
On papers all around,
To keep you forever on my mind.
And if each day is the same,
Well, that’s just okay,
For it’s all about the pleasant passing of time,
It’s about life, (It’s about life)
It’s about life, (It’s about life)
It’s about a life full of time.
It’s about life, (It’s about life)
It’s about life. It’s about a life full of time.
July 3, 2010
credits
from Singles,
released February 1, 2019
Guitar and vocal - Bill Milford
Guitar and vocal - Chris Peters
Vocal - Barb Siftar
Bill Milford lives in Tallahassee, FL. He performed professionally during his 20's and still plays out occasionally. He
has performed with Barb Siftar, Lindy Hearne, Lynn
Adler, Chris Peters, Gail Nickse, Fred Griffeth, Richie Summa, and many other fine artists. He made dozens of dollars during his folk career so he offers his recordings without charge....more
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