Sunken Rainbows [Lyrics]

[1]

You said I reminded you of a woman you once knew,
With my golden hair and lonely eyes of blue,
And you shuddered when you reached out to hold me,
As we watched the sun get swallowed by the sea.
We spent our summer down by the water on the dock,
Taking each other's mind off of the ticking clock,
I said I'd jump if you promised you'd be there to catch me,
Smiled as you agreed, counted myself down from three;
Our momma's had always said that we were meant to be,
But your old man just couldn't find it in him to agree.
He'd seen this story play out once before, he knew the end;
Advised you it would be better if you kept me as just a friend.

[-]

But at sixteen, there's just one thing on a young boy's mind,
So you went and left all of your Daddy's words behind,
Two young bodies colliding under the pale moonlight,
We knew we were wrong, but it had felt so damn right.
There were stars in our eyes, as we lay in the cool grass,
Making promises and hoping that it would last.
But I watched the short years of my teens come and go,
Down into the horizon with our dreams -- they were all sunken rainbows.

[2]

It was prom night and you had me in the back of your old Chevy,
I was wearing your class ring and we were going hot and heavy,
But as a tears started to well up in the corners of my eyes,
You took my face in your palms, eyes widened in surprise.
I shook as I asked you if you thought we had made a mistake,
Trying my hardest to save the life we were about to take,
But you kissed my tears and held me until the morning light,
Reassured me that the choice we were making was right.
You were gonna miss your chance to be a big league star,
And I was just another girl you got in the back of your car;
Your Daddy said you threw your dreams right out the door,
If you stayed with me, you weren't welcome at home anymore.

[-]

But at eighteen, it's hard to see past the spinning blacktop,
So I started down the road and refused to stop,
I was just another girl, running to save a few lives,
Living off of two hundred dollars and long country drives.
There was pain in my eyes, as I smashed the rearview,
Trying to hide from the broken girl you once knew.
And I watched the short years of my teens come and go,
Down into the horizon with our dreams -- they were all sunken rainbows.

[3]

Our big dreams together all came and quickly faded away,
When I took my bags and left, there was nothing else to say,
As time ticks on, it's harder to face the mistakes of your past,
It gets harder to remember the years that went by too fast.
Every now and then, I'll turn to your game on the big screen,
And it'll take me back to that summer: I just turned sixteen;
You told me I reminded you of a woman you once knew,
With my golden hair and lonely eyes of blue -
You shuddered when you reached out to hold me,
As we watched the sun get swallowed by the sea.
And we watched the short years of our teens come and go,
Down into the horizon with our dreams -- they were all sunken rainbows.

-Jenna Elphick
April 23, 2008