Beautiful

(Nanci Griffith)

Here’s a photograph of you in Woody Hermann’s band
It was 1952, you were such a handsome man
One of you at a memorial with all of Hoagy’s clan
And then you and my mother
Walking hand in hand

(chorus) And she was beautiful
And you played the piano
You were beautiful upon the keys
The world was beautiful
When the two of you were dancing
Beautiful, to me

You took a photograph of us, your ladies liberty
My hair was in the breeze and I played Carnegie
Grandmother read the sonnet of Emma Lazarus
She’s only halfway in this picture
You took of all of us

(chorus)

You were a father to this lonely child
Though we are not related
You taught me how to write these notes upon a page
You were a soldier for your country in two of our wars
You played piano all your life
And you are beautiful

(chorus)