Eliza Rhinelander

Lyrics

The memory appears
Of my grandfather’s last years
He read the paper every single day
He combed through obituaries
To see which friends or adversaries
Hadn’t said goodbye before they’d gone away

When I was 33
I did the same as he
But he began when he was twice my age
Each day brought lists of friends
Who had met their bitter end
Until the day of that beautiful front page

August 13th, ‘98
I’ll never forget that date
And God knows that it came too late
August 13th, ‘98

When I got diagnosed
Well, I thought that I was toast
A year or two, then I wouldn’t exists
Just the latest guy
Who was lost before his time
Another name to add to the list

But it’s been 20 years
And baby, I’m still here
Time has wings and God knows that it flies
And the first time that I thought
I might just have a shot
Was the first day that somebody didn’t die

August 13th, ‘98
I can't help but hesitate
To say that it was worth the wait
August 13th, ‘98

August 13th, ‘98
It wasn’t just a twist of fate
That it came so goddam late
August 13th, ‘98
August 13th, ‘98
August 13th, ‘98