From the recording Domestic Violins (Mixes)

Lyrics

FIRST AND LAST

A boy, intent on the scene, as love unfolds on the screen
And strikes a chord – a spark begins to glow
Too young to understand, but not to feel the demand
And see the beauty of the bond he longs to know

The boy grows into the dream, a young man caught by the gleam
In one girl’s eye – a charming smile, a youthful grace
He wants so badly to please, but soon ends up on his knees
Beneath the burden of the truth he will not face

And his heart, the newborn child, rose inside of him
On the wings of a yearning so vast
But the dream was not so easily realized
For this was a first that was not meant to last

Worn down by the years, the disappointments and tears
We compromise as, one by one, the angels fall
And so we settle for less, a slap in lieu of caress
And buy the lie – a painful touch beats none at all

And our hearts, the prisoners, beat against the bars
Of the cells we have built strong and fast
But the vows of “giving in” come unbound in time
For this was a first that was not meant to last…

But in the darkness of heart, the spark that shone at the start
Was reignited by your love and burst to flame
The captive soul, in release, has found a measure of peace –
The dream and real life are now one and the same

And my heart, the phoenix, rises inside me now
From the ash-covered ruin of my past
And the dream I thought had died is alive in you
For you are the first and you will be the last

© 1993 Robert M. Shaffer