brighton beach

i remember when you were only 17

you were the finest girl that my eyes had ever seen

i guess you found it hard to simply just ignore

this scruffy beat up working class teenage troubadour

so we fell in love and i toured your heart

with my out of tune guitar

you were wonderful

you were mystical

and the envy of all of my friends

seems like only yesterday

under the stars on brighton beach

oh what a time it was

what a time to be alive

remember janice and jimmy

kennedy and king

how they cried

i sang to you the songs of ramblin' jack

you were greta garbo and i was kerouac

and we played so hard and we loved so hard

seemed we never ever slept

there were crazy days

there were wonderful days

and i loved you with all of my heart

seems like only yesterday

under the stars on brighton beach

your daddy had plans that did not include me

and he won't stay away from your door

and i dreamed how i dreamed i could steal you away

to some far distant shore

then early one morning

i awoke to find you gone

you wrote 'i love you baby

but it's time for me to move on'

and so my teenage heart laid scattered on the floor

i swear to god i could not have loved you anymore

and as i sit here the night

playing with my kids

wondering where you are in this world

did you find your man

are you happy now?

do you ever stop and think about me

how i long for yesterday

under the stars on brighton beach