What Mattered Most (Alternate Version)

I thought I knew the boy so well
If he was sad I could not tell
I missed the point, I missed the signs
If he's gone the fault is mine

I know, I know a whole lot of little things
And even though I can list them one by one
Oh, he would still be gone

His eyes are blue, his hair was long
In '64 he was born in Baton Rouge
His favorite song is "In My Life"
I memorized his every move
I knew his books, his car, his clothes
But I paid no attention to what mattered most

I never asked, he never said
And when he cried I turned my head
He dreamed his dreams behind closed doors
That made them easy to ignore

And I know, I know I missed the forest for the trees
And all I have to show, you know, when he walked out the door
The cold facts and nothing more

His eyes are blue, his hair was long
In '64 he was born in Baton Rouge
His favorite song was 'In My Life'
I memorized his every move
I knew his books, his car, his clothes
But I paid no attention to what mattered

His eyes are blue, his hair was long
In '64 he was born in Baton Rouge
He moved out west when he was 2
The way he laughed
The way he loved
Oh my god, what did I do

What did I do
He dreamed his dreams behind closed doors
Never asked, never said