Eighteen Fifty-Five

He left seaside dasies on her porch
every day for weeks until she showed
There he was waiting with horse and carriage
would marriage be further down the road
Well he took her hand, he took the reigns without a plan
and he found that they were moving toward the sea
the smell of the ocean was liquor-less potion
it filled them as they fell so carelessly
la-de da-de daaaa
woah that's my mom and pa on the wall, smiling
and that's the only photo ever taken of them
there they old, and though they are grey,
that's only a moment in a lifetime of days
and nobody brought a camera
on their wedding day
nobody captured the range of emotion
and colors as the sun set on the bay
and they don't have proof of their anxious youth
how they threw themselves together in giddy haste
they can only remember that day in september
the jitters and the daisies and the lace
la-de da-de daaaa
woah that's my mom and pa on the wall, smiling
and that's the only photo ever taken of them
there they old, and though they are grey,
that's only a moment in a lifetime of days
and in eighteen fifty-five I was born into their lives
eyes as wide and blue as the atlantic
i have a picture in my mind, a tiny dress out on the line
he called her mama, and she thought it was romantic
a storm came upon our silk and I was cryin' inside for milk
she ran to me while he pulled down the laundry
and for all the rain and tears we would face in family years
i got a thousand happy pictures
i got a thousand happy pictures with me
oh i got a thousand happy pictures with me

oh that's my mom and pa on the wall, smiling
and that's the only photo ever taken of them
there they old, and though they are grey,
that's only a moment in a lifetime of days
that's only a moment in a lifetime of days