Memorial Day

It's Memorial Day, 2084

It's been a hundred years since I was born

And I wonder if anyone will remember me

Who will see to it that my grave is swept clean?

Will they say I dug my bootheels in,

And refused to give up the ghost?

Did I hold tight to this temporary thing?

Or did I just lie down with that night train roarin' in my ears

Close my eyes to dream the endless dream

It's Memorial Day, 2084

It's been a hundred years since I was born

Will anyone be around to breathe a letter of my name,

Will the world go on spinning just the same?

Will a great tremor run through the earth,

Will all the oceans turn to steam?

Will all the songbirds forget all their songs?

No, the stars will just laugh and shine and the tide will rise and fall

And everything will go marching on

It's Memorial Day, 2084

It's been a hundred years since I was born

And I hope that they speak of me with love and not with shame,

Because I'd rather be forgotten than be blamed

Will all my tattoos fade to dust, as all my words and all my deeds,

All memories that I ever even lived?

Will all of the saddest girls turn their backs to my stone,

Or will they find it in their hearts to forgive?

It's Memorial Day