12 Passing Afternoon
Iron & Wine Lyrics

There are times that walk from you like some passing afternoon
Time and moments come and go just like a beautiful afternoon that disappears into the night.

Summer warmed the open window of her honeymoon
The summer weather brought a beautiful warmth into the room where she spent her honeymoon.

And she chose a yard to burn but the ground remembers her
She chose a place to burn something but the memory of her is still felt in the ground.

Wooden spoons, her children stir her Bougainvillea blooms
Her children continue to take care of her plants, including her Bougainvillea, using the wooden spoons she once used.

There are things that drift away like our endless, numbered days
Just like the passing of time, there are things in life that will eventually slip away, including our days on this earth.

Autumn blew the quilt right off the perfect bed she made
As the season changed to autumn, the perfected bed she made was no longer needed, as the warmth of summer faded away.

And she's chosen to believe in the hymns her mother sings
She has chosen to have faith in the hymns her mother sings that bring a sense of peace and comfort.

Sunday pulls its children from the piles of fallen leaves
On Sundays, children play in piles of fallen leaves, feeling like they are being pulled right out from the ground.

There are sailing ships that pass all our bodies in the grass
Sometimes we are just like ships in the ocean, passing through the grass where our bodies lay, without even noticing.

Springtime calls her children until she let's them go at last
Springtime brings new life, calling forth the children to be free to grow and learn on their own.

And she's chosen where to be, though she's lost her wedding ring
Despite losing her wedding ring, she still knows where she belongs and where she wants to be.

Somewhere near her misplaced jar of Bougainvillea seeds
Her misplaced jar of Bougainvillea seeds is still somewhere near, just waiting to be found and put to use again.

There are things we can't recall, Blind as night that finds us all
Just like the dark night that can make us feel lost, there are things in life that we simply cannot remember.

Winter tucks her children in, her fragile china dolls
As winter approaches, she takes care to make sure her children, just like fragile china dolls, are safe and tucked in.

But my hands remember hers, rolling around the shaded ferns
Even though time has passed, the memory of holding her hand and exploring shaded ferns is still very much alive in his mind.

Naked arms, her secrets still like songs I'd never learned
The memory of her bare arms and the secrets she kept are still with him, just like songs he never had the chance to hear.

There are names across the sea, only now I do believe
Distance doesn't exist when it comes to finding love, as there are now names across the sea that he believes in and loves.

Sometimes, with the window closed, she'll sit and think of me
Even with the window closed, there are times when she is still thinking of him and the love they once shared.

But she'll mend his tattered clothes and they'll kiss as if they know
Despite the bumps in the road, she will still kiss him and mend his tattered clothes, as if they both know the love they share is worth fighting for.

A baby sleeps in all our bones, so scared to be alone
Everyone has a fear of being alone that feels like a sleeping baby inside of them.