You got a memory of your mama; she was hanging up some laundry on the line
And you told her she was pretty, and you seen the way it almost made her cry
Now the lights here in this hallway are really bringing out the years and all the lines
But if you look behind the decades, you can still see your mama in her prime

The whole point of getting there is in the act of getting there
There ain’t no way to pay your fare without a little pain
You can kick and scream and fuss and fight, you can rip and rage and roar all nightµ
But there ain’t no shortcut to the light - you’re gonna have to take the long way around

Uncle Jim was in the Navy, and your mama told you stories of heroic things he did
But on the day that he turned 80, he gave away all of his medals to the kids
He said it ain’t that satisfying to have a closet full of proof that you was brave
Ah, but man, when I was flying, you know it felt like I would never see a grave