Legacy Lyrics

An aging man, a younger one, and a woman in her prime
Connected by their circumstance of birth
A father, son and daughter somehow all obsessed to find
The mark that each will leave upon this earth

Alone is his apartment in his favorite easy chair
The aging man endures his failing health
Nowadays preoccupied arranging his affairs
And adding up the value of his wealth

He says a prayer and falls asleep, then somewhere in a dream
He's searching for his children and he's calling out to them
"Will I leave enough behind to help you get along
Please tell me how will I be counted when I'm gone

It won't be by your worldy goods, it won't be by your gains
And not among possessions you bequeath
But wisdom, grace and kindness and the power of your love will be
The measure of the legacy you leave

The working day is over and the woman in her prime
Alone now in her office looks around
An unfulfilling business is the only sight she sees
The ticking of the clock, the only sound

She closes up and locks the door and trudges down the hall
Takes her window seat that evening on the train
She stares out in the darkness but the only thing she sees
The reflection of her weariness and strain

Her mind begins to wander, she remembers all the years
Of the struggle and persistence that go into such careers
And here she is with everything she'd worked so hard to win
And such an empty feeling burning deep within

Another late and lonely night, the younger man walks home
And slowly climbs the several flights of stairs
He pulls the shade and locks the door, unplugs the only phone
Puts himself to bed and says his prayers

A blessing for my aging dad, my sister in her prime
And a woman I once loved who got away
And for all the wasted moments when I took them all for granted
And for words I never had the nerve to say

Another night of drifting in and out of restless dreams
Of unborn children, marriage, and the lives that might have been
But lives that might have been are only lives that never were
And all I'll ever know's that I'll never know for sure

Here's to every aging person and to all those in their prime
And to passing on the love that you receive
For wisdom, grace and kindness and the power of that love will be
The measure of the legacy you leave

The power of your love will be
The measure of the legacy you leave