'At 23' is quite a close retelling of a true story told to me by a friend about an old flame from their student years attempting to come back into their life after finding them on the internet decades later. I'm not sure that can ever go well...
lyrics
At 23
At 23 we had it all,
Love of my life, you were my world,
But in one cheating moment that was gone,
So many years lie in between
A heart betrayed at 23
And an older one that never quite moved on.
Late-night email, red alert,
Your name brings back all that old hurt,
You say you came across me quite by chance,
Then you start to reminisce,
Remembering such happiness,
No mention of the end of our romance.
In my mind you stayed at 23,
Stuck in my unchanged reality,
Scent of summer in your hair,
In love and not a single care,
Forever young, forever you and me,
Though you broke my heart at 23.
One night I came to see you, caught you by surprise,
Somebody else was with you, longing in your eyes,
I turned and left without a word,
Your stifled laughter all I heard,
Went home and played a sad song on repeat,
The song still brings that night right back to me.
In my mind you stayed at 23,
Stuck in my unchanged reality,
Scent of summer in your hair,
In love and not a single care,
Forever young, forever you and me,
Though you broke my heart at 23.
You say you want to make things right,
I mention that last haunting night,
And ask you how it felt to cause such pain,
Your silence says you’re lost for words,
Hoped time might have erased the hurt,
And I know for sure you’d break my heart again.
How long it’s been since you were 23,
The truth is that you’re just as old as me,
Illusion shattered, flame put out,
There isn’t any room for doubt,
No longer young, no longer you and me,
And you broke my heart at 23.
credits
from Free Spirited Like Me,
released August 30, 2023
Written and performed by Mandy Woods
The transatlantic flavour of Mandy Woods’ songs reflects a decade spent in Austin, Texas. Now based in Somerset, she plays
guitar and country blues harmonica and performs at venues around the UK. Mandy also writes songs about dachshunds, as WagsLyrical....more
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