Play Me a Time - Ayla Nereo

mother mother play me a time when I was four years old,

you sewed me a tail and I swam through the sea to your arms when I got cold,

and you sang, and you sang, and you sang to me ‘bout a whale

who could swim through the sea — close your eyes now go to sleep

(go to sleep, go to sleep, close your eyes now go to sleep)…

father father play me a time when I was only eight,

please open the lands of trumpets and kings in books where I am safe,

and you sang, and you sang, and you sang to me ‘bout a girl

who could fly on her wings high above and see everything

(everything, everything, she could fly and see everything)…

brother brother play me time when I was only twelve,

we shouted our dreams from our fingers that reached to the top of every shelf,

and you sang, and you sang, and you sang to me ‘bout a game

that we played on a stage, thought the lights would never fade

(never fade, never fade, thought the lights would never fade)…

misilala play me time when I was seventeen,

let’s talk by the stairs ‘bout worries and cares and lives we hope to dream,

and you sang, and you sang, and you sang to me ‘bout a tear

that you’d lost as you ran from the weight of somebody’s plans

(as you ran, as you ran, from the weight of somebody’s plans)…

darling darling play me a time when I was twenty-one,

we sat upstairs but we where back there to a time we’d never known,

and you sang, and you sang, and you sang to me ‘bout a dance

as you sat next to me, closed our eyes till we could see

(closed our eyes, closed our eyes, closed our eyes till we could see)…

please oh please won’t you play me a time for I am just now here,

I have so long to hear your lovely song now whisper it in my ear,

and you sang, and you sang, and you sang to me ‘bout a time

where the people held on to their smiles and their eyes opened up like a

child’s —

like a child’s, like a child’s, and their eyes opened up like a child’s!