cary cooper: listen

i wrote this song in may of 2007. i met mary gauthier in august of 2007. as soon as i met her, i thought of this song (which before that, didn't have a lot of personal meaning for me - in fact, i had shelved it). i sent mary an mp3 of the song and she liked it and agreed to sing background vocals. i am honored to have her on my album.

i'm a little queen of denial
rather face the future than my fears
so i tuck away the trials
save em for a rainier year
but i'm looking out my window
and i see it's raining pretty hard
maybe now it's time to tend the garden
growing in my own backyard

and i, i know i've tried
so hard to hide
all the pain with the pride
and i, i think it's time
to meet what is mine
and forgive what i find

i know a little girl with a secret
can't stop swallowing her shame
goes down smoother in a shot glass
helps her forget her own name
i tell her you can dig a deep well
just to throw your sorrows in
but eventually the echoes
rise up to find you again

and i, i know i've tried
so hard to hide
all the pain with the pride
and i, i think it's time
to meet what is mine
and forgive what i find

mary mary, don't be wary
must you carry such a load
lay your grief out on the ground
and watch your garden grow

and i, i know i've tried
so hard to hide
all the pain with the pride
and i, i think it's time
to meet what is mine
and forgive what i find