A Man / Me / Then Jim

I had one friend in high school recently he hung himself with string
His note said "if living is the problem well that's just baffling"
At the wake I waited around to see my ex first love
And I barely recognized her but I knew exactly what she was thinking of
We sat quietly in the corner whispering close about loss
And I remembered why I loved her and asked her why I drove her off

She said
"The slow fade of love
Its soft edge might cut you
And our poor friend, Jim
Well, he just lived within
The slow fade of love"

A woman calls my house once a week she's always selling things
Some charity, a phone plan, a subscription to a magazine
And as I turned her down I always do there was something trembling in her voice
I said "hey, what troubles you?"
She said "I'm surprised you noticed
My husband he's leaving and I can't convince him to stay
And he'll take our daughter with him she wants to go with him anyway
I'm sorry I'm hard to live with but living is the problem for me
I'm selling people things they don't want when I don't know what you need"

He said
"The slow fade of love
Its mist might choke you
It's my gradual descent
Into a life I never meant
It's the slow fade of love"

I was driving south of Melrose when I happened upon my old lover's house
I found myself staring at the closed oak door like the day she threw me out
Dianna, Dianna, Dianna I would die for you
I'm in love with you completely I'm afraid that's all I can do
She said
"You can sleep upon my doorstep you can promise me indifference, Jim
But my mind is made up and I'll never let you in again"

For the slow fade of love
It might hit you from below
It's your gradual descent
Into a life you never meant
It's the slow fade of love