"Cotton Flower" lyrics

We stood in an open field
Arrested by the warmth of autumn's yield
And you were kneeling down
To catch the sound
Of crickets moving south
Below the shield
And I stood catching glimpses of you there
Taking pictures in my mind, to keep you near
But I am not alone
For you are home
And I am not alone
For you are here

And maybe it's just the difference between
Getting past and getting just what you need
And maybe it's not something we can see
Or a part of something greater we could be

And in the backfield there by the tractor's bones
From a war that they fought long ago
So it go
The cotton blooms
Just like a southern snow
And it's strange
The way a flower held in your thorns
Can hold a bitter past untorn
As through the blood the beauty's born
And through the pain the love is torn
And it took me by surprise
The way you stared?
The way you're searching eyes stayed there
When you looked to me for something more and said
"Love is fear, and loss of trust is dust we must unhear"
And deep down I knew you cared
And shared the love I'd hidden there

And maybe it's just the difference between
Getting past and getting just what you need
And maybe it's not something we can see
Or a part of something greater we could be

So I won't hold you tight or keep you from the day
And you wouldn't have it any other way
But if you need a place to hide from yesterday
All you have to do is ask away
'Cause I know the way
And it's a fine time for growing old
There's tea on the porch
Is that too bold?
And I know my love
For I am not ashamed
And I'll sing my love
To you each day