Arms of Grief

for Maria Elizabeth, a song about our first pregnancy in 2019

The arms of grief
are all around,

and I can hear you, daughter,
as you’re calling out.

After work I turned the keys,
but the car just wouldn’t start,

so Julie helped me jump it,
kept it running
’til Josh and I took it apart,

replaced the ancient battery
took it back to the apartment lot.

When it rains,
it pours,
all Hell breaks loose,

and the Devil has his hey dey
while we’re waiting on a Wild Goose,

and the Queen of the South
will rise,

meanwhile the cat’s got fleas,
hanging out around his

eyes.

Got back to the apartment,
found Syd swallowed up with tears

the weight of knowing someone’s past,
not knowing time-worn years,

so we held a ceremony,
sealed the small remains,

ate and
drank and
washed the cat,

tried to chase away the pain

Singing Lord,

Is this what it means to die?

Lord

released May 6, 2022

written, arranged, produced, and mixed by James Morse
mastered by Matt Martin

JAMES MORSE