Yo, this is hard for me to do I dreamed of the day I could see your face Still never believing you just walked away Knowing in my heart what I couldn't say Memories are stained in pain, faded away since Been so long, since you have gone away, away, away But somehow, somehow I know you still keep me safe, I'm safe to this day, this day Lost in the thought of the loss of you Never getting over never knowing you Can't believe all the time they took from you You were so young, you weren't close through Lost in the pain, I was lost in the mist Lost all the time but I'll never forget The love you shared, your laugh I miss Your strawberry blonde hair and your gentleness My last, I remember fondly Yeah, you protected me when mom was onto me Never thought I'd see her back away and leave I was in the wrong but you defended me Why'd you have to leave, why'd you have to go Why'd you have to be going down that road Because it helped me see that road ain't paved in gold Now I really know this road ain't paved in gold, gold Been so long, since you have gone away, away, away But somehow, somehow I know you still keep me safe, I'm safe to this day, this day I think about my cousins how they lost their mom They're the biggest victims of this ugly crime Can't help but think the way that things would be If that night, if you didn't leave and go back home to Mississippi If you would've stayed for just one more day Would you still be alive, would you have survived Being a beaten wife and had a nice life With a different guy, a different man I understand you had to go Your heart said so and you couldn't say no But your love was so strong it was volatile In a spiral down this dark road To something terrible when his mind broke And we might not know what happened to you But this won't be through until we do, do Been so long, since you have gone away, away, away But somehow, somehow I know you still keep me safe, I'm safe to this day, this day Life has a funny way of showing you things Looking back now on the memories Seeing all them things that I couldn't see When I was too young and I just didn't believe I was too naive and I just didn't know For once I saw, not that it stopped me From breaking the law But I saw it was wrong And it changed my heart, which helped me sober up You helped make me me, helped set me free Now possibly, I can take this love that you gave to me Give it back to the world so eternally This tragedy won't be so sad to see When it's saving lives, protecting other women Getting beat by guys, it still makes me cry Every time I think about the night I had to say goodbye Always know that even though you're gone You will always live inside our hearts Been so long, since you have gone away, away, away But somehow, somehow I know you still keep me safe, I'm safe to this day, this day Been so long, since you have gone away, away, away But somehow, somehow I know you still keep me safe, I'm safe to this day We love and miss you Aunt Mary, you'll never be forgotten Your memory will never fade So long