Lucas Edward was just sixteen when he left this world
He left behind the poetry he wrote about some girl
To his sister, his Mom and Dad, his leaving was a curse
Of all the pain they'd ever had, nothing could be worse
He'd loaded his gun, put it to his head
Folks came home from a grocery run, found blood all over their bed
Some say it was an accident, his trigger finger slipped
"He didn't jump into his grave," they say, "He just tripped."
Now he's gone like last September
And the memories start to fade
It gets hard to remember
The sweet music that he made
Time falls like a cold, cold rain
Till it numbs the cruelest pain
As it douses the glowing embers
Of the promise he betrayed
Now his Mama's collecting dolls; she's put on forty pounds
Wanders lost through shopping malls, seeking what can't be found
His Daddy looks like a ghost; grief has turned him gray
His only son, his brightest hope, forever gone away
His sister's away at school, lives at the university
Does all the things that he was gonna do, even writes poetry
Comes home when the dogwoods bloom, a comfort to her mom and dad
Won't set foot in her brother's room, won't let herself be sad
Now he's gone like a lost September
All memories have to fade
It gets harder to remember
The sad music that he played
Time falls like a cold, cold rain
Till it numbs the cruelest pain
As it douses the glowing embers
Of the promise he betrayed
We used to sing old murder ballads
"Pretty Polly" and "The Knoxville Girl"
Now we sing new suicide songs
That tell about leaving this sweet old world
Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see the Lord
So the Bible says in part, that is their reward
Lucas Edward was just a child, when he lost his way
Now the family must be reconciled to see him on Judgment Day
Now he's gone like that September
All the memories are torn and frayed
Nobody will ever remember
The sweet music he might have made
Time falls like a cold, cold rain
Till it numbs the cruelest pain
As it douses the dying embers
Of the promise he betrayed
Lucas Edward was just sixteen when he left this world
Copyright © 1998 by Dagley & Dagley Dagley
Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.
Photo Gallery
Family Photos
Childhood Pictures
Luke, the Athlete
Luke, the Sportsman
Luke's Poetry
Awards
Apply for the Angel Award in Memory of Luke
