The Borrowed Little House

Lyrics

[Verse 1] At the county fair in late September Cindy Lou was laughing by the ride Mathew asked if she would share his lemonade She said, “Only if you sit beside me awhile” They spent the evening talking by the gate Made a promise neither meant to break [Verse 2] By spring she held a test with trembling hands Seventeen, afraid of what would come Mathew took her fingers, said, “We’ll face it I won’t leave you standing here alone” They told their folks beneath the kitchen light And tried to make a young love strong enough [Chorus] Cindy Lou and Mathew said their vows Two young hearts and a borrowed little house They built a life from what they had to give Made a home, made plans, made a baby’s first years live But promises can wear thin as the years go by Now he’s learning how to sleep alone at night Cindy Lou moved on, the old door closed Mathew’s left with a broken heart at home [Verse 3] There were Sunday suppers, school-day mornings Tiny shoes lined up beside the stairs He worked late shifts and she grew quiet Till the words they needed disappeared No one stormed away in one loud night They just quit reaching for each other’s hands [Chorus] Cindy Lou and Mathew said their vows Two young hearts and a borrowed little house They built a life from what they had to give Made a home, made plans, made a baby’s first years live But promises can wear thin as the years go by Now he’s learning how to sleep alone at night Cindy Lou moved on, the old door closed Mathew’s left with a broken heart at home [Bridge] He keeps their wedding picture in a drawer And the first small sock their baby wore Some nights he wonders where the years all went Some mornings he can almost start again [Final Chorus] Cindy Lou and Mathew said their vows He still hears that day when the house gets quiet now They gave their best with the young hearts they had Loved through the good and the hard and the sad Though the road split and she’s gone from his side He keeps their child’s laughter, keeps his head held high Cindy Lou moved on, the old door closed Mathew’s living with a broken heart at home [Outro] At the county fair, the September wind blows And Mathew carries what a young love knows