the things I miss

lyrics

let's make a list of all the things that we miss
you go first
oh, you're not ready?
okay, then i'll go first
i've got a list

i miss her letters and i miss his smile
i miss childhood summers
i miss when $20 felt like a lot of money
i miss sunny days when all we had to do was try not to get burned

i miss when mom and dad would ask what i learned in school
and i could tell them i learned how to spell
antidisestablishmentarianism
and they'd be impressed
and i'd be proud
i miss being proud

i miss the stories my great-grandmother would tell about
life on the island when she was a little girl
the world changed so much
in the time she was alive

i miss the people who died before my time
howard ashman, and jonathan larson
i miss hearing the words they wrote
for the very first time

and i miss you
and i miss you

i miss the emails we all used to write
before everyone had cell phones
and unlimited texting
except for the chain emails in bright purple
those were the worst

i miss the battles with the super-soaker water guns
and sliding down snowy hills on a toboggan
i don't know why we stopped doing all those things
they were fun

i miss the people i didn't get to know
i miss bunkmates at band camp and
classmates who moved away
people who i met at a convention
and never saw again

i miss the room we claimed when we were seniors, back at school
i miss the christmas tree that someone brought from home
and we all decorated
i miss how close we were
at the top of the world

and i miss you
and i miss you

i miss the certainty i had when i was 13
that one day i'd be married, and write a novel
and have a house, and a cat
and be happy

and i miss those bold moments
when i turned away from fear
when i said i'll do it anyway
and i don't care what they say
i used to be brave
i used to be

and i miss me
and i miss me

so this has been a list of some things that i miss
but not everything
if i tried to list everything
this list would be as long as my life
'cause i miss it all
even the chain emails in purple

so now it's your turn
tell me what's on your list
is the people, the places, or the feelings?
is it missed opportunities?
please say it's me.