My Lifelong Love

Note from Georgia: It is acceptable to change the pronouns (“he/she” and “boy/girl”) to suit the needs of your performance. In case you need further changes, here (below) is an approved alternate lyric, where the subject is a female. Okay by me, as well, if a male sings to a male or a female to a female.

For more insight into the lyric, its development and interpretation, read this interview Georgia did with David Brush at NewMusicalTheatre.com.

New: CHORAL ARRANGEMENT! For more info on purchasing octavos for your choir, please click here.

Lyrics:

He wasn’t much to look at.
I wouldn’t call him “fun.”
He was twelve years old,
And I was just eleven.
My friends thought I was crazy,
But my innocence was won
By the boy who introduced my heart to heaven.

He was the smartest boy
In the whole sixth grade,
And I couldn’t believe I’d found him.
Though his teeth were in braces
And his Dockers were frayed,
I just wanted to be around him.
There are men who make you lose yourself
Or fill you with regret,
But Adam won my lifelong love
Because he played the clarinet.

Doo do doo. Doo do doo…

I wanted nothing more
Than to share a stand
With this prodigy of perfection.
I dreamt of afterschool practice
With the junior high band,
Where we’d sit in the woodwind section.
So I marched into the band room
And became a devotee.
For Adam was my lifelong love,
And this would make him notice me.

Doo do doo. Doo doo doo…

Oh… how I practiced.
God, did I suck.
Adam gave lessons;
I was in luck!
All the scales he made me learn by heart.
I had never seen him look so cute!
I told him that his music was an art.
He told me that his girlfriend played the flute.

I was the dumbest girl
In the whole fifth grade,
And now everyone else had seen it.
I announced I’d quit the band;
My decision had been made,
But I wished that I didn’t mean it.
For the music had a hold on me,
Much more than any fling.
I knew I’d found my lifelong love,
And Adam didn’t mean a thing.
The marching band was not for me,
But in the choir, I could sing.

Doo doo doo. Doo doo doo…

He was the smartest boy
In the whole sixth grade.

Alternative Lyrics:

She wasn’t much to look at.
I wouldn’t call her “fun.”
She was twelve years old,
And I was just eleven.
My friends thought I was crazy,
But my innocence was won
By the girl who introduced my heart to heaven.

She was the smartest girl
In the whole sixth grade,
And I couldn’t believe I’d found her.
Though her hair was a mousy mop
Of messy French braid,
I just wanted to be around her.
Sometimes women make you lose yourself
Or fill you with regret,
But Molly won my lifelong love
Because she played the clarinet.

Doo do doo. Doo do doo…

I wanted nothing more
Than to share a stand
With this prodigy of perfection.
I dreamt of afterschool practice
With the junior high band,
Where we’d sit in the woodwind section.
So I marched into the band room
And became a devotee.
For Molly was my lifelong love,
And this would make her notice me.

Doo do doo. Doo doo doo…

Oh… how I practiced.
God, did I suck.
Molly gave lessons;
I was in luck!
All the scales she made me learn by heart.
I had never seen her look so cute!
I told her that her music was an art.
She told me that her boyfriend played the flute.

I was the dumbest boy
In the whole fifth grade,
And now everyone else had seen it.
I announced I’d quit the band;
My decision had been made,
But I wished that I didn’t mean it.
For the music had a hold on me,
Much more than any fling.
I knew I’d found my lifelong love,
And Molly didn’t mean a thing.
The marching band was not for me,
But in the choir, I could sing.

Doo doo doo. Doo doo doo…

She was the smartest girl
In the whole sixth grade.

Illustration by Michael Arthur IG: @inklines