What Mattered Most

I thought I knew the girl so well

If she was sad, I couldn't tell

I missed the point, I missed the signs

So if she's gone, the fault is mine

I know, I know

A whole lot of little things

And even though

I could list them one by one, she would still be gone

Her eyes are blue, her hair was long

'64, she was born in Baton Rouge

Her favorite song is "In My Life"

I memorized her every move

I knew her books, her car, her clothes

But I paid no attention to what mattered most

I never ask, she never said

And when she cried, I turned my head

She dreamed her dreams behind closed doors

And that made them easy to ignore

And I know, I know

I missed the forest for the trees

Now all I have to show

Oh, but she walked out the door, cold facts and nothing more

Her eyes are blue, her hair was long

'64, she was born in Baton Rouge

Her favorite song is "In My Life"

I memorized her every move

I knew her books, her car, her clothes

But I paid no attention to what mattered most

Her eyes are blue, her hair was long

'64, she was born in Baton Rouge

Her father's tall, her mother's gone

She moved out West when she was two

The way she laughed, the way she loved

Oh, my God, what did I do?