Comin’ Round the Circle

Produced by Nathan Nasby

Alone in his bedroom, an old, gray-headed man
struggles for breath
But soon he will be dancin’ to a fiddle
in a thing that we call death
A long, warm splash of sunshine
brightens up the room
He can hear the family laughter
Sunday afternoon
Open up your heart and see
Comin’ round the circle sets you free

He thinks about his boyhood, a time when he was young
and strong and lean
He thinks about his mother, how he loved her
how she kept the house so clean
He stares hard at the ceiling
smiles some to himself
He’ll think about his family
with the time that he has left
Open up your heart and see
Comin’ round the circle sets you free

His mother died when he was thirty-three
and I’ve been told he cried just like a baby
His brothers and his sisters ‘round the grave
the sun broke out and warmed them on that cold December day

He thinks about his wife now, making eyes with her
all during church
He thinks about their wedding, and that night in March
the first time she gave birth
A tear falls off his chin and
drops down on the quilt
What a love he’s had and
what a life he’s built
Open up your heart and see
Comin’ round the circle sets you free

My father died when he was seventy-six
and I just sat there staring at the crucifix
The church was overflowing and I knew
that he was at that service feeling all that beauty, too

My father was a dancin’ man – He taught me how to two step
and forgive
And even in his dying, his tender heart
and gentleness still live
My daughter won’t remember bouncing on his knee
but she will know his music and his life and love through me
Open up your heart and see
Comin’ round the circle sets you free

Open up your heart and see
Comin’ round the circle sets you free