THE PICTURE

There are pictures on the piano, pictures of the family
Mostly my kids but there’s no picture of your and me
You were 5 and I was 6 in 1952
That was 40 years ago, how could it be true?

We were sitting outside the drawing at a table meant for cards
And it must have been in autumn, falling leaves in the front yard
With a shoebox full of crayons, full of colors oh so bright
In a picture in a plastic frame, a snapshot, black and white

You were looking at my paper, watching what I drew
It was natural I was older, 13 months more than you
A brother and a sister, a little boy and girl
And whoever took that picture, they captured our whole world

Now a brother needs a sister to watch what he can do
To protect and to torture, to boss around, it’s true
But a brother will defend her, for a sister’s love is pure
Because she thinks he’s wonderful, even when he’s not so sure

In the picture there’s a fender of our old Chevrolet
Or a Pontiac, our dad would know-- surely he could say
But dad is dead and we grow old, it’s true the time flies by
And in 40 years the world is changed, as well as you and I…

---Lauden Wainright
Sung by Sally Dworski on Prarie Home Companion, 6/3/06