Alice and Norm lived for so long
In a house at the top of the hill
Kids in the grass, wine in a glass
Roses on each windowsill
But kids grow up fast, life takes a seat
Like the sun giving way to the moon
From pain in your bones to selling your home
It washes away all too soon

Now Alice, she lives on the 2nd floor hall
Where each day’s the same as the next
Simple white room, stale perfume
Gift bags that wait on the desk
Norm comes to visit each day and each night
To feed her and read her the news
Pours her those pills against his own will
Sneaks her a Charleston Chew

He still remembers the look in her eyes
On cold Christmas mornings and 4th of July’s
When love was still aflame
He remembers the way they would laugh, the way that they cried
The day their first daughter said her first goodbye
But nothing stays the same
And Alice can hardly remember his name

Alice and Norm met in the fall
Right after the Second World War
He’d just gotten back, still finding his track
When he saw her walk through the door
Pale blue dress, dirty blonde hair
The promise she held in her smile
He coupled with chance and asked her to dance
In a year they would walk down the aisle

And he still remembers the scent of her skin
In that ancient motel where the walls were so thin
And love was still aflame
He remembers the way they would walk in the hot August sun
Talk over dinner when the day’s work was done
But nothing stayed the same
And Alice can hardly remember his name

Alice and Norm, silent and still
Nurse says; “it’s time to go home”
He lifts up his bag, rips off his tag
Prepares for the long ride alone

And as he stands at her bedside watching her sleep
He just wishes for one thing, something to keep
Instead of all this pain
Aw, but he’ll keep on returning with hope in his heart
For those days that she wakes up and sees through the dark
And everything’s the same
For those days that she smiles and says his name
For the days that Alice remembers