Nanci Griffith Beautiful lyrics

Here’s a photograph of you in Woody Hermann’s band

It was 1952, you were such a handsome man

One of you at a memorial with all of Hoagy’s clan

And then you and my mother

Walking hand in hand



(chorus)

And she was beautiful

And you played the piano

You were beautiful upon the keys

The world was beautiful

When the two of you were dancing

Beautiful, to me



You took a photograph of us, your ladies liberty

My hair was in the breeze and I played Carnegie

Grandmother read the sonnet of Emma Lazarus

She’s only halfway in this picture

You took of all of us



(chorus)



You were a father to this lonely child

Though we are not related

You taught me how to write these notes upon a page

You were a soldier for your country in two of our wars

You played piano all your life

And you are beautiful



(chorus)