I sat on a rock above the hills, gazing beyond what was visible The thoughts of long lost past breathing incessantly in my chest Thought they were dead, laying motionless amongst the rubble Will I ever get my long yearned rest?
Of the glory I so long for during my youth Of the lovers I had lost during my living years Of the parents whom are now somewhere I cannot see Tell me, dear ol' heart, are all those things gone for good?
No, I haven't gotten the glory I dreamt of No, I haven't eloped with the girl I, in truth, love My whole life has been but a disillusionment A mere shadow of what it could've been
Ah, but here comes the daughter, so lovely and tender And the wife ever so loving and ever so caring No, I wouldn't have traded my 'shadow' of a life for anything For what we eventually get at the end, that is the true glory.
It is a recollection of youth seen from the perspective of an aging man, seeing what he could've accomplished and, though at first regretting his life, he ends up satisfied with how life turned out.