Some­times some­one cross­es your path and you con­nect for rea­sons you can’t explain.  So… there’s this guy.  Gabe.  I’ll write more about him some­day, I’m sure, but now isn’t the time.  (We have a class to pre­pare for.)

For today, on his 16th birth­day, here’s our rela­tion­ship boiled down into one 6‑minute song.  Hap­py birth­day, Gabe.  For what it’s worth, I con­sid­er you to be the son I nev­er knew I want­ed.

(And here’s a YouTube video of me per­form­ing the piece with some of Gabe’s friends at my 2017 Spring Stu­dio Show­case.)

“More”

Out of nowhere you sat down beside me:
shoul­der to shoul­der, and some­how heart to heart.
I didn’t know what I had found in you when you found me—
only that moment was only a start.

Over cof­fee and under a dead­line,
sav­ing a grade and build­ing a rap­port,
moment by moment, learn­ing how wrong I was to nev­er want a son,
find­ing that now I just want more:

I want more days of laugh­ter, more nights of hearts opened wide.
I want more miles of dri­ving with you there along for the ride.
More chances to fail, more hon­est “I’m sorry”s,
More “you made my day” kind of smiles.
If a father could ever have cho­sen a son,
I’d have tak­en a pass until you came along.
The “how did we get here” and “what hap­pens now” is unsure.
But with each day that pass­es with you in my life,
I’m just grate­ful I’ve got­ten to know you more.

Shar­ing secrets and trad­ing tough ques­tions—
how to be human, how to be men—
men­tor and men­tored, each of us tak­ing turns to teach and learn,
an odd kind of fam­i­ly, the best kind of friends.

I still want more days of laugh­ter, more nights of hearts opened wide.
I want more miles of dri­ving with you there along for the ride.
More chances to fail, more hon­est “I’m sorry”s,
More “man, I missed you” kind of smiles.
Any day that I see you’s a beau­ti­ful day,
and “I’ll see you tomorrow”’s the best thing you say.
The “how did we get here” and “what hap­pens now” is unsure.
But with each day that pass­es with you in my life,
I’m just grate­ful I’ve got­ten to know you more.

I want more days of laugh­ter, more nights of hearts opened wide.
I want more miles of dri­ving with me just along for the ride.
More chances to fail, more hon­est “I’m sorry”s,
More “can’t find the words” kind of smiles.
I promise, there’s one thing you can be sure of:
your life will know many who offer you love,
and some­day you’ll find one you’d give up your whole life for.
Oth­er loves will feel deep­er, or new­er, or stronger.
There are already those who have loved you much longer,
But nobody ever, as long as I live, I promise you this, will love you more.

©2017 David M. Glas­gow (ASCAP)