Arlene

by Havilah Rand and Arlene

Lyrics:

All the way from Sweden
across the ocean to the trees
we packed up all our hopes and fears
seeking opportunity

we built our homes and farmed the land
did our best with what we had
and the turning of the seasons passed
like seawater through the sand

I wore the red dress
I sang the desert song
I’m no ordinary woman
living free and forever strong

I fed my curiosity
at the university
worked forty long years
at the columbia lumber company

I wasn’t just a working girl
sang the opera and played piano
a pioneer telling stories on the radio

I wore the red dress
I sang the desert song
I’m no ordinary woman
living free and forever strong

twice I've loved and twice I've been widowed
I've learned happiness is found
between the light and the shadows
I wear the red dress
I sing the desert song
I’m no ordinary woman
living free and forever strong

now I sit in this small room
a far away look in my eye
figurines and paintings
mark the chapters of my life

so many years my family made
a trek across the sea
with all their hopes and fears
seeking opportunity

i'll wear the red dress
I'll the desert song
I’m no ordinary woman
living free and forever strong