Tom Paxton - I Was Beautiful lyrics

I was beautiful, my Jackie told me so But that was long ago, and far away But I was beautiful; he was my soldier boy We had one taste of joy, then they sent him away And I was terrified, I sat up half my nights The radio said the fights were terrible, many were slain And then, that golden day, I answered the telephone My soldier boy was home, home safe again And we went to the pictures, and we went to the sea We had a life of our own to live, my Jackie and me Oh, the summers came and went, and the children grew I was still beautiful to him and love was still new We were older now, the children moved away Then came the longed-for day when Jackie retired At first, he seemed content, he did some gardening There was a garden swing that he rewired But as the time went by, he seemed to drift away He found it hard to pay attention, his memory grew dim The kids all rallied ‘round, they loved their daddy so He didn't seem to know, they were strangers to him Though we'd been to the pictures, and we'd been to the sea We'd had a life of our own to live, my Jackie and me Oh, the summers had come and gone and the children grew I was still beautiful to him and love was still new I was terrified and I was all alone The children had their homes; I know that's life And my soldier boy, who used to kiss my hands Now fails to understand that I'm even his wife He sits and stares at me, and there is nothing there He doesn't seem to care what happens to him or to me But I was beautiful; he was my soldier boy We had our taste of joy in my own memory But did we go to the pictures; did we go to the sea Did we have a life of our own, my Jackie and me Oh, the summers came and went, and the children grew Was I ever beautiful to him Was love ever new Was I ever beautiful to him Was love ever new