As a Stone

©Jim Molinelli

[INTRO]

When my time fades, like the evening sun,

My life complete, my races run,

Please set me down, in a treasured place,

As a stone to endure time’s embrace.

[Verse] 

Soft white sand in the tropical sun,

So calm before tourist season comes.

Caribbean breezes gently blow,

Turquoise water stretched out below.

Peace and quiet everywhere you go,

Watching planes descend over Maho...

Will those loving hands I've known

Gently place me as a stone?

So the warm breeze remembers my name.

[Verse] 

A good walk spoiled is what some say. 

There’s no more pleasant task on a mild day.

In some of the prettiest places on Earth,

This ancient game tests player's worth.

Swing your club, hit the ball through the air

Into the tiny little hole over there.

Will those loving hands I've known

Gently place me as a stone?

So the fairways will whisper my name.

[guitar fill]

[Verse] 

The widest sky I’ve ever seen,

Lights the canyon walls, and the river between.

Miles of rock carved out by water,

More colors than a painter's blotter.

A mile wide and a mile deep.  

A beautiful place to rest in sleep.

Will those loving hands I've known

Gently place me as a stone?

So the colored rock reflects my name.

[Verse]

Nine men, like children, play a game.

Each game different, each game the same.

Blue skies, green grass, play by play.

The chalk lines are redrawn each day.

The game is timeless, no clock entailed,

Baseball is life!  The rest -- details...

Will those loving hands I've known

Gently place me as a stone?

So the diamond recalls my name.

[Bridge]

Through every season, every mile,

From sunset glow to morning smile,

You were there as dreams were grown.

Each one ours — not mine alone...

So please… let me rest here as a stone.

[Verse]

Thirty three cars in eleven rows wait,

To win is racing’s ultimate fate.

500 miles at impossible speeds.

Frenetic action and heroic deeds. 

Deafening noise as they roar down the straight,

Who’ll finish first? The checkers await...

Will those loving hands I've known

Gently place me as a stone?

So the yard of bricks knows my name.

[OUTTRO]

When my time fades, like the evening sun,

My life complete, my races run,

Please set me down, in a treasured place,

As a stone, to endure, time’s embrace…