Maybe, But

by Howard A. Landman

I can still remember the first time I caught your eye
With a special kind of sparkle there, but we were both so shy
We'd tried to flirt and both been hurt so many times before
We both had plenty reasons not to open up the door

So when I had the nerve to ask you out
You couldn't answer yes without some doubt

Spendin' time together kept our friendship growin' strong
Our college years, our common fears, we'd talk all night long.
And sometimes we'd take comfort in each other's lovin' touch
I couldn't help but want some more of what I liked so much

Still when I asked if we could live together
You looked at me, and thought, and wondered whether

Chorus:
Maybe this'll never work
Maybe it's too hard a task
Maybe I'm just bein' a jerk
Maybe it's too much to ask
Maybe this ain't what it seems
Maybe we can't reach the sky
Maybe we can't live our dreams
But when I look at you, I want to try
Graduation found us wrestling with our life and death
Real life bearing down on us with locomotive breath
A lifetime is so long, you know, you can't see to the end
But everything seems easy when you do it with a friend

So I asked if you'd want to marry me
"I don't know," you said, "I just don't see"

Chorus(variant):
How this thing'll ever work
...
Married life together was at first an awkward dance
You learned how to cook and I learned gardening and plants
It seemed like time to have a kid and raise her on our own
But twenty years of promises seemed heavy as a stone

A billion other folks have made it through
If all of them could, why not me and you?

CHORUS
Now we've met another soul who's touched both of our hearts
Made us see each other fresh and rethink both our parts
Does our love have room enough inside for her to sit?
If we can snuggle close enough then maybe we'll all fit

Now maybe we're just all a bunch of fools
But I believe it's time to break the rules

CHORUS

San Jose, November 1993

I wrote this song in November 1993, after falling in love. The basic emotion is that expressed by the last line of the movie (and book) "Women In Love": the Alan Bates character is told that the kind of relationship he wanted to have is not natural or possible.

He replies, "I don't believe that."

Last updated 1998 May 22