Blue Paint on Your Sleeve

There was blue paint on your sleeve And a radio balanced on a chair We had borrowed all the rollers There were newspapers everywhere You said the wall would need another coat I said it looked all right to me You stood back with your head to one side And handed me the tray without a word

I've loved you in the life we had With the washing drying by the stairs With the phone calls we weren't ready for And the good news we could hardly bear If I don't say it often enough Let me say it while you're here I love the woman sitting next to me More honestly with every year

I can hear you on the landing Telling someone, "No, we'll call you back" You know when I need a minute You know when I need to face the facts And I've learned to stay and listen When I'd rather find a job to do Not every evening ends in laughter But I want to end them next to you

I've loved you in the life we had With the washing drying by the stairs With the phone calls we weren't ready for And the good news we could hardly bear If I don't say it often enough Let me say it while you're here I love the woman sitting next to me More honestly with every year

Twenty-five years since that Saturday I still have things to learn How to say that I was wrong Before it's somehow your turn How to ask about your day Put the other things away You deserve my whole attention You can have it here today

I've loved you in the life we have And I love the life we haven't had yet All the places on your little list All the Sundays we can sleep in late If I don't say it often enough Let me say it while you're here I love the woman sitting next to me More honestly with every year

And yes, it needed one more coat You were right, my dear