I've Been Waiting.

When I was little,
Baby, I still remember all the way back.
I still remember little shoes
little dresses
little bows in my hair.
I still remember everything
No matter how crazy it seems.
When we grow up,
we spend such a long,
long long time,
trying to forget.
But I, I don't think that's how
it needs to work.
So, take my hand, love.
If I'm gonna let you in, now,
You need to see, for once,
Who it is you're really seeing
right before you.
When I was little,
my hero was my daddy.
He could read big books
and tell funny jokes
and sing me all the songs in the world.
When I was little,
my life was my home.
My brown house, with red shutters
my purple bedroom.
When I was little,
the farthest I ever went,
was still so close to home.
When I was little,
I had short, light brown hair,
and small, pale toes,
and I wore desses
and braids
and bows.
When I was little,
I loved to dance, and I thought
I was the best.
When I was little,
my grampa painted my picture.
I wore a blue sweatshirt,
pink pants,
and my choppy hair
was strewn around my
sticky little face.
Ten years later,
That little girl I used to be,
still resides within me,
somewhere.
Everyday, I try to find her.
I look deep within myself,
I whisper things I know I said,
and I hope she can hear me,
somewhere.
I've grown up, I geuss.
My hair is longer, darker,
my back is straighter,
I'm a little taller,
I still love my daddy and my mommy,
and I still have that painting,
of the kid I'll always be.
I still have the memories
of coming home from school,
being swept into my momma's arms
and swung around,
like its the last day of our lives.
I've still got these memories
of all the times daddy tickled my belly,
made me smile, till I cried,
made me laugh until I finally fell asleep.
I never understood why tears swelled in his eyes
whenever he told me just how much
he loved me.
I didn't understand that I'd never have long enough arms
to spread further than his,
to express my eternal love.
But now, I think it's all beginning to make sense.
To my mommy and daddy,
I'll always be their little girl.
I'll always be that kid with the baby face,
and the messy hair,
with the bows and dresses,
stomping around in my black tap shoes.
They say I'll never know,
how much I mean to them.
Their little girl.
So, baby, listen up.
I've been looking for you, for far too long.
My prince, my fairytale,
I'm waiting for you.
But you won't be just anyone,
not just some simple boy.
You'll be someone my daddy will be proud of,
someone perfect for his little girl.
You'll be someone who can look at that painting,
and see the person I really am,
and ask for nothing more.
While everyone's growing up,
while everyone's falling in love,
I'll try not to forget myself,
when finally, you come along.
When I feel lost, loosing myself on this twisting road,
I can only hope you'll be there,
to pick up the pieces,
and put them back together.
I'm a complex puzzle, baby,
with countless missing pieces.
And I'll settle for only the perfect person,
to fit my pieces together again.
I need you to understand, love,
that I won't change for you.
I won't change the way I look,
I won't change the things I say,
because, if it's you, you'll love me anyway.
When I was little,
baby, I remember all the way back.
I remember laying awake at night,
dreaming of my prince, and hoping he'd hurry up and save me.
I remember picking flowers,
telling momma they were for my wedding,
see, I've had the dress picked out for years.
Now all I need, is someone to share it with me.
Someone who will look at me,
and see, like no one else ever has,
that i'm just this little girl from a little town,
caught up in dreams, and follies.
Someone who has been ever blessed, ever loved,
but finally, is looking for something more.
If that's you, love,
if you're my fairytale,
then my daddy will smile, not cry
and my mommy will welcome you home,
and we'll know that right now, in heaven,
grampy's adding a new face to the picture.
The picture I still remember,
from way back when I was little.
Hurry up, and find me.
I'll be right here, waiting,
reminiscing a simpler time,
when I knew all the answers.
When I was content to know
that at least two people, would always love me.
And when you get here,
I'll try again to stretch my arms so far,
Baby, geuss how much I love you.
And when you come,
that little girl inside me,
the one i'll always be,
will come to life again,
and i'll know that she's been there,
all along.
Because, even then, when I was little,
yeah, I remember all the way back,
I knew that I would only settle for the best.
So, if that's you, welcome home.
I've been waiting.