LIKE A PAINTING BY CHAGALL

He wandered alone
on the streets of the town
and stood on the banks
of the ancient canal

A bride wearing lace
in the church down the lane
was holding her flowers
and tending her train

She stared from the windows
to the churchyard outside
where the people were gathering
to wait for the bride

Appearing beside her
and rising above
was a dove
flying in circles
an angel in the halls
Like a painting by Chagall
Like a painting by Chagall

He ran through the churchyard
with no time to spare
he hid in the chapel
and sat in a chair

The old man came in
with his beads and his robes
it's time to begin
so change in to your clothes

He stood on the altar
and watched as his bride
took her place next to him
as they started to cry

Their hands joined together
and rising above
was a dove
flying in circles
an angel in the halls
Like a painting by Chagall
Like a painting by Chagall

They lived in a house
on the edge of the town
where the river flowed sweetly
in the ancient canal

The morning was clear
on the day she arrived
He clung to her tightly
and took to the sky

They rose up together
their arms intertwined
above all the rooftops
the hills and the vines

And then he released her
and rising above
was a dove
flying in circles
an angel at the call

Like a painting by Chagall

“Such Great Heights” is a song by The Postal Service. “They will see us waving from such great heights; come down now but we’ll stay.” My wife, Debbie, and I loved the image expressed by that lyric. It spoke to the times when we were at our best, if such times can be measured in superlatives, when we were alone together embracing the big picture and the world we had created. For some celebration, probably a birthday, she gave me a print of a painting by Marc Chagall named Above the Town, depicting Chagall and his wife Bella rising above a small town, Chagall holding his wife, Bella clinging but peaceful as her legs wrap around his. We had come to love and appreciate the works of Chagall, the images he used and the colors he chose. This painting evoked the same feelings kindled by “Such Great Heights.” We saw ourselves in the painting, and we placed it in our bedroom. It is still there. As time marched on, we talked about how we were becoming just like the painting, a story reflecting a lifetime of love that only lovers alone can really know. Bella died from an illness after 35 years of marriage to Chagall. This song “Like a Painting by Chagall” came from the incubator of life. It is the first track of our new album Hometown Tragedies.