For my wife

For our first anniversary, I wanted to find a way to capture my feelings about my wife and what it meant to me to be married to her. We lived in a college town in a very small apartment. Although we didn't have a piano, there was one in the music department on campus. For a few weeks, I went between classes to the piano rooms and wrote a song for her. On our anniversary, I brought her to one of the practice rooms and sang it for her. It was about how I felt I had married above me and about how I admired her love of the outdoors and all of God's creations.

I've never been good at singing. But because I have an ear for music, I can tell that I'm not always in tune and that I don't have the best vocal tone. But I hope the song meant something anyway. I just came across a copy of the song the other day. We've been married now for 15 years, and life certainly has changed. But I have the same feelings today I had back then when I wrote the song.

Hope you'll forgive the audio quality, the intonation and the screaming baby in the background toward the end!




Title: Her Castle All Around
Music and Lyrics: Tim Penrod
Copyright (c) 1994 Tim Penrod. All rights reserved.

Lyrics:

Just a boy
On a common walk that day
Far from any palace
Far from any fame
And so it shocked me
The sight that caught my eye
A sweet young princess
Suddenly went walking by

Angel face, tender eyes
Heart that's warm as fire
Pretty nose, funny toes
Princess, I'll never tire
Of your hair, soft and brown
Of your tears or sorrows
'Pure as gold beneath your crown
Inside your castle all around

Behind a tree
I watched from afar
Her grace and beauty
Surpassed all else by far
And the she saw me
Soon she knew my name
Her voice was soothing
Like freshly fallen rain

Angel face, tender eyes
Heart that's warm as fire
Pretty nose, funny toes
Princess, I'll never tire
Of your hair, soft and brown
Of your tears or sorrows
'Pure as gold beneath your crown
Inside your castle all around

The birds and trees
Were the subjects of her court
Her jurisdiction
Was no ordinary sort

From valleys low
To mountains in the sky
The open kingdom
Included everything in sight

Just a boy
A commoner, they say
Married to a princess
Recalling yesterday
Am I just dreaming?
Has this fairytale come true?
We're here together
With eternity to view

Angel face, tender eyes
Heart that's warm as fire
Keep me here right by your side
Princess, I'll never tire
Every day I'm here with you
The more that I'm inspired
I will always stay with you
Inside your castle all around