Darlene

[Verse 1]
Summer of eighty-one, the water shining blue,
A restless heart just wandering, not knowing what was true.
Then I looked across that lake, and everything stood still,
A laughing girl, a beauty, and my world she'd surely fill.

[Chorus]
Oh Darlene, you're my always, my forever, my song,
Forty-four years of loving, and I've never been wrong.
Through the calm and the storms, we held steady and true,
Every day of my life, girl, I'm grateful for you.

[Verse 2]
That sense of humor caught me, it never let me go,
So faithful and devoted, more than I could ever know.
We built a home together, raised the family we made,
And every hard-won season, your courage never swayed.

[Chorus]
Oh Darlene, you're my always, my forever, my song,
Forty-four years of loving, and I've never been wrong.
Through the calm and the storms, we held steady and true,
Every day of my life, girl, I'm grateful for you.

[Bridge]
For the times I fell short, you forgave and you stayed,
Your strength is my anchor, your love never frayed.

[Verse 3]
Still passionate for living, still true to who you are,
Doing right in a weary world, you're my guiding star.
This October we'll remember that lake and that first day,
And I'd choose you all over, in every single way.

[Chorus]
Oh Darlene, you're my always, my forever, my song,
Forty-four years of loving, and I've never been wrong.
Through the calm and the storms, we held steady and true,
Every day of my life, girl, I'm grateful for you.

[Outro]
Happy anniversary, my darling, my friend,
I'll love you, sweet Darlene, till the very end.