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Little Heart

by Peter Mayer

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about

Someone told me once that raising children was like having your heart walk around outside of your body. I thought that was such a perfect metaphor, and so I jotted down a few lines of this song one day when I was dropping off my girls at school. It took me years to come back and finish it, but here it finally is. I'd like to offer it to all who nurture kids, and help them find their way. Special thanks to my daughter Luciana for her wonderful artwork!

lyrics

LITTLE HEART Standard tuning

Hey here’s one thing that you could do
Take out the heart inside of you
Give it arms and legs and
The sweetest face
Then watch your heart crawl around
Try to stand up and then fall down
While you are looking on—protective and afraid

And when your little heart turns five
Give it a hug and kiss goodbye
And watch it walk alone into a great big school
Backpack nearly too big to carry
Big kids like giants everywhere
And sit there helplessly as
Tears well up in you
Seems like a sensible thing to do

By then you may have some regrets
That you let your heart out of your chest
But once you take it out, it never fits back in
Because your heart grows and grows
And learns things that you don’t even know
And spends less time with you
To spend more time with friends

And even worse, they say you should
Prepare your heart to leave for good
Teach it how to live and make it on its own
Until there finally comes a day
When your heart moves away
And you can only hear it on the telephone
It may sound crazy, but it’s so

But who would ever think it’s true
Your heart does not belong to you
You can hold it close and try to keep it safe
Sing your heart a lullaby
Cheer it on and when it’s time
Send it on its way

So here’s one thing that you could do
Take out the heart inside of you
Give it arms and legs and
The sweetest face
Then watch your heart crawl around
Try to stand up and then fall down
See it walking now
See it smile and wave

credits

released December 22, 2021
Music and Lyrics by Peter Mayer
Vocals and instruments (acoustic guitar, bass guitar, organ, high strung guitar) performed and recorded by Peter Mayer
Mixed by Peter Mayer
Mastered by Randy Gildersleeve at GilderSound recording, Forest Lake, MN
Artwork by Luciana Mayer

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about

Peter Mayer Stillwater, Minnesota

Minnesota's Peter Mayer has been singing and songwriting full-time for 25 years, performing in venues across the United States and beyond. He writes songs about science, nature, and spirituality. His work has been included in song books, church hymnals, and folk radio playlists across the country. Peter has eleven albums to his credit. He lives in Stillwater, Minnesota. ... more

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