Lyric First Girl I Loved

(from the album Rubaiyat: Elektra s 40th Anniversary; performed by Jackson Browne with David Lindley)

First girl I loved--
Time has come I will sing the sad goodbye song
When I was seventeen, I used to know you
And I haven t seen you now in so many years
And the last time I saw you
You said you joined the Church of Jesus
But me I remember your long red hair
Falling in our faces as I kissed you

I just want you to know I just had to go
I just want you to know I just had to grow
And you re probably married now
With a house and car and all
And you turned into a grown-up female stranger
If I was lyin by you now, I wouldn t be here at all

Well we parted so hard
Me rushing round New York with a guitar
Making love to people I didn t even like to see
And I still sometimes think of you
As I lay here in the sick sad morning
And in the lonely midnight
I ve got to hold your face before me

I just want you to know I just had to go
I just want you to know I just had to grow
And you re probably married now
With kids and all
And you turned into a grown-up female stranger
If I was lyin by you now, I d just have to fall

And I never slept with you
Though we must have made love a thousand times
Cause we were just young
Didn t have no place to go

I just want you to know I just had to go
I just want you to know I just had to grow
So its goodbye First Love
And I hope you re fine
I have a sweet woman
Maybe someday she ll have babies by me
(She pretty)
She s a true friend of mine