The Weight of a Man

I wrote this song after the anniversary of the death of my friend. We drove out to his favorite beach and his wife brought his ashes in a carboard box. It's been a year since his tragic death and we each held a handful of his ashes in the surf while the sun set. The ashes and bone and the sand and shell were the same. This is a song for my friend, Tom.

How much is the weight of a man
When he's in a box like sinking sand
How much is the weight of a man

Pulled up to the curb in his old van
Sun setting low across the sand
How much is the weight of a man

My friends on the floor beneath a cardboard lid
I still see him now in the eyes of his kids
How much is the weight of a man

Reach in the box, feels a bit strange
Then I realize it's all the same
How much is the weight of a man

Sand and shell move as the current flows
Open my hand, my friend to let go
How much is the weight of a man

Into the surf ash and sand become one
Bone and shell wash away tears in the sun
How much is the weight of a man

Celebrate life moving from today
Still in this moment, a short pause to pray
How much is the weight of a man

Bruce Hewitt