This is a true story, from a long time ago, about the first girl I ever kissed. Or maybe she started it. I don’t know for sure. We were both pretty enthusiastic about it. In Ohio, and as I said, a long time ago. Anyway the infatuation didn’t last, and she announced that henceforth she would only date boys who drove muscle cars. I drove, alas, a Ford Falcon (true!).
Fast forward to just a few years ago, and I find myself in East Tennessee, living on the flank of Chilhowee Mountain, not particularly tall as mountains go, but a monster of a ridge stretching southwest to northeast from Georgia to Virginia and encompassing a number of National Forests along the foothills of the Appalachians. Something, I can’t recall what, triggered my memory of this girl, perhaps the embarrassment of driving a Dodge Omni, so I wrote this short song.
Come see me in the mountains
Come see me in the mountains
Hmm, oh Molly come and see me
I really really need you
We’ll go walkin’ in the moonlight
We’ll go walkin’ in the moonlight
Hmm, oh Molly we’ll go walkin’
I really really need you
The leaves are tangled in your hair
The leaves are tangled in your hair
Hmmm, oh Molly in your hair child
I really really need you
The tears are fallin’ from my eyes
The tears are fallin’ from my eyes
Hmmm, oh Molly fallin’ fallin’
I really really need you
Come see me in the mountains
Come see me in the mountains
Hmm, come see me come see me
Oh Molly, I really really miss you
Oh Molly, I really really miss you
Oh Molly
When I attempted to search for her on the internet, I found her obituary online, with a beautiful picture of her still recognizable as my first childhood puppy love. She had died of brain cancer, and just like that, the door to my childhood closed for the last time. If I had a good singing voice, I’d like to imagine it sounding like Richie Havens, rather than this sad old man. I also imagine it played on an expensive Taylor acoustic. An old man can still dream.