Rosie Thomas Follow

We were young we were barely 19
Going places that we have never seen
So I packed a flashlight and the camera
2,000 miles to California

We packed our clothes in paper bags
We made mix tapes of our favorite bands
I remember my father in the driveway
I could tell that he was putting on his brave face for me

As we drove far away
Stayed any place for free
I picked up a nickel on the train tracks
We had songs we liked to sing
And we tape recorded things
Tied ribbons round the trees to find our way back

We stopped in every small town we came across
We slept in motel parking lots
I remember Montana and the big sky
I remember how she stood there with her arms held open wide

As we drove far away
Stayed any place for free
We pulled over when we saw the sunflowers
And we both carved our names
In a fence along the way
And Sharon honked the horn at every state line

We were young and we, were just beginning our lives
Like 2 birds set free for the first time
Not a penny to our names
And our dresses were handmade
We picked flowers and sage
And dried them in
The dashboard of the car