[Verse 1] Granddad said she died in June The year the river froze too soon But the picture on the mantel Shows her laughing in July [Verse 2] Same dress, same crooked smile Same bruise she tried to hide I used to think the camera Just caught a kinder light [Chorus] The photograph that lied first Taught the rest of us how We all learned to look past What the frame would not allow [Verse 3] I found the negative last fall In a box marked “do not call” She’s looking straight at someone Standing just outside the shot [Bridge] (dynamics drop to almost nothing) I never asked who held the camera I never asked why no one cried Some rooms get quieter When you finally decide [Chorus] The photograph that lied first Still hanging, still polite I leave the lamp off now So I don’t have to see it right
