Pictures Outlive People

[Jim Colyer]

My ex and I went on for years
Traveled the world, became parents
For every occasion or event
She always had a camera
From Reykavik to Jakarta
She captured every moment
She left me stranded with the pictures
The night she took the baby and went

Pictures Outlive People
Photos survive when people are gone
After the loved ones have departed
Their images go on and on
Pictures Outlive People
Likenesses remain after they're dead
Weird snapshots outlast reality
Ghostly icons stuck in our heads

My mother died not long ago
She was an avid photographer
Kept her photo albums in a drawer
Now they're stored in my computer
Those pictures are not really us
Just depictions on a screen
Our time together as a family
Is now a lifeless memory

Pictures Outlive People
Photos survive when people are gone
After the loved ones have departed
Their images go on and on
Pictures Outlive People
Likenesses remain after they're dead
Weird snapshots outlast reality
Ghostly icons stuck in our heads

Now I wonder if
I remember people
Or just pictures
Of people

Pictures Outlive People
Photos survive when people are gone
After the loved ones have departed
Their images go on and on
Pictures Outlive People
Likenesses remain after they're dead
Weird snapshots outlast reality
Ghostly icons stuck in our heads

Jim Colyer ascap