A toast to love with paper cups
And a vow to never part
They're saying to each other there's a fire burning
Deep within their hearts
But at her darkest hour he's gone far away
She's all alone
And when the lights go out it's the hardest time
The hardest time to be alone

She sends her Mary off to school
And sits to watch TV
They're talking about spending their lives together
The way it's supposed to be
Then the baby cries, wakes her from her dream
She's on her own
And when the lights go out it's the hardest time
The hardest time to be alone

A mother's dream is like a story never told
Reaching out for something more then a hand to hold
Wanting the girl she left behind
So far behind

Pen and paper in her hand
To write the folks back home
She's telling them again that her life is better
Not like long ago
Then her shaking hand tears across the page
Crumbles to the floor
And when the lights go out it's the hardest time
The hardest time to be alone