When she started writing the lyrics to this song, Judy was originally inspired by the horrific events at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The image of a mother sending her child off to school, only to realize later that their goodbye that morning was the last she would see her child, haunted her.
It took years for the song to take shape, and since that time there have been many other school shootings and catastrophes. And more recently we experienced a very personal one: our son had a rock-climbing accident that left him with a serious traumatic brain injury. The thought of our daughter-in-law saying goodbye as he left for what was to be a pleasant climb gives the song a poignant association for us.
As we developed the song, the lyrics can also be interpreted as referring to the loss of a romantic relationship. We think listeners will be able to relate to the song in multiple ways.
I originally wrote the music for this song as an instrumental over 25 years ago, as part of my work Berakhot: A Midrash Cantata. I had always thought it’s a very singable melody, and it worked for these lyrics.