The telephone rang April 7th, and Betty Godbey answered
A police officer told her that her husband, Delbert Godbey, had been murdered in a mobile
Home he was renting in Cebola, Arizona
His credit cards, checkbook, identification, and wallet were missing
The death certificate listed the cause of death as a blunt force, and said Godbey had been beaten by assailants
He might have been dead since March 24th
She thumbs through photos that her husband had sent during the solo vacation that he'd always dreamed of taking
Ducks drift on the Colorado River near Parker, Arizona, protected wild burros roamed the sidewalks Oatman
The backs of the photos are filled with notes recounting his travels alone
An avid painter, Delbert Godbey's script is clear, telling stories he might have shared with thirteen children
But the stories seem a little unreal now
So this is it, unceremonious and raw
I thought if I climbed high enough, I'd never feel the fall
If I forget, if I don't make that call
If I never decided anything, am I really free at all
All stories have a final chapter, and darling, we aren't exempt
Through each and every stupid disaster, though strife may never relent
I'll beg you for a calming answer when I've made my last attempt
To force oxygen inside these lungs
May there be no fear or lament
Can I quit when I'm too far down this hole
I thought if I kept digging that I would have control
Could you forgive
Could you resist that pull
Could you stay stronger than I ever could
Cause you know it takes a toll
All stories have a final chapter, and darling, we aren't exempt
Through each and every stupid disaster, though strife may never relent
I'll beg you for a calming answer when I've made my last attempt
To force oxygen inside these lungs may there be no fear or lament