For Rosanna



This is for Rosanna, sweet girl of mine,
A song for the baby who changed my life,
I'll never forget when I saw you first,
I thought that my heart would burst,
With the love that I have;

As I watch you sleeping in here tonight,
And I hear your breathing so soft and light,
I cannot believe all the things that I feel,
When I hold you next to me,
It's the love that I have;

Oh how my heart it is shining,
Oh how my heart it is shining,
Oh how this heart is shining through,
With the love that I have;

And as you are growing from baby to child,
I share the wonders that are in your eyes,
And I am amazed at the way you change,
All according to the plan,
And the love that I have;

And when you are older you will go away,
You'll see injustice and you'll see pain,
But never forget that I'm always there,
Like a shadow by your side,
With the love that I have;

Oh my love, you have your mother's eyes,
And when I see you laugh, you have your mother's smile,
And you are mine all of my life,
You are mine, all of my love,
You are mine, blood of my blood,
You are mine;

Oh how my heart it is shining,
Oh how my heart it is shining,
Oh how my heart it is shining through,
With the love that I have.
"Clearly, this is for my daughter. It's just the voice and the piano. Originally, I thought of having quite a few things on it, but everybody who heard it was so moved by it that they all said 'God, don't touch it - it's just perfect'. I tried real hard to figure out exactly the way I felt about her. The verse goes: 'This is for Rosanna, sweet girl of mine. A song for the baby who changed my life. I'll never forget when I saw you first - I thought that my heart would burst with the love that I have.' It continues: 'I cannot believe all the things that I feel when I hold you next to me. It's the love that I have. I watch her growing and I'm amazed at the way you change all according to the plan.'

It's incredible to see your child grow up and there's this plan that just takes over, you've got nothing to do with it. It's fantastic to see it happening. Then I reflect that, when she's older, she'll go away but 'Never forget that I'm always there like a shadow by your side'. There's a little reference to Diane in 'Oh My Love, you have your mother's eyes. When I see you laugh, you have your mother's smile'. I think this is really going to choke a lot of people who have kids and, hopefully, people who don't have them will get an idea of what it's like; of the amazing strong emotions that you get when you have your child in your arms. It's the one thing I was attempting to explain. This is the first record [Into The Light] I've made since I became a Dad, so there are a few references to kids during it. The song was a release and a therapy - but it's only a part of the way I feel. I would have liked to have made a ten-minute song just to say everything I wanted to! When I did this song, I ran back into the studio to listen to it and I was in tears at the end of because I'd actually managed to grab the emotion I was attempting to convey. It hit me right between the eyes. It was a moving moment. I also had a strong feeling that this is the best gift I've ever given Rosanna. You know how parents and kids are - they don't get on very well when the kids are teenagers - but at least I'll know that, in a quiet moment, she might go away when she's older and, if she's had a row with her dad and her mother, she might listen to this song. It's just like a present for her - it's forever. I felt really good about that, felt really strongly that I'd done something which all parents would like to do, but which most people can't actually say. It wasn't an easy song to write, or easy to crystallize just how I felt."
The Getaway Gazette, May 1986

Albums

"For Rosanna" appears on the following albums:

Into The LightGold

Videos