I bet she saw him when she was just seventeen
A neighbor or a doctor or something in between
And when he asked for her hand, he was down on a knee
I bet John was the type of man to give her just what she’d need

Oh, Elizabeth
Elizabeth

Now, I bet the light shone for him in her eyes
And he’d sit in the corner while she’d sing the children lullabies
After he was gone, the money was sure to get tight
With a house and kids, but no husband in her bed at night

Oh, Elizabeth
Elizabeth
Forty years alone is a long time

Down in Philadelphia he was a man of influence
So when they’d see his widow they’d always invite her in
But all of those folks came and went on through the years
And poor Mrs. Mifflin, she already lost her tears

Oh, Elizabeth
Elizabeth
Forty years alone is a long time

She kept the name that her husband gave
When he was just a young man
And sometimes at night she swore she heard his voice
Saying, “Baby, I love you still”

Now, she ended up living alone more than he was alive
But she always considered herself to be his wife
So when she saw that her life was giving in
She thought of the churchyard where she’d lie down next to him

Oh, Elizabeth
Elizabeth
Forty years alone is a long time

She kept the name that her husband gave
When he was just a young man
And sometimes at night she swore she heard his voice
Saying, “Baby, I love you still”