For Better Or Worse

For better or worse
For rich or for poor
My husband has delivered on the rich part
But the better, I'm not sure
And then to learn my soldier has returned
It's a blessing and a curse
Is it for better or for worse?

To have and to hold
'Til death do us part
So certain that my soldier had been lost
And with him half my heart
I spoke those words to gain security
It was maybe a mistake
And the only choice to make

And so I built a home beyond my childhood dreams
I built the perfect place to stay
Locked away

For better or worse
When we came out east
I learned that it is not what feels the best
It is what will hurt the least
And when I thought that I might start again
Got the thought out of my head
Had a child with him instead

I knew I had to build a home and make it last
And fill it up with all the reasons
Not to think about the past

We danced with those soldiers like they were ghosts
We kissed them with unspoken last goodbyes
So certain that they were gone
We mourned them and then moved on
Hoping half a heart's enough to build upon

For better or worse
My vows have been made
I'm smart enough to know that I'd lose everything
If I ever strayed
All the while, my husband has his fun
And the roles are not reversed
It's for the better, and the worst

A melody drifting across the bay
A song of a summer from long ago
A chorus that amplifies
Every last compromise
What good comes from knowing that he survived?
What good comes from knowing what he became?
To know there's an open door
Where there wasn't one before
And I wonder what he'd do
If I walked through