Track 8—From When We Were Young (2011)

If I Should Fall Behind

Bruce Springsteen/ASCAP 

 

We said we’d walk together, baby come what may
That come the twilight, should we lose our way
If as were walkin,’ a hand should slip free
I’ll wait for you
And should I fall behind
Wait for me

We swore we’d travel, darlin’ side by side
We’d help each other, stay in stride
But each lover’s steps fall, so differently
But I’ll wait for you
And if I should fall behind
Wait for me

Now everyone dreams of, a love lasting and true
Oh, but you and I know what this world can do
So let’s make our steps clear, that the other may see
And I’ll wait for you
And if I should fall behind
Wait for me

Now there’s a beautiful river, in the valley ahead
There ‘neath the oak’s bough, soon we will be wed
Should we lose each other, in the shadow of the evening trees
I’ll wait for you
And should I fall behind
Wait for me
Darlin’ I’ll wait for you
Should I fall behind
Wait for me

 

In the summer of 2006, I was walking through the library at the community college and a colleague stopped me and asked if I was familiar with Bruce Springsteen’s song “If I Should Fall Behind.” She went on to share that she wanted me to consider learning the song and playing it at her daughter’s wedding in a couple of months. She handed Springsteen’s “Lucky Town” CD to me and asked me to see what I thought.

 

As I traveled home that evening and popped the CD in the player, in about thirty-seconds I had instantly fell in love with the message and style of this love song. While drinking coffee at the kitchen table the next morning, I roughed out the chords in the key of C.     

 

As I worked on the song, I had borrowed an upright bass from a local middle school in order to practice for the tracks that I would eventually add to my first CD. As I was playing “If I Should Fall Behind” on the guitar one Saturday afternoon, my wife shared that the song would sound nice with some upright bass and asked, “Could you show me how to play it?”

 

My wife quickly picked up the bass part, had the tempo down pat and we both ended up playing the song at the wedding a month later. Since then we have played the song at one other wedding.