She was reading a book that she'd already read
Just to pass the time
He just sat there and stared at the TV set
Like he was barely alive
When the local news was over
They would climb the stairs
And crawl in bed underneath the covers
Like neither one was there
And it's a long, long way
Across the great divide
The songs that they once sang
Now echo far and wide
They could still get back all the love that they have lost
But only if they both will reach across
'Cause it's a long, long way
To the other side of the great divide
He was up in the attic on the Fourth of July
'Cause they flew a flag in the yard
When he found some old roses she had long ago dried
Before they drifted apart
And how the years had slipped right by them
He didn't understand
He carried a petal into the kitchen
And he placed it in her hand
And it's a long, long way
Across the great divide
The songs that they once sang
Now echo far and wide
They could still get back all the love that they have lost
But only if they both will reach across
'Cause it's a long, long way
To the other side of the great divide