From the Songbond library

The Chair You Sat In

SongbondMemorial

0:00–:––

A remembrance gift for someone grieving their husband

Folded glasses, the evening news and a dog checking an empty chair make this example specific to a wife missing her husband.

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The words

Lyrics

Six o'clock The news comes on I still wait for your verdict Your glasses on the side table, folded like you'll need them The cushion still remembers you — a shape that won't sit right You'd pat the armrest twice and the dog would come running She still checks the chair each evening. So do I. The house keeps expecting you And so do I, my love. So do I. The chair you sat in is the center of this house Forty years of would-you-look-at-that at the television I talk back to the anchors now, the way you always did The chair you sat in, my love — I can't move it. And I won't. Your side of the closet still smells like cedar and your aftershave I open it on hard days. I'm not ashamed to say it. You narrated the whole world from that worn-out corduroy throne Weather, ballgames, headlines — what I'd give to be interrupted The house keeps expecting you And so do I, my love. So do I. The chair you sat in is the center of this house Forty years of would-you-look-at-that at the television I talk back to the anchors now, the way you always did The chair you sat in, my love — I can't move it. And I won't. Last night the news ran something you'd have hollered at And I heard myself say it, clear across the empty room — "Would you look at that." It's in me now You left your voice in mine The chair you sat in is the center of this house Forty years of would-you-look-at-that at the television I talk back to the anchors now, the way you always did The chair you sat in, my love — I can't move it. And I won't. Six o'clock Sit with me a while Look at that. Just look at that.

Behind the song

The story

Six o'clock, the news comes on, and there's still a pause to wait for his verdict on it. His glasses sit folded on the side table like he'll need them; the cushion holds a shape that won't sit right for anyone else; the dog still checks the chair each evening, and so does she. Forty years of would-you-look-at-that hollered at the television. The house keeps expecting him. So does she. The chair stays exactly where it is — she can't move it, and she won't. For the widow who hears his voice come out of her own mouth across the empty room, and answers it anyway.

The story behind this Songbond listening example.

From this song to your gift

Remember his place in the room

Folded glasses, the evening news and a dog checking an empty chair make this example specific to a wife missing her husband. A personal tribute can honor a familiar voice and routine without asking the recipient to rearrange their home or their grief.

A widow or someone close to her can use this approach when she would welcome hearing everyday memories of her husband.

How to give it

Offer a private first listen with a clear description of the subject, and leave the choice of timing to her.

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Giving a personal song

Is a memorial song appropriate immediately after a loss?

There is no required timing. Ask whether a recording would be welcome and let the recipient choose when to listen; a gift should not create an obligation to react.

Is this the recording I receive when I order a custom gift?

“The Chair You Sat In” is a public listening example. A custom-song request uses the story you share; check the current creation page for what is included and how changes work.

Still Setting Two Plates

Memorial

The House Is Quiet Now