Loved Again, Again

2026-01-31

After the divorce of her parents, Mary Wilkerson lived with many different relatives as a child. She once lived homeless in a care in the desert near Las Vegas. She married young. Her husband, Byron, went to fight World War II in Europe, leaving her with small children to feed and care for. She lost triplets who were born early, and had to make difficult accommodations in her life for a mother-in-law who was hard to live with. Nonetheless, Mary was an upbeat person, and she never stopped opening her arms and her heart to others. She told people to keep their chin up. She was a bit of a card sharp, walked every day, and loved to laugh and spend time with friends and loved ones. Lyrics are by me collaborating with AI.

listen to a performance of the song

Image credit: AI+

[verse 1] Born in a boxcar, mountain pass Cold wind whistling through thin walls From hand to land, no steady face Too young to know who’d stay at all [refrain] And she loved again, again [verse 2] Love came quick, then he was gone Letters late, then silence long Winter fighting, far from home Not knowing if he’d come at all [refrain] And she loved again, again [verse 3] Three born early, could not breathe No air, no heat to hold them here Hospital glass, no help for blue Children home, and more to come [refrain] And she loved again, again [verse 4] Small shared house for twenty-three years Smoke all night as kids lost sleep Kitchen claimed by someone else Knowing who would never leave [refrain] And she loved again, again [verse 5] Cards dealt out, walks, laughter shared Friendships fed from written years Stories told, odd facts she stored Hands once held now holding hers [refrain] And she loved again, again [outro] again.