So Why "The Water Is Wide"?

Just in case you haven't had a chance to search under James Taylor The Water Is Wide, let me try to explain why I chose the title for my blog.

It starts as a paean to love, with lyrics dating from the 1600s:

"The water is wide, I can't cross over.
And neither have I wings to fly.
Build me a boat that can carry two,
And both shall row, my love and I."

But then comes the verse that stops me every time:

"There is a ship and she sails the sea,
She's loaded deep, as deep can be.
But not as deep as the love I'm in,
I know not how I sink or swim."

From this point, the song is no longer about romantic love; it speaks to a feeling much more profound and primal–the love I have for my son.

Sometimes in life I sink, but I have no choice. I'm a mother.

I swim.