A toast to love with paper cups 
And a vow to never part 
They're saying to each other there's a fire burning 
Deep within their hearts 
But at her darkest hour he's gone far away 
She's all alone 
And when the lights go out it's the hardest time 
The hardest time to be alone 

She sends her Mary off to school 
And sits to watch TV 
They're talking about spending their lives together 
The way it's supposed to be 
Then the baby cries, wakes her from her dream 
She's on her own 
And when the lights go out it's the hardest time 
The hardest time to be alone 

A mother's dream is like a story never told 
Reaching out for something more then a hand to hold 
Wanting the girl she left behind 
So far behind 

Pen and paper in her hand 
To write the folks back home 
She's telling them again that her life is better 
Not like long ago 
Then her shaking hand tears across the page 
Crumbles to the floor 
And when the lights go out it's the hardest time 
The hardest time to be alone