Cactus in a Coffee Can

When my Daddy first played this song for me, I wondered why no one else ever recorded it!! It was in that “special song box" that Daddy has where he puts songs he loves until he finds the right person to record it!! The melody of this song is so sweet it draws you into the story. The story is a heart-wrenching tale of family lost from each other. It makes me thankful for my Mom and my two boys!! I know our story will never be so sad as long as we have each other!!

She had the window and I had the aisle
She looked twenty-five, but she was shakin’ like a child when we took off
I looked over and clutched in her hand
There was a cactus in a coffee can
She was holdin’ that thing like it was all she had
She smiled at me, but I could tell she was sad

Somewhere over Denver I asked her her name
She said Elena, and told me she came from Santa Fe
She ordered a drink and a wall came down
Yeah, she started talkin’ and pain poured out
She told me a story I’ll never forget
She had me in tears when she looked at me and said

Chorus One:
My Mama’s first love was crack
She made her livin’ lyin’ on her back
She gave me away on the day that I was born

She said the last ten years I spent trackin’ her down
And it just don’t seem fair that when I finally found her she was almost gone
We had two weeks together to laugh and to cry
Two weeks to say hello and goodbye
She gave me this cactus, said it’s kinda like me
It’ll hurt you to hold it, but blooms every Spring

She said I’m on my way back to New Mexico
Was gonna scatter these ashes where the desert winds blow
But I came up with a better plan
I’m gonna keep ‘em in the bottom of this coffee can

Chorus Two:
My Mama was a tortured soul
I still love her even though
She gave me away on the day that I was born

The plane touched down and we both got off
I took her hand and said sorry for your loss
She said thanks for listening, for being here
I’ve been wanting to talk about her for so many years
Now I’ll probably never see Elena again
We met as strangers and parted as friends
As we waved goodbye I was sure of one thing
There’ll be a flower on that cactus come next Spring