Lyrics
A ribbon round a teddy bear
A baby in her arms
Her mother said he'll guard your dreams
And keep you safe from harm
She learned his button eyes by heart
His paw beneath her chin
And every place her little feet went
Teddy followed in
Teddy, stay beside me
through the changing years
Carry all my laughter, hold my secret tears
From a nursery window to a daughter's bed
Every life she lived with you was gently held
She took him down the country road
Tucked underneath her coat
He sat beside her Sunday dress while hymns began to float
The lady smiled, the preacher spoke, the old oak rafters rang
She squeezed his paw beneath the pew and sang the words they sang
At seventeen she filled his ears with roads she hoped to see
A summer train, a borrowed car, the woman she would be
He heard a first love's sudden fire, then watched that young heart break
She told him every hopeful plan and every hard mistake
Teddy, stay beside me through the changing years
Carry all my laughter
hold my secret tears
From a nursery window to a daughter's bed
Every life she lived with you was gently hell
Then came a ring, a wedding day, two names beneath one roof
She placed him in the center where the moonlight crossed the room
He waited there through folded sheets and mornings soft and slow
A quiet witness to the years that only lovers know
When children filled the house with noise, he never had a break
They built him forts from kitchen chairs and served him birthday cake
They told him who had scraped a knee
Who won and who had lied
He wore their fingerprints like medals
Sitting proudly by their side
The house grew still, her husband gone
The children far away
She held the bear against her heart at close of every day
She spoke of all the empty rooms, the memories that stayed
And Teddy kept her company till morning found the shade
Teddy, stay beside me through the changing years
Carry all my laughter
hold my secret tears
From a nursery window to a daughter's bed
Every life she lived with you was gently held
Then grandchildren came like rain with pockets full of plans
They passed him round the living room with sticky little hands
asked him for a thousand tales, then made up one or two
And every child who loved that bear found something old and new
In her final room, she turned her head and whispered, bring him near
Her daughter placed him in her arms the way she had for years
She held him close and breathed so softly peace upon her face
A lifetime folded into cloth, a love no time could erase
Teddy stayed beside her through the closing years
Carry all her laughter, hold the family tears
From a newborn's cradle to the hands that tucked her in
Every life she lived with you was held and held again
Now Teddy rests in regal calm on her daughter's bed
A little warm, a little wise, with one soft thread of red
And when the children gather round the oldest story starts
The bear still keeps her company stitched into their hearts
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