This Old Heart Will Kill Me

My life has been good, I can't complain
And I hope I've done my part
And I hope I live to a ripe old age
 With the sweet love of life alive in my heart

 But time takes its toll, and the hard times I've known
 Add up to a hell of a mess
And my heart might keep going but it bears all the scars
 Of a woman just doing her best

But it doesn't take off like it used to
And soar like a sparrow away
It just beats strong and true for all I been through
Like it could go on forever that way

And I know that I give my heart much too freely
And it bears the pain when I come undone
 And I know I will pay for living this way
 'Cause this old heart will kill me
 When all is said and done

 So I act like it's nothing, just a day's work
 To build my heart up and then get it torn down
 And I jump in again with my heart in my hands
Like I'm not running it into the ground

 But there's ash in my mouth when I think of my family
 And the fact so many are gone
 Killed in the end by their most prized possession
The best heart can take it for only so long

And now just like my father and all those before him
 I know that in time my own time will come
 And I know I will pay for living this way
'Cause this old heart will kill me
 When all is said and done

And I hear my heart pounding like life itself
 And I know that it suffers for all that I done
And I know I will pay for living this way
'Cause this old heart will kill me
 When all is said and done
 When all is said and done