You fold his hands, you smooth his tie, you gently lift his chinnWere you really so blind and unkind to him?nCan't help the itch to touch, to kiss, to hold him once againnNow to close his eyes, never open themnnA shadow passed, a shadow passed, yearning, yearning,nFor the fool it called a homennAll things he never did are left behindnAll the things his mama wished he'd bear in mindnAnd all his dad had hoped he'd knownnThe talks you never had, the Saturdays you never spentnAll the 'grown-up' places you never wentnAnd all of the crying you wouldn't understandnYou just let him cry, 'make a man out of him.'nnA shadow passed, a shadow passed, yearning, yearningnFor a fool it called a homennAll things he ever wished are left behindnAll the things his mama did to make him mindnAnd how his dad had hoped he'd grownnAll things he ever lived are left behindnAll the fears that ever flickered through his mindnAll the sadness that he'd come to knownnA shadow passed, a shadow passed, yearning, yearningnFor a fool it called a homennAnd it whistles through the ghosts still left behindnIt whistles through the ghosts still left behindnWhistles through the ghosts still left behind